This year’s concert will include special performances by NEA Jazz Master, living jazz legend, and be-bop vocal pioneer Sheila Jordan.  Sheila will be singing small group and big-band numbers with arrangements written by Amherst JazzProfessor Jeff Holmes. Joining Sheila and the band will be acclaimed pianist and Berklee Professor Russell Hoffman, who has performed with Billy Hart, James Moody, Joe Zawinul, and Scott Mullett.  The program also includes a mix of classic and contemporary big band classics, including the music of Stan Kenton, Benny Goodman, Buddy Rich, and Les Hooper. 

Founded by Scott Mullett, the Keene Jazz Orchestra’s mission is to perform, propagate, and provide education for American Big Band music. The 17-piece band is comprised of the Monadnock region’s finest instrumentalists, educators, and students, and boasts a résumé of performances and collaborations with some of the greatest living performers and repertoire in big band music. KJO operates under the musical direction of founding member and bassist Steve Cady, who directs Jazz Ensembles at Keene State College, is the Performing Arts Chair at Vermont Academy, and performs and teaches regionally as a bassist and music educator. 

KJO invites music fans of all ages to listen and be joyful in the company of an authentic big-band orchestra. New and returning fans of Keene Jazz Orchestra will be rewarded with a truly exciting, impressive, and impactful musical experience.  

Tickets are $15/$12 for adults/seniors & students,

 Grade, Middle, and High school students who play in a school music program get in for FREE! Just show up on June 3rd and tell us your school, no advance ticket is required, just show up Saturday evening.  

KJO is a 501c3 certified non-profit organization and is generously supported by the Barbara M. and Robert C. Cummings Fund for the Arts through the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.