Modern Big Band

Modern big band is the contemporary large-ensemble jazz practised by composer-led orchestras since roughly 1990, in which the big band is treated as a composer's orchestra rather than a dance or repertory unit. Its hallmarks are through-composed, suite-length writing, slow harmonic movement, folk, Americana and minimalist influences, unconventional additions such as accordion, voice and electronics, and solos that grow out of the written material. *Maria Schneider*, *Darcy James Argue*, *Miho Hazama* and *John Hollenbeck* define its current form, working in the lineage of *Gil Evans* and *Bob Brookmeyer* but financing albums directly through their audiences.