The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra presents a performance in the Temple Performing Arts Center. Temple's own Director of Jazz Studies, Terell Stafford, has been a member of the band since 2005. This event is free, open to the public, and one you don't want to miss!

"The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra began its life as the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra in 1966. The world-famous Village Vanguard jazz club in New York City booked the newly formed band for three Monday nights that February. Those performances were wildly successful and the engagement was extended indefinitely. The Village Vanguard’s owner, Max Gordon, told Mel Lewis, “We’ll keep it going until it tapers off.” 

Over half a century and more than 2700 Monday nights later, it still hasn’t. The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra stands apart from all other modern ensembles of its kind and is still as strong and vital as ever. The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra’s regular Monday night gig at the Village Vanguard is the longest-running steady engagement in the history of jazz."

Click here to learn more about The Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.