Jazz Articles

The Jazz Arts Big Band: And That's That

by Jack Bowers
December 1, 1999

When a friend mentioned a new recording by the Jazz Arts Big Band, my first thought was of the Jazz Arts Group of Columbus, Ohio (now the Columbus Jazz Orchestra). As it turns out, this surprisingly accomplished community–based ensemble is from Fargo, ND / Moorhead, MN, which in geographical terms is hundreds of miles from Columbus; but musically speaking, the bands could be next–door neighbors. Both are partial to solid, mainstream charts by the country’s most respected big–band Jazz composers ...