Vanguard Jazz Orchestra performing at Mo Theatre

The multi-tiered centerpiece of the “We Always Swing” Jazz Series, an event supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, takes place in Columbia on Feb. 17-18.
The 16-piece Vanguard Jazz Orchestra from New York City will perform on Feb. 18 at the Missouri Theatre Center for the Arts. The performance by one of the nation’s most highly regarded big bands  incorporates a world premiere commission conducted by Bob Brookmeyer.
Brookmeyer and Dan Morgenstern, who have both received the Jazz Masters title from the NEA, will participate in a pair of public forums on Feb. 17 in MU’s Whitmore Recital Hall.
Columbia’s Jazz Series (www.wealwaysswing.org) is now in its 14th year and is one of only 12 recipients in the country to receive a NEA Jazz Masters Live matching grant.