By Tom Ineck

Jeff Newell’s New-Trad Octet will bring their unique blend of jazz innovation and brass band tradition to the Jazz in June stage June 22. A Nebraska native now living in Brooklyn, N.Y., Newell last performed in Lincoln in January 2006, when the saxophonist made dual appearances as a guest soloist with the Nebraska Jazz Orchestra and fronted a quintet at the now-defunct downtown club P.O. Pears.
The eight-piece ensemble will feature young firebrand Victor Garcia on trumpet, Ryan Shultz on bass trumpet, Mike Hogg on tuba, Steve Million on keyboards, Neal Alger on guitar, Tim Fox on bass and Rick Vitek on drums. The octet, which Newell formed 16 years ago as a vehicle for his arranging skills, has never performed in Nebraska.
Initially, the group blended the traditional “second line” New Orleans brass band with a modern rhythm section and a fresh approach to harmony and improvisation. Gradually, Newell’s interest in early brass bands began to influence the octet’s repertoire, a shift best exemplified on the band’s 2007 CD “Brownstone,” which skillfully marries Sousa marches with the exotic rhythms of the Caribbean.
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