The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra is a 17-piece big band with five saxophones, four trombones, five trumpets, piano, bass, and drums. The group is organized as a non-profit 501(c)3 organization and has a board of directors comprised of local leaders who are passionate about Jazz. To meet our Board of Directors, click here.

The band is comprised of East Tennessee's top professional musicians and performs a wide range of music from America's jazz tradition. The group's performances have been described as energetic, exciting, engaging and highly entertaining.

 The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra was formed in 1999 by trumpeter/arranger Vance Thompson. Since that time, the band has appeared on jazz festivals in Europe, released four critically acclaimed CD recordings and performed dozens of concerts in Knoxville, many featuring internationally recognized guest artists.

 For a list of past guest artists with the band, click here.

Vance Thompson

Bill Scarlett

Rusty Holloway

Brad McDougall

Keith Brown

Vance Thompson - director

A Tennessee native, Vance Thompson grew up in a musical family. He began studying piano at age 5, and picked up the trumpet at 10. While still in high school, Thompson began studying jazz improvisation with famed educator Jerry Coker at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Thompson completed a Bachelor of Music degree in Knoxville in 1994, then moved to Chicago, IL to continue his studies at DePaul University. Thompson has been the recipient of many awards and honors, including 1st Place at the International Trumpet Guild's jazz competition in 1993, and Downbeat Magazine's "Best Arrangement" in 1997.

SAXOPHONES
Mark Tucker - lead alto, flute, soprano
David King - alto, flute
Bill Scarlett - tenor, clarinet, soprano
Will Boyd - tenor, clarinet
Tom Johnson - baritone saxophone, bass clarinet

TRUMPETS
Michael Wyatt, lead
Stewart Cox
Michael Spirko
Tom Fox

TROMBONES
Tom Lundberg, lead
Don Hough
Nate Malone
Brad McDougall

RHYTHM
Bill Swann - piano
Rusty Holloway - Bass
Keith Brown - Drums

The Knoxville Jazz Orchestra has released four CD recordings:

• Blues Man from Memphis:
  More from the Musical Mind of Donald Brown
  featuring John Clayton, Stefon Harris & Greg Tardy
  (2007 Blue Canoe Records) - New compositions by Donald Brown with arrangements by Brown, Bill Mobley & Vance Thompson. From planning to completion this project took more than two years...and it shows. Attention to detail is evident in the ensemble performance, compositions, arrangements, mix and overall recording quality. And the guest artist's performances are the icing on the cake. A must have for any jazz fan. Ordering info.
   
• A Year in the Life of the Band (2002) - Collection of live recordings from 2001-02. Documents the group's European tour to Jazz a Vienne (France), the Montreux Jazz festival (Switzerland), and Ezcaray Jazz Festival (Spain). Also includes guest artist appearances by Chicago organist Dan Trudell and pianist Donald Brown.
   
• One for the Team (2001) - Collection of University of Tennessee fight songs arranged by Thompson for jazz big band. Featured tunes include Rocky Top, the Tennessee Waltz, Down the Field and Amazing Grace.

• The Music of Donald Brown (2000) - Our first album, this project began as a demo for our 2001 European tour, then morphed into a full-length recording. This CD is currently out of print.

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