Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra: 10 Year Birthday Show

A decade of big band swing. The Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra celebrates its 10th birthday at the Side Door.

What to expect: A full jazz orchestra up close in an intimate listening room, with saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section all playing a few feet from your table. It's a birthday celebration for one of Connecticut's most loved big bands, so expect a high energy night with plenty of soloists stepping out front.

Personnel:
Sean Nelson · Trombone, Leader
Full orchestra TBA

The Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra started in 2016 as the New London Big Band. Sean Nelson began putting the group together that summer after seeing a new club, The Social, open on Bank Street in New London, and the band played its first gig that fall. For nine years the group played a monthly night at The Social Bar + Kitchen, and it now calls the Side Door home for its regular monthly residency.

Nelson is a trombonist, composer, and arranger originally from Dallas, Texas, with a Bachelor of Music from Sam Houston State University and a Master of Music from the University of North Texas. He plays trombone with the U.S. Coast Guard Band, serves as its staff arranger, and directs the Guardians Big Band. He was music director and arranger for the 2024 National Christmas Tree Lighting, co-created the official song of the Space Force, "Semper Supra," and is a two time winner of DownBeat's jazz arranging award.

The orchestra is made up of 17 musicians from around New England and has released three albums, including Social Hour! on Summit Records and Don't Stop Now: the lost music of Thad Jones for Harry James, which reached #29 on the jazz radio charts. The band has played the Kennedy Center, Birdland in New York City, and the Garde Arts Center in New London, where it performed with the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Orchestra.

The Side Door Jazz Club is a dedicated jazz listening room located inside the historic Old Lyme Inn, 85 Lyme Street, Old Lyme, CT.