The Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra was founded in 2010, maintaining residence at the historic Bohemian Caverns each Monday night until its closing in March 2016. During that time, the band featured the District’s finest musicians in presenting a wide repertoire of music and guest artists including Oliver Lake, Warren Wolf, Miho Hazama, Elliott Hughes, Nathan Parker Smith, and others. The BCJO received numerous awards including annual recognition from the Washington City Paper and the 2012 Mayor’s Arts Award. Currently, the band plays at Milkboy Arthouse in College Park and Levine Music in Silver Spring. In 2018, BCJO released two volumes of pianist Dan Roberts’ music, titled “Bohemiana”. The band is directed by Brad Linde and Joe Herrera.
Artist biography:
BCJO
The Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra (BCJO) is a 17-piece big band founded by baritone saxophonist Brad Linde. The BCJO, directed by Linde and trumpeter Joe Herrera, presents a variety of music from big band literature and features some of the District’s best musicians on Monday nights at the historic Bohemian Caverns. Music from Ellington, Basie, Strayhorn, Thad Jones, Oliver Nelson, Maria Schneider and originals by band members embrace and challenge the tradition of big band repertoire. In April 2014, the BCJO celebrated 4 years of Monday nights and over 220 performance since its inception on April 19, 2010.
Brad Linde is a saxophonist, bandleader, and presenter in the Washington DC metro area. He is the Director of Jazz and Creative Instrumental Music at Georgetown Day School and is on faculty at Levine Music.
He has worked with legendary musicians including Lee Konitz, Teddy Charles, Barry Harris, Grachan Moncur III, Andrew Cyrille, Joe Chambers, and Dan Tepfer, Matt Wilson, Ethan Iverson, and many others.
As an improviser, he currently works in the duo ditch panther with pianist Erika Dohi and with cellist Janel Leppin and guitarist Anthony Pirog in THIRD WHEEL. He composes for his group UNDERWATER GHOST featuring Pirog, Dohi, bassist Nathan Kawaller and drummer Allison Miller, and the quartet collective TEAM PLAYERS (w/ Billy Wolfe, Aaron Quinn, and Deric Dickens).
Other projects include GINGERBRED (piano-less quartet w/ Carol Morgan) and the avant-trad jazz group DIX OUT (w/ Tara Kannangara, Quinn, Liz Prince, and Dickens).
In 2010, he founded and began co-directing the Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra – a 17-piece big band in residence at the historic club, and he is the director of the 10-piece chamber group the Brad Linde Ensemble (BLE), the 5 saxophone/rhythm section band “Sax Of A Kind”, the big band BLEE (Brad Linde Expanded Ensemble) and the 14-piece BIG OL’.
Brad maintained a long performance relationship with the legendary hardbop pianist/composer Freddie Redd, performing at Smalls Jazz Club, Birdland, JALC and other venues in New York, DC, and Baltimore from 2009 through 2013. He was also the musical director for the Freddie Redd/Butch Warren Quintet. He has co-led a New York-based group with one of the original Tristano School members, tenor saxophonist Ted Brown, since 2010.
From 2011-2014, he was the curator of the cutting-edge jazz series at the Atlas Performing Arts Center in Northeast Washington DC, presenting artists including Mark Turner, Steve Coleman, Ambrose Akinmusire, Darcy James Argue and more. He was a participant in the Banff International Jazz and Creative Music Workshop 2013 and he studied with Barry Harris and Lee Konitz, among others.
