Orchestra U.S.A.

In autumn 1962 John Lewis established Orchestra U.S.A. with help from Gunther Schuller and percussionist Harold Farberman. The large ensemble, featuring both a string section and jazz soloists, existed to present newly composed pieces that fused sophisticated jazz improvisation with classical forms, a venture squarely in the third-stream idiom. Its programs moved unpredictably between inflated gestures and genuinely stirring passages, drawing on scores by Lewis, Schuller, Gary McFarland, Benny Golson, Jimmy Giuffre, Hall Overton, Teo Macero, and additional contributors. Gerry Mulligan and Ornette Coleman numbered among the soloists who appeared with the group. The project endured for three seasons and disbanded in 1965. Obscure recordings document the orchestra’s work: one album for Colpix in 1963 and two for Columbia in 1964, both featuring Herb Pomeroy, Nick Travis, Leo Wright, Phil Woods, John Lewis, Jim Hall, Richard Davis, Connie Kay, Eric Dolphy, Coleman Hawkins, Benny Golson, Thad Jones, Joe Newman, and Jerome Richardson. The Sextet of Orchestra U.S.A. also cut a separate album for RCA in 1964.