Nashville Jazz Orchestra with Special Guest Matt Belsante

City Winery Presents Nashville Jazz Orchestra with Special Guest Matt Belsante live in concert on December 26th at 7:30pm

The Nashville Jazz Orchestra was founded by trumpeter and arranger Jim Williamson and for many years was one of the city’s only big bands. Besides being a superb arranger and bandleader, Jim was enterprising in finding venues for the large ensemble. For several years the orchestra was in residence at Vanderbilt’s Blair School of Music and after that at the City Winery. Sadly, Jim passed away in 2020. The orchestra now continues under the leadership of Ted Wilson. The following is a part of their story.It must be that every city wants a symphony, a chamber orchestra, a ballet, an opera, and a jazz orchestra… otherwise there wouldn’t be so many attempts at forming these musical treasures.Jazz orchestras (big bands), over the years, have met varying degrees of success. Many that are successful today have incorporated into non- profit organizations. That seems to open doors and is a first step in creating a lifesaving niche for the band. Even the Village Vanguard Band, formerly the Mel Lewis Band, formerly the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Band, finally incorporated to stay afloat. If a band of international names centered in a club in Greenwich Village, the hottest neighborhood of jazz on the planet, can’t make it on reputation alone, then drastic measures are required.