Recording by College of Wooster Professor of Music Jeff Lindberg with the Chicago Jazz Orchestra reaches No. 1 on national JazzWeek chart

“More Amor, A Tribute to Wes Montgomery,” the latest recording of Jeff Lindberg, professor of music at The College of Wooster, with the Chicago Jazz Orchestra reached No. 1 on JazzWeek, a national publication chart recognizing jazz radio airplay.

The Chicago Jazz Orchestra (CJO), led by Lindberg, its cofounder and artistic director, teamed up with guitarist extraordinaire Bobby Broom to record More Amor: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery. The recording was released on March 28, 2025, via CJO Records. “It is a very rare achievement for a recording to reach No. 1 on a national chart,” Lindberg said. “It is the recognition of a lifetime of work in my field.”

The seed for More Amor: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery was planted way back in 2004. While planning the CJO’s concert series, Lindberg enlisted Bobby Broom for a performance dedicated to the music of Wes Montgomery. “Bobby has the right combination of guitar chops, artistry, and audience appeal. He reads audiences very well. He knows what people will be attracted to, so the result is something that’s very special and relatable, musically and artistically,” Lindberg said. The concert was part of the CJO’s 2004 series at Chicago’s Harold Washington Library Center, and the subsequently proposed recording is now available for the first time.

Lindberg’s skills as a jazz transcriptionist have produced a vast library of over a thousand titles which have been performed by the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, the Count Basie Orchestra, the Woody Herman Orchestra, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band, and hundreds of others. More Amor: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery features two musical transcriptions created by Lindberg: “Boss City” and “More, More, Amor.” Lindberg’s transcriptions and professional connections offer students at Wooster unparalleled access to world-class jazz artists and unique transcriptions unavailable anywhere else.

Lindberg joined the faculty at Wooster in 1986. In addition to directing the College’s Jazz Ensemble, he also conducts the Wooster Symphony Orchestra, leads The Wooster Trombone Choir, and teaches jazz history and trombone.

The CD and vinyl LP of More Amor: A Tribute to Wes Montgomery are available at Blackbird Records in Wooster, the College’s Mayer Bookstore, and cjomusic.org. The album is also available digitally on most streaming services.

Featured image: Jeff Lindberg, professor of music at The College of Wooster, by Spencer Cole Porter.

Posted in News on May 28, 2025.