Vermont Jazz Ensemble History

The original idea of assembling an ensemble like VJE came about as early as 1974, when some of the current members observed that there were too few opportunities then available for musicians to express themselves through this type of group. So after considerable planning and organization, the first rehearsal took place at the Shelburne Middle School in April of 1976. Originally, the VJE was assembled to provide a means of expression and entertainment solely for its members, who agreed to meet every two weeks to rehearse and jam.

However, it was not long before VJE was providing entertainment for the public too! In May of 1976, the group made its first public appearance at the Vermont YMCA's Camp Abnaki Jazz Weekend, an event developed by Mr. Norm VanGulden to benefit young students of music. Soon afterward, VJE was performing in concert with internationally famous jazz trombonist and recording musician Bill Watrous. A month or so later, VJE performed with Bob Hope in a benefit concert for the Medical Center Hospital in Burlington, and then VJE provided the music for Governor Snelling's first Inaugural Ball.

VJE was first included on the Vermont Council on the Arts Touring Register in 1977, and every year since then VJE has done numerous concerts, workshops, clinics, and dances sponsored in part by the V.C.A Before the end of its first year, VJE was performing publicly on the average of once every week, an average still maintained to this day.

Performances have included appearances with jazz trombonist Dennis Wilson, of the Count Basie Orchestra, many of the Grandstand Shows at the Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction, Inaugural Balls for Governors Snelling, Kunin and Douglas, many First Night of Burlington events, concerts sponsored in part by U.S. Recording Companies and arranged by Local #351 of the American Federation of Musicians, feature events at the Discover Jazz Festivals, and of course the regular array of dances, concerts, clinics, workshops, private parties, and conventions.

In 1986, partly in celebration of VJE's first decade, Todd Lockwood, of White Crow Audio and Burlingtown Recordings, produced All Of Us, an excellent professional commercial recording of 45 minutes of VJE music, available in both cassette and LP form, in many of the fine record stores and bookstores around Vermont.

In 1996, VJE celebrated 20 years of jazz with several special artistic projects, including monthly performances live and on the air with Steve Young at the Colchester Studios of WVPR, Vermont's Public Radio Station. VJE’s 25th anniversary was celebrated with a new CD released in 2001.

VJE has grown to include nearly 300 associate members who substitute superbly for the regular and charter members when they must miss an event due to a prior commitment or illness. And the group still gets together to rehearse and jam every two weeks, as it was originally agreed, back in 1976.