VANGUARD JAZZ ORCHESTRA - OCT, NOV
Village Vanguard178 7th Avenue South, New York 10014
The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra takes the late Monday set at the Village Vanguard. This is the New York ensemble's standing home turf: a 16-piece jazz orchestra built around saxophones, trumpets, trombones, piano, bass and drums. The group performs at the club every Monday night, carrying its large-ensemble book into the Vanguard's triangular downstairs room, where the stage sits at the point of the space and the audience is asked to settle into silence before the music begins.
Based in New York, the orchestra began in 1966 as the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. Its history and repertoire are closely tied to founders Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, as well as composers and arrangers Bob Brookmeyer and Jim McNeely; Brookmeyer also served as the band's music director. New World Records calls the ensemble's Monday-night Vanguard residency “a tradition without parallel.” The New York Times has described the orchestra as playing from its “celebrated book,” while All About Jazz called it a “hellacious big band” and said its live recording offers “a good idea of what two sets at the Vanguard might 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.