About

Founded in 2017 by musical director and trumpeter Casey Brefka, the Music City Big Band is an 18-piece big band in Nashville playing contemporary jazz music and featuring Nashville's finest jazz musicians. The ensemble's mission is both to keep the tradition of big band jazz alive in the heart of Music City, Nashville, Tennessee, and to showcase bright, young, diverse talent in jazz musicians and composers who live and work in Nashville. After a successful debut, Music City Big Band was awarded the 2018 Nashville Independent Music Award for Best Jazz Group. The band continues to be a vital part of Nashville's jazz scene, regularly performing at city events including Nashville Parks' Big Band Dance Series and other cultural celebrations throughout the city.

The musicians who have played with Music City Big Band represent many races, genders, and backgrounds, and have performed with many big-name artists, both live and in the studio. Bringing together many of Nashville's best jazz musicians, the Music City Big Band performs both classics from the big band era, as well as more contemporary jazz works for large ensemble. These top-notch, world-class musicians bring exciting jazz to their audiences, performing everything from classics of the big band era to contemporary jazz by up-and-coming new composers and arrangers, continuing to honor both tradition and innovation in the heart of Music City.

Casey Brefka, originally from Hudson, Ohio and now residing in Nashville, is a contemporary jazz trumpet player, composer, arranger, and teacher. He serves as musical director and front man for the Music City Big Band, an 18-piece ensemble featuring Nashville's finest jazz musicians, while also performing with the Chris Weaver Band (rock/Americana), Crash Course VGM Fusion Band (online jazz/funk/fusion video game covers), and The Accords (traditional jazz dixieland).

Casey's musical journey began at age seven after attending a Maynard Ferguson concert with his father. Growing up surrounded by big band jazz legends like Count Basie, Buddy Rich, and Benny Goodman, as well as horn bands such as Chicago and Earth Wind & Fire, his passion for large ensemble jazz flourished throughout high school, where he performed with multiple prestigious youth orchestras including the Ohio All-State Jazz Band.

After earning a full scholarship to Berklee College of Music, Casey graduated in 2008 with a degree in Jazz Composition, receiving the prestigious Toshiko Akiyoshi award in his final year. He continued his education at New England Conservatory of Music, earning his Master's degree in Jazz Studies in 2012, followed by a year serving as Assistant Professor of Contemporary Writing and Production at Berklee. After performing with jazz greats including McCoy Tyner and Maria Schneider, Casey relocated to Nashville in 2015, where he realized his long-held dream of starting a professional big band, founding Music City Big Band in spring 2017.