Mel Lewis & the Jazz Orchestra toured the globe with inventive, invigorating big band music and played a crucial role in revitalizing big band jazz. Lewis was considered one of the top drummers in jazz, acclaimed for fusing swing and be-bop in his drumming. After years of anchoring rhythm sections of the bands of Gerry Mulligan and Stan Kenton, he teamed with trumpeter and composer Thad Jones to form the Jazz Orchestra, a group which became famous by modernizing the big band sound. By the time this concert was filmed, the band had been together for almost two decades under the direction of Lewis. He leads the seventeen piece ensemble through several innovative Herbie Hancock and Bob Brookmeyer charts, delivering big band jazz that is both cutting-edge and timeless.