OURBIGBAND seeks to keep alive the tradition of the big band jazz orchestra. Through collaboration with today’s finest jazz performers and composers, OURBIGBAND strives to bring new, creative, relevant music to our community and beyond.

The seeds of “jazz” and its derivative musics have been scattered globally throughout the 20th and 21st centuries.  While a defining characteristic of jazz is its ability to adapt to the sounds and traditions of world cultures (as it was forged in the furnace of world cultures) , jazz is, at its roots, an American art form. A unique and ever-evolving cultural narrative, imbued with affirmations of joy and progress, jazz music has always sent a message of hope and  inclusion. The music not only influenced the likes of Debussy, Dvorak, Ravel, Stravinsky, and Gershwin, but also paved the way for rock n roll, R&B, hip hop, and the pop music of today.

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While this music and culture has spread throughout the world, has played a role in the evolution of civil rights, has brought improvisation and Black American Music to the concert halls and the conservatory, jazz seems to suffer the most here at home, where it so blossomed in its youth. It seems most prudent at this juncture in the American cultural and political landscape to be working towards bringing a music synonymous with freedom once again to the fore. OURBIGBAND is comprised of instrumentalists, composers, bandleaders, educators, and like minded musicians who give generously of their time and talents, and take quite seriously the charge to keep the tradition alive while championing the music of today.