The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra began its life as the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra in 1966.The world-famous Village Vanguard jazz club in New York City booked the newly formed band for three Monday nights that February. Those performances were wildly successful and the engagement was extended indefinitely. The Village Vanguard’s owner, Max Gordon, told Mel Lewis, “We’ll keep […]
Music In The Meadow The Count Basie Orchestra, today directed by Scotty Barnhart, has won every respected jazz poll in the world at least once, won 18 Grammy Awards. In the history of Jazz music, there is only one bandleader that has the distinction of having his orchestra still performing sold out concerts all over the […]
Gary Bartz Jean Carn Norman Connors Eddie Baccus Jr. The Starship Orchestra Known for his overblowing, harmonic, and multi-phonic techniques on the saxophone, as well as his use of "sheets of sound", American jazz musician Pharaoh Sanders played a prominent role in the development of free jazz and spiritual jazz through his work as a member of John Coltrane's groups in the mid-1960s, and later […]
Max Roach transformed the sound of the drums and became a leader in civil rights and social justice activism. He defied limits, subverted roles, and innovated methods for improvisation and unbound freedom of expression. Profoundly — singularly — his artistry revolutionized how the drums communicate, and influenced the direction of live and recorded music. Join the Jazz […]
The Bansangu Orchestra is a contemporary world-music big bandfounded in 2014 by Paul booth, Giorgio Serci and Kevin Robinson. The orchestra features many London-based musicians, including Jason Yarde, Alex Wilson, Shanti Paul Jayasinha, Trevor Mires, Barnaby Dickinson, Steve Fishwick, and Rod Youngs. Line Up: Saxophones: Paul Booth (Musical Director) Sammy Mayne Jason Yarde Richard Beesley […]
The Javier Nero Jazz Orchestra is a fresh and dynamic big band performing all original music and modern arrangements of jazz standards. Dr. Javier Nero is an award-winning jazz trombonist, composer, arranger, and educator whose musicianship has received significant recognition. Currently based in Baltimore, MD, Javier is busy as both a bandleader and sideman in the greater DMV […]
Last season, trumpet master, inexhaustible band leader, and fashion icon Etienne Charles lit up The House of Swing with his Appel Room performance of Carnival: The Sound of a People. Now, he returns to Dizzy’s Club leading his Creole-inflected big band featuring master practitioners from across the globe. Expect a spirited set of new music designed to pull […]
