Vanguard Jazz Orchestra: Live At The Village Vanguard

There's a tradition in many New York City jazz clubs: Monday nights are reserved for big bands. The Village Vanguard, the most storied of clubs, has observed this practice since 1966, when a nascent large ensemble called together by trumpeter Thad Jones and drummer Mel Lewis was booked for three Mondays in February. Now called the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Grammy-winning 16-piece band upholds Jones and Lewis' precepts of swinging boldly and arranging deftly to a sold-out crowd weekly.

NPR Music and WBGO featured the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra on its home turf, in a live radio broadcast and online video webcast Monday, Feb. 13. NPR Music and WBGO have our own tradition of broadcasting monthly from the legendary club; this marks the 50th concert in the npr.org/villagevanguard series.

Set List

• "A-That's Freedom" (H. Jones, arr. T. Jones)
• "Extra Credit" (McNeely)
• "ABC Blues" (Brookmeyer)
• "Suite For Three" (Brookmeyer)
• "Skylark" (Carmichael, arr. Brookmeyer)
• "My Centennial" (T. Jones)

Personnel

• Nick Marchione, trumpet (lead)
• Tanya Darby, trumpet
• Terell Stafford, trumpet
• Scott Wendholt, trumpet
• John Mosca, trombone (lead)/co-leader
• Luis Bonilla, trombone
• Jason Jackson, trombone
• Douglas Purviance, bass trombone/co-leader
• Dick Oatts, alto saxophone (lead)/winds
• Billy Drewes, alto saxophone/winds
• Ralph LaLama, tenor saxophone/winds
• Rich Perry, tenor saxophone/winds
• Gary Smulyan, baritone saxophone/bass clarinet
• Michael Weiss, piano
• David Wong, bass
• John Riley, drums

Credits

Producer And Host: Josh Jackson; Audio Engineer: David Tallacksen; Production Assistant: Michael Downes. Recorded Feb. 13, 2012 at The Village Vanguard in New York, N.Y.