Ghost Train Orchestra

With conductor/arranger/trumpeter Brian Carpenter, violinist Mazz Swift, alto saxophonist Andy Laster, clarinetist Dennis Lichtman, alto and tenor saxophonist Ben Kono, trombonist Curtis Hasselbring, tuba player Ron Caswell, bassist Michael Bates, guitarist Avi Bortnick, and drummer Rob Garcia

“The arrangements are inventive, and the solos come fast and furious.” – JazzTimes

“Sassy, funny, and sometimes quite beautiful... an outstanding piece of work” – All About Jazz

Brooklyn’s own “little big band,” the Ghost Train Orchestra, recently brought the house down in a single set during the Hot Jazz Festival at Dizzy’s. They’re back tonight to celebrate their brand new record, Book of Rhapsodies Vol. II. It’s a characteristically adventurous album featuring unpredictable, modernistic re-imaginings of some strange, beautiful, and almost-forgotten musical gems from late-1930s New York. Decades before Gunther Schuller coined the term “Third Stream,” New York was the epicenter of a new movement of composers whose work existed outside the margins of “jazz” or “classical” music. Under Brian Carpenter’s inspired leadership, the Ghost Train Orchestra takes this evocative material and transforms it into a fun, widely accessible, and highly entertaining chamber jazz experience.