VANGUARD JAZZ ORCHESTRA - OCT, NOV
Village Vanguard178 7th Avenue South, New York 10014
The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra is billed for this Monday night at the Village Vanguard. This is a 16-piece jazz big band rather than a separately announced small-group date, and no individual players or special program are listed for the evening. The engagement belongs to the orchestra's standing Monday-night run at the club, a tradition that has made this room one of the band's regular homes for decades.
Based in New York, the orchestra began in 1966 as the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, whose initial Monday booking at the Vanguard was extended indefinitely. It has also performed as Mel Lewis and The Jazz Orchestra, and has now logged more than 2,700 Monday nights at the venue. Its music draws on the Thad Jones and Mel Lewis repertory, with swing alongside complex, at times avant-garde, arrangements by Bob Brookmeyer and Jim McNeely. The New York Times called a performance “business as usual,” drawing from the orchestra's “celebrated book.” Jazz.com praised its “riotous full band polyphony” and its soloists, while All About Jazz said a live release conveyed what two sets at the Vanguard sound like.
A narrow basement staircase leads to a triangular room with a red curtain and a stage at the point, where musicians play for a small audience of 123. Tables open like spokes from the stage, and the walls hold portraits of jazz legends. The acoustics are excellent, and the only sound before the music begins is the hum of the room. No food is served, only drinks at a bar. Shows start at 8:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., with seating beginning at 7:00 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. respectively. The atmosphere is focused entirely on the music, with silence requested before the concert begins.