There's a new orchestra in Ottawa but it doesn't perform classical music. At least not in the traditional sense. This orchestra plays jazz. Repertory jazz. It is to jazz what a symphony orchestra is to classical music. Attending a concert for the first time, you see the musicians seated on-stage in formal attire. There is a mild cacophany as they warm-up and tune-up. The ensemble is arranged in semi-circular fashion not unlike a symphony or chamber orchestra. You read the programme notes and listen with interest as the orchestra's director explains the history of the music.

The performance begins with a smaller ensemble - an eighteen-piece jazz orchestra which the director will lead while playing bass. There are five saxophonists and they all double on clarinet and flute too. As the music begins, you immediately realise that this is not the loud and loose jazz you might hear in a basement club. It's no wonder they've chosen to perform in a concert hall. They begin with music by Duke Ellington. You recognise the piece from an old recording but you've never heard it performed live. It's not one of Ellington's popular songs but an earlier piece written during the Harlem Renaissance. From the rhythm section come the sounds of the jungle. You close your eyes and imagine yourself in another place. A trio of clarinets states the theme with commentary by a growling trumpet. A conversation between solo bass and the ensemble lead into a swinging section. It's elegant music with an abundance of character and the sound is a feast for the ears.

The orchestra plays other pieces all of which are short. The director introduces each piece with an interesting and often amusing story. Each work is a miniature masterpiece, originally written to fit onto a 78 record. The music suggests scenes almost as if the composer was a painter. There are many contrasts in volume, timbre, and musical style and it's not at all like typical "big band" music. Above all, the music swings like crazy and you can't resist tapping your foot. The musicians are clearly having a lot of fun too and their enthusiasm for the music is infectious. Although this is not dance music you feel like dancing to it. You find yourself captivated by the sound. The smooth vibrato of the saxes, the wailing of the clarinets, and the cries, growls, and expletives uttered by the plungered brass.

The director then announces the featured work for this concert. It's a suite by Ellington and this performance will be the first in Canada even though it was written over fifty years ago. The music features wonderful ensemble playing and improvised solos that are neatly integrated into the overall movement. The movements are contrasting yet they fit into the overall theme of the suite. The entire work is a masterpiece. It is full of colour and drama and it has a very unique sound and style. You know that hearing it live is an experience that you will not soon forget.

After the intermission, other musicians join the orchestra. There are more saxophonists and they also double on other woodwind instruments. You notice bass clarinets and a piccolo. Among the more prominent instruments in the percussion section are the timpani, vibraphone, and congas. A quartet of French horns and a tuba join the trumpets and trombones. You recognise some of the musicians from the symphony orchestras. The orchestra's director will conduct this music so another bassist joins the group. There are now close to thirty musicians and they call the ensemble a neophonic orchestra for its new sound.

The concert continues with music written for one of Stan Kenton's orchestras. With an Afro-Cuban groove driven by a strong percussion section, the music is bold and brassy and noticeably less subtle than the music of Ellington. Brilliant trumpets and majestic French horns feature prominently. Several pieces later, the director cues the final work for the evening. The orchestra begins to play what sounds like classical music. You recognise themes by Tchaikovsky. Yet the composers are Gil Evans and Claude Thornhill and the orchestra's director has also had a hand in adapting it for this ensemble. Suddenly the music transitions into swinging jazz with an improvised solo. Another section sounds like Klezmer music. It's all masterfully crafted together and you notice that people are listening intensely, wondering what will happen next. The finale is all classical. It begins with a subtle blending of clarinets and French horns and builds to a dramatic closing with brass and percussion punctuating the furious runs from the woodwind section. The final unison statement is a strong and concise closing. A fitting end to a wonderful piece of music and an amazing programme of entertainment.

The audience is on its feet and applauding the music and the performance. Many of them have never heard anything like this before. The performance was not only highly entertaining but informative too. It's music like you've never heard and yet it's music you've always wanted to hear. It's a new sound. It's the Impressions in Jazz Orchestra.