United States Naval Academy

The Next Wave Jazz Ensemble, one of the Navy’s two premier big bands, is comprised of seventeen of our nation’s finest musicians. Under the leadership of Chief Musician Joe McCarthy on drums, The Next Wave has achieved national notoriety as a group sought out by jazz festivals and educational conferences throughout the county. In addition, the group has teamed up with Naval Academy Admissions on tours to New Mexico, Florida, Georgia, and Connecticut.

The band performs music from the Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Glenn Miller, Stan Kenton, and Thad Jones/Mel Lewis bands to more recent works by Maria Schneider, Bob Curnow, Vince Norman, Dan Cavanagh, and Darryl Brenzel. Much of Next Wave’s repertoire comes from originals/arrangements penned by some of the talented writers within the group. The Next Wave Jazz Ensemble performs in Annapolis and the surrounding communities, and has also been featured at Blues Alley in Washington DC, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site in Atlanta, and Jazz Festivals at Georgetown University, Howard University, and Goucher College. In recent years, Next Wave has welcomed to the stage jazz greats Dave Samuels, Wayne Bergeron, Luis Hernandez, Roberto Quintero, Zaccai Curtis, and Trent Austin.

In 2010, The Next Wave released their latest CD recording, Just Gettin’ Started.

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