The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra was a jazz big band formed by trumpeter Thad Jones and drummer Mel Lewis in New York in 1965. The band performed for twelve years in its original incarnation, including a 1972 tour of the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. The band won a Grammy Award for the album Live in Munich and in 2009 for the album Monday Night Live at the Village Vanguard. The collaboration ended in 1978 with Jones suddenly moving to Copenhagen, Denmark, after which the band became the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra. Since the death of Lewis in 1990 it has been known as the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. They have maintained a Monday-night residency at the Village Vanguard jazz club in New York for five decades.
Consummation is an album by the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra. It was released in 1970 on Blue Note Records and re-released in 2002. It was recorded at A&R Studios in New York City. The album was nominated for a 1970 Grammy award in the "Best Jazz Performance - Large Group..." category. All tracks were included in Mosaic's limited edition boxed set, The Complete Solid State Recordings of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra.
Live at the Village Vanguard is a 1967 big band jazz album recorded by the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra and released on the Solid State Records label. The album was nominated for a 1967 Grammy award in the "Best Instrumental Jazz Performance - Large Group..." category. All tracks are also included on Mosaic's limited edition boxed set, The Complete Solid State Recordings of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra and seven tracks were also re-issued in the 1990s on CD as Volume 3 of LRC Ltd.'s series Village Vanguard Live Sessions.
Monday Night, Recorded Live at the Village Vanguard is a 1968 big band jazz album recorded at the Village Vanguard in New York City by The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra and released on the Solid State Records. All tracks are included on Mosaic's limited edition boxed set, The Complete Solid State Recordings of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra.
Central Park North is a 1969 big band jazz album recorded by the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra and released on the Solid State Records label. The album was nominated for a 1969 Grammy award in the "Best Instrumental Jazz Performance - Large Group..." category. All tracks are also included on Mosaic's limited edition boxed set, The Complete Solid State Recordings of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra.
Suite for Pops is a 1975 big band jazz album recorded by the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra and released on the A&M Horizon label.
A Touch of Class is a big band jazz album recorded by the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra in Warsaw, Poland in November 1978. The first three tracks, together with a 14-minute version of "Fingers," were previously released in Poland on a Poljazz LP and all tracks were also included on the 2007 compilation album, Thad Jones Mel Lewis Orchestra In Europe and on the 2009 compilation CD, The Complete Poland Concerts 1976 & 1978.
Jazz Casual - The Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, Woody Herman and his Swinging Herd consists of a recording of a Woody Herman and his Swinging Herd appearance from 1963 and a Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra appearance from 1968 that were combined and released as a single DVD video and also as an audio CD. Jazz Casual was a KQED-produced television show of studio performances by major jazz musicians. The same material has also been released in different packages
The Big Band Sound of Thad Jones/Mel Lewis featuring Miss Ruth Brown, also released as Fine Brown Frame, is a 1968 Solid State Records recording of vocalist Ruth Brown with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra.
Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra With Rhoda Scott is a 1976 big band jazz album recorded by jazz organist Rhoda Scott with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra and released on the Barclay (France) record label.
Basle, 1969 is a big band jazz album recorded by the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra in Basle (Basel), Switzerland for a Swiss radio broadcast. It was not released until 1996 – as Volume 4 of TCB Music's "Swiss Radio Days" series.
Live In Tokyo is a live recording of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra made in Tokyo, Japan, in 1974.
Body and Soul, Live in Berlin is a big band jazz album recorded by the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra, recorded in Berlin in October 1978 and released on the West Wind Jazz label. West Wind also issued the two discs individually as The Orchestra and Body and Soul. All tracks except "ABC Blues" are also included in the 2007 compilation album, Thad Jones Mel Lewis Orchestra In Europe.
Opening Night is a big band jazz recording of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra playing at the Village Vanguard club in New York City in February 1966. This was the first performance of the group at this club although the recording was not released until 2000. A 50-year tradition for Monday nights at the Village Vanguard began from this first evening for the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra which later became the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra and eventually the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Resonance Records released what they term an "official release", approved by the Jones and Lewis estates, in 2016.
Greetings and Salutations is a 1975 big band jazz album recorded by the Swedish Radio Jazz Group with Thad Jones, Mel Lewis and Jon Faddis as guest bandleader / performers. The album was nominated for a 1978 Grammy award in the Best Jazz Instrumental Performance - Big Band category.
Thad Jones/Mel Lewis and Manuel De Sica and the Jazz Orchestra is a big band jazz recording by the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra recorded in Europe in 1973 and 1974.
The Complete Poland Concerts, 1976 and 1978 is a compilation of the complete live recordings made by the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra in Poland in August 1976 and October 1978. Two additional tracks from a 1978 Berlin concert round out the album.
The Thad Jones Mel Lewis Orchestra In Europe is a compilation of live recordings made by the Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra in Poland and Germany in October 1978.
All My Yesterdays is a big band jazz recording of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra playing at the Village Vanguard club in New York City in February and March 1966. The February 7 tracks are the first recordings of the group at this club although the recording was not released until 2016. A 50-year tradition for Monday nights at the Village Vanguard began from this first evening for the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra which later became the Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra and eventually the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.
Monday Night Live at the Village Vanguard is an album by the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. It won the Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album in 2009.
