Those who have played in a jazz big band probably have heard stories about the legendary Studio A at Capitol Studios, known as a great “big band” room — the place where Nelson Riddle and Frank Sinatra collaborated on a multitude of famous recordings.

Many also have heard of Steve Genewick, an industry heavyweight when it comes to engineers whose clients have included the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Diana Krall, Paul McCartney, LeAnn Rimes, Michael Bubble, Elvis Costello, and Carol King, to mention a few.

Professor Dave Kopplin, director of the Cal Poly Pomona Jazz Band, not only knew about Studio A and Steve Genewick, he arranged for his jazz band students to gain first-hand knowledge of them and experience the thrill of participating in a recording session at Capitol Studios.

Cal Poly Pomona music alum David Martinez works at Capitol Studios, as an assistant engineer, and helped put the session together, assisting with the recording.

The band recorded a total of five big band tunes and four combo tunes, spending several days recording and mixing. Performances included improvisation by Alex Duffield on tenor sax, and swinging vocals by Danny Lopez.

Cal Poly Pomona music alum Gabe Zuniga, videographer for the session, produced the exciting and professional video of this once in a lifetime opportunity.