“There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind.”
As Duke Ellington once said, “There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind.” Good music. That’s what you get with the Jewel City Jazz Orchestra. Established in 2018 as a non-profit organization dedicated to jazz education and performance in underserved communities, the JCJO is a collective of music professionals/educators from the greater Huntington-Charleston, West Virginia area who love nothing more than to share great big band jazz music with an audience who appreciates one of the great American art forms — jazz — as well as introducing this timeless music to new audiences of all ages. From classics from the Count Basie Orchestra, to modern works from the Roy Hargrove Big Band, JCJO’s repertoire is a virtual masterclass in the great tunes in the American big band tradition. The Jewel City Jazz Orchestra has appeared as featured artists at the Marshall University Winter Jazz Festival, Huntington Summer Music Festival, and Pullman Plaza Concert Series. Before the COVID-19 pandemic you could find the band performing on the second Monday of each month at Black Sheep Burritos and Brews in downtown Huntington. Music is our North Star, and by working together to bring the arts into our communities, we will return humanity to our world one note at a time. Much love!…JCJO
JCJO Personnel
Saxophones:
Ed Bingham - alto
Alan Riffle - alto
Chris Mickel - tenor
James Hodges - tenor
Cody Henley - baritone
Trumpets:
Martin Saunders
Jeff Wolfe
Josie Fisher
Christy Carson
Trombones:
Bobby Jenks
Rick Tolbert
Wayne Smith
Mike Stroeher
Rhythm Section:
Nick Vassar - guitar
Duane Flesher - piano
Hunter Blankenship - bass
Wes McDowell - drums