This special evening will spotlight rare compositions and arrangements from some of jazz’s most influential architects, revealing the connections between the music’s past and present and the ways each generation builds upon what came before. From Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Benny Carter, Dizzy Gillespie, and Mary Lou Williams to modern innovators like Wynton Marsalis, these artists have each shaped jazz’s rich and ever-evolving tradition. Join trombonist, composer, and bandleader Nick Mesler as he celebrates these artists and more through rare premieres of his transcriptions, alongside original compositions and arrangements that carry the music forward into “this very instant.”