Sean Nelson
Jazz Orchestra
17 pieces. "Full bodied and polished brassy big band." — Jazz Weekly
Monthly at Side Door Jazz Club, Old Lyme CT.
The Sean Nelson Jazz Orchestra — formerly the New London Big Band — is a 17-piece ensemble rooted in the Kansas City swing of Count Basie, led by trombonist and composer Sean Nelson of the U.S. Coast Guard Band. Matt Parker holds the lead tenor chair.
Formed in 2016, the band played monthly sold-out residencies at the Social Bar + Kitchen in New London CT for nearly a decade before moving to their new home at Side Door Jazz Club in Old Lyme — same venue that hosted the Reggie Watkins Quintet in May 2026. The acoustics, in Sean's words, are "incredible, even for a big band."
The orchestra has performed at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, Birdland Jazz Club in NYC, Monks Jazz Club in Austin TX, and Hallowed Halls in Portland OR. Their most recent album, "Don't Stop Now: the lost music of Thad Jones for Harry James," reached #29 on the jazz radio charts and features trumpeter Wayne Bergeron and drummer John Riley of the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra.
"Nelson has assembled a youthful, sharp, hip 17-piece ensemble as dedicated as he is to the belief that big band sounds can provide a fine musical experience."— The Day of New London
Sean Nelson is a two-time DownBeat Magazine Student Jazz Arranging Contest winner and music director for the 2024 National Christmas Tree Lighting. He arranged for guests including Doc Severinsen and Lou Marini. The SNJO is a live music experience — the kind that makes a case for why big band jazz is still one of the most powerful things that can happen in a room.
- Don't Stop Now (2025)ft. Wayne Bergeron, John Riley · #29 Jazz Radio
- Social Hour! (2022)Live at Social Bar + Kitchen
- Dancing Nitely (2020)Debut album
The full band performing at Mystic Seaport Museum — a landmark outdoor performance from the orchestra at its full power.
One of the lost Thad Jones charts brought back to life for Harry James — featuring Wayne Bergeron on trumpet. This is what #29 on jazz radio sounds like.