The North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra – A History

The North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra, the state's most celebrated jazz orchestra, has been delighting North Carolina audiences since its inception in 1993. The NCJRO maintains a large library of repertory jazz featuring music from the Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Jimmie Lunceford, Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, and Stan Kenton orchestras. The orchestra also continues to celebrate the ongoing legacy of big band music by regularly performing music by Charles Mingus, Thelonius Monk, Thad Jones, Bob Mintzer, Tom Harrell, as well as staff writers William Fritz and Gregg Gelb.

The North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra continually receives accolades from across the state, having received numerous "Top Ten," and "Best of…" awards from the Spectator and the Independent weeklies.

During the 1999 Ellington Centennial, the orchestra released a compact disc Duke Ellington: A Centennial Collection on Metro Records that was selected by the New York-based Duke Ellington Society as among the best releases of the year. The orchestra also performed the Ellington Sacred Concert at Duke Chapel and toured Ellington's Harlem Suite with the North Carolina Symphony under the baton of William Curry.

In addition to an active concert schedule, the NCJRO maintains an active presence in the jazz education scene providing clinics and educational programs across the state. The orchestra introduces children to jazz and big band music by presenting special programs in schools.

Founded in early 1993, by James Ketch and Gregg Gelb, The North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra has already established a name for itself as one of the great jazz repertory orchestras now playing. Mr. Ketch, Music Director of the orchestra, is a Professor of Music and the Director of Jazz Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The eighteen piece orchestra features the finest professional jazz musicians in North Carolina. Individually, the musicians of The North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra have championed the Jazz art form in locations all over the world and in the recording studio, clinic, and classroom. Many of the musicians are educators serving institutions of higher learning including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Pembroke State University, East Carolina University, North Carolina Central University, and Duke University.

The NCJRO performs classic jazz and big band music such as that of Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Tommy Dorsey, Stan Kenton, Dizzy Gillespie, Woody Herman, Harry James, Jimmie Lunceford, Thad Jones, Bill Holman, Maynard Ferguson, Tom Harrell, and Glenn Miller. This music is rarely performed professionally today outside of major metropolitan areas; yet the NCJRO travels far and frequently to bring this uniquely American art to communities all over North Carolina including: Outer Banks Forum, Kitty Hawk; Coastal Jazz Society Festival, Morehead City; Thalian Hall, Wilmington; St. Andrew's College, Laurinburg; Campbell University, Buies Creek; Duke University, Durham, East Carolina University, Greenville, Elon University, Elon, NC; Sandhills Music Festival, Southern Pines; Salem College, Winston-Salem; UNC-Pembroke, Pembroke, NC; Appalachian State Univ, Boone; Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC.

The NCJRO has recorded three compact discs: "Holiday Blizzard," released in December 1997; "Duke Ellington -- A Centennial Collection" and "Benny Goodman -- The Swing Collection" both released in the fall of 1998.
The NCJRO is sustained by ticket sales, individual donor-patrons, and the North Carolina Jazz Foundation, which secures corporate and foundation support. Trumpeter Jim Ketch is music director of the orchestra.

The Jazz Foundation of North Carolina, Incorporated.

Founded in 1993 by James Ketch and Gregg Gelb, the North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra has already established a name for itself as one of the leading repertory orchestras in the country. The NCJRO is sponsored and operated by the Jazz Foundation of North Carolina, Inc. The mission of the Jazz Foundation is to ensure the continued development of Jazz and Jazz Education in our state. As a means of advancing its mission, the Jazz Foundation initiates concerts and educational programs that promote understanding of and appreciation for the art form. The NCJRO functions as the primary vehicle through which the Foundation will accomplish this mission. In partnership with the people of North Carolina, the Jazz Foundation and the NCJRO will assume a leadership role in the preservation of Jazz -- an American cultural treasure!

The North Carolina Jazz Repertory Orchestra, under the auspices of the Jazz Foundation of North Carolina, Incorporated, is a proud recipient of a North Carolina Arts Council Grant, which we recognize as a generous gift of state and federal tax-supported public funds for the arts.

Personnel

Click here for details on the current members of the NCJRO.