The New Jazz Composers Octet

Born of a communal need to share the modern mainstream jazz music they collectively love, the New Jazz Composers Octet serve a second purpose in fulfilling their need to write fresh jazz pieces. Established in 1997 and based in New York City, the band is led by founding member David Weiss, who plays trumpet and is in charge of arrangements. Sticking with acoustic instruments, the bandmembers are also influenced by the more harmonically advanced writers in jazz such as Tadd Dameron, Gerry Mulligan, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Gil Evans, Benny Golson, and Sam Rivers. Weiss ca...