Nashville Jazz Orchestra celebrates repertory in new weekly gig at the French Quarter Cafe
by Ron Wynn
Trumpeter, composer, and Nashville Jazz Orchestra (NJO) director Jim Williamson has a concise, yet extensive answer whenever people ask him what type of music is his large group's specialty: "I tell them we're a repertory band, kind of like the jazz equivalent to the Nashville Symphony," Williamson says. "The symphony can do a program devoted to Beethoven or they can do modern works, and we can do classic jazz pieces and we also do a lot of our own writing.
"There are two sides to the NJO," Williamson continues. "We do our theme concerts four times a year at the Blair School and those are usually done in collaboration with an artist or artists, structured around specific musical themes, and extensively rehearsed. Then when we do the shows in a club setting, things can be more varied. We've done all types of things over the years, and all those might get worked into a club program. One night we might do a salsa or East Coast/New York type of Latin jazz thing, the next time it might be a Count Basie tribute or a Maynard Ferguson-type show. We've done a Frank Sinatra tribute using original Nelson Riddle charts. We've done a Stan Kenton Cuban beat show. All those things are part of our repertoire."
After taking a five-year break from weekly club dates, the NJO recently began a Tuesday night series at the French Quarter Cafe, something Williamson hopes blossoms into "sort of a Music City version of the longtime Thad Jones/Mel Lewis orchestra's Monday night at the Village Vanguard series in New York. We also hope this enables more people to recognize how many great jazz musicians we have playing in Nashville," Williamson adds. "Everyone in our band lives in this area. We get arrangements and charts from people around the country who want us to play them because they want them done the right way."
The current NJO is a 16-piece regular unit that includes five saxophonists, four trombonists, four trumpeters and three rhythm section regulars (bass, piano, drums), in addition to Williamson up front and regular vocalist Annie Sellick. Sometimes the roster expands for guest dates and collaborations, whether it's additional percussionists for Latin dates or extra brass and reeds on special occasions. But their French Quarter engagements spotlight the regular NJO, and Williamson says there's another big difference between their club shows and the Blair concerts.
"One thing we aren't doing for the French Quarter shows is rehearse," Williamson said. "When the band arrives I give them a set list and we take it from there. I want the shows to have a spontaneous quality, and so far we've never repeated a single song. Of course, the more shows we do the tighter it becomes, and that's our ultimate goal, to keep things freewheeling and swinging, while also sounding fresh and inspired.
"We do a few more commercial things in our latest shows," Williamson adds. "We're doing standards, classic big band things, and new material. We did 'Night in Tunisia' and the audience loved it. We've done 'All of Me' in the style of the Count Basie band and that was another a big favorite. I think people really enjoy the variety. We've also had special guests come by and get involved in the show. One of our shows included two excellent West Coast trombonists, Scott Whitfield and Roger Bissell. They came on stage and joined us. Roger's now planning to move back here soon as well."
While under no illusions about the state of jazz in Nashville after playing here many years, Williamson is nonetheless enthusiastic about the growth potential of the NJO series. He also views the club shows as a major part of the group's mission to continue exposing audiences to jazz and showing them its connections to other idioms.
"One of the things people don't realize about jazz musicians is because of their training in music theory and technique, they're familiar with many other genres, and that versatility stems from their jazz heritage," Williamson says. "R&B and rock get the whole big beat thing from the swing era. The Kansas City shuffle is the underlying rhythmic foundation of hip-hop. Bob Wills, Asleep at the Wheel and other Western Swing bands clearly have jazz roots. Even funk and soul can be linked to the groove element of jazz.
"I think when people hear and see the music, they discover it is a lot more diverse and enjoyable than they thought, and there are a lot more things to like than dislike, especially in a club venue. One other thing, [the French Quarter] is a lot nicer than the Village Vanguard, even if it doesn't have that legacy."
Email music@nashvillescene.com.
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