An 18-piece modern jazz big band from Austin performs live at The Elephant Room.
NOW Jazz Orchestra plays The Elephant Room on Wednesday, August 26, starting at 9 PM. It's an 18-piece modern jazz big band based right here in Austin, and they're taking over the stage for the night.
If you're not familiar with them, the size is the first thing to wrap your head around. Eighteen musicians on one stage is a lot of sound, and they use it. Their repertoire comes from two places: the band's own members write for them, and they also play works by national composers. That mix keeps the set from leaning too far in one direction—you get the internal voice of the ensemble alongside pieces from outside the city.
They describe their sound as fresh, adventurous big band jazz with serious power and creativity. That's a fair way to put it, because a group this size can easily lean into the traditional, but they're playing modern jazz, which means they're more interested in where the music is going than where it's been. The power comes from the sheer number of horns, and the creativity comes from the writing.
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As for the venue, The Elephant Room is Austin's iconic Congress Avenue basement club, a room that's hosted live jazz nightly for years. It's a spot that knows how to handle a big band, and having an 18-piece ensemble in a basement club like that is exactly the kind of thing the room was built for. The show starts at 9 PM on Wednesday, August 26.
