The musicians of "Novel Jazz" have been performing straight-ahead jazz around Maine and New England for over three decades. They draw from the Great American Songbook and specialize in the works of Edward Kennedy ("Duke") Ellington and Billy Strayhorn. The band members hail from all over Maine. They've performed regularly for 20 years in mid-coast Maine (the town of Damariscotta) as an effort to keep jazz alive in the state. Years ago, they embarked on a project to go through the massive archive of compositions by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn-- who wrote thousands of pieces between them. They'll be performing a wide selection of these tunes at this show as well as celebrating Duke's 125th birthday AND International Jazz Day!