Vanguard Jazz Orchestra- The Sound

From the beginning the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra stressed the nurturing and encouragement of creativity and experimentation, both from the creators, performers and even the audience.  Thad Jones would pull from the orchestra to make it sound larger than it already was, even though there were already 16 members. He would shift the ensemble around. For example he would have the flute doubling a muted trumpet or sometimes have just one instrument playing over the bass line. It could be a piano trio or sometimes a great massed choirs of brass. His sound was fat and rich. 

The experimentation continues today with the new composer Jim McNeely. He describes one of the central themes in jazz composition as the tension and balance between the individual (the soloist) and the community (ensemble). His current area of interest is creating ensemble structures for groups of soloists, not individual soloists.