VANGUARD JAZZ ORCHESTRA - OCT, NOV
Village Vanguard178 7th Avenue South, New York 10014
The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra brings its October and November Village Vanguard run to the club on this Monday night. This is the orchestra's regular big-band format: a 16-piece ensemble whose arrangements make room for the “small group within the big band” idea, letting soloists stretch out inside the larger sound. The performance continues a Monday-night Vanguard residency that the orchestra describes as the longest-running steady engagement in jazz.
Founded in New York in 1966 as the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, the band took its current name after drummer Mel Lewis died in 1990. It carries forward Thad Jones's music while extending the big-band repertoire through figures including Bob Brookmeyer, Bob Mintzer and Jim McNeely. Its recordings have devoted full programs to McNeely's compositions and to Jones's music. The New York Times described the 16-piece group working from its “celebrated book” as “business as usual … and nobody was complaining.” JazzTimes called the ensemble “splendid,” while noting the tension between tradition and improvisational surprise. Reviewing OverTime, Jazz da Gama called it “a landmark event” and “perhaps one of the finest big band recordings made in the last decade.”
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.