Al Cheznovitz

Al Chesnovitz, also Alan Chez is an American musician who principally plays the trumpet and the flugelhorn on the CBS Orchestra for the Late Show with David Letterman. Alan Chez joined the CBS Orchestra on February 3, 1997, after years of sitting in on trumpet and flugelhorn with Paul Shaffer on "Late Night with David Letterman" and the "Late Show".

Beginnings in Music

Chez started his extensive music career at the age of 9 when he joined his father's local drum corps, the Saints. He went on to join the Garfield Cadets and, in 1979, joined forces with Jon Bon Jovi to create the band the Atlantic City Expressway, which played New Jersey shore clubs for five years.

Chez still donates his time to drum corps-activity and also conducts brass-music clinics throughout the country. Mostly donating his time to the Crossmen.

He first met Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra's Will Lee at a club in New York in 1986 and was asked to tour with Shaffer's band. As "The World's Most Dangerous Band," they performed at such venues as the Jacksonville Jazz Festival and Summerfest in Wisconsin.

He is particularly well-known for hitting extremely high notes for long periods of time.

Chez has also played with such artists as Tower of Power, the Robert Cray Band, Dave Edmunds, Dion, Graham Parker, Kim Wilson and Bon Jovi. He has performed at such events as the 1989 Presidential Inauguration, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductions, John Lennon's 50th Birthday Celebration, the 1996 Olympic Games Closing Ceremonies, the Concert of the Century, the Concert for New York, and the Very Special Christmas Concert. Al was also in the famous New Jersey shore band, La Bamba and the Hubcaps.

Recently, he has performed in numerous halftime shows with the University of Virginia Cavalier Marching Band in its second and third years (2005 and 2006) as well as in the halftime show for the 2008 Konica Minolta Gator Bowl, being featured alongside student soloists for Misunderstood and Rhythm of the Night. He also played the National Anthem for the Drum Crops World Semi-finals Competition in August of 2008.

Chez was born in Jersey City, N.J., on July 7, 1961. He and his wife, Cat, continue to live in New Jersey.