Tom Johnson Jazz Orchestra

The Tom Johnson Jazz Orchestra released its first album, “Time Takes Odd Turns,” on August 30, 2024. The album got lots of airplay and streaming in the U.S .and Europe and was on four “best of 2024” lists. It was number 1 on the RMR Contemporary Jazz Chart for the week of February 15, 2025 (plus 3 weeks at # 2) and made it into the top 100 on the JazzWeek charts. One track from the album, “Well You Better” was number 55 in the RMR Top 100 Jazz Singles Chart for 2024. 

The band is made up of top musicians from the Indianapolis and Bloomington Indiana Jazz scenes. Members of the band have performed with the Buselli Wallarab Jazz Orchestra, the Steve Allee Big Band, the Sean Imboden Large Ensemble, the Tucker Brothers, the Visions jazz Ensemble, and other well-known local ensembles.

The band plays a variety of jazz styles, including Fusion, Afro-Latin, straight ahead swing, and even some material in the tradition of 3rd Stream Jazz. Composer/Arranger, Dr. Tom Johnson studied with Bill Adam, Dominic Spera, and Brent Wallarab of Indiana University. He received his MM in Composition from Butler University after retiring as professor of Psychology at Indiana State University.