If you want to jazz up your holiday celebration with a different take on the classics that prevail this time of year, you might want to put A Gainesville’s Big Band Christmas on your calendar.

A Gainesville Big Band Christmas will take place on Sunday, Dec. 17 at 2 p.m. at Meizon Church at 3411 NW 83^rd St.

Standard American musical offerings like “Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas,” “Sleigh Ride” and “The Little Drummer Boy” will make for a concert with the traditional offerings with the zip, zing, and pep of jazz.

“We wanted to offer something a little different that is still in keeping with the spirit of the holidays,” said Marco Thomas, trombonist and director of The Gainesville Big Band.

Thomas is a music teacher at Williams Elementary in Gainesville and many band members are also local music teachers.

His Big Band morphed out of what once was the Gainesville Community Jazz Band that he formed in 2007.

“I asked some (school) band directors who were in town that summer if they would consider playing for the summer. They said yes but couldn’t commit to the fall,” he said. “I was trying to create a venue for myself to play. I originally started it as something for the summer, but then my wife said why don’t you keep it going. So, I have kept it going ever since then.

Thomas said the name change came about because there was too much confusion with other groups in town and “we also wanted to elevate it to a more professional organization as well.”

Thomas, who has a music education degree from Florida Southern College and a master’s in trombone performance from UF, said he loves music, especially teaching and performing it. His Gainesville Big Band lets him cross all the t’s and dot all the I’s in his musical life.

“What helps me be a better teacher is performing. And I wanted to keep my skills sharp,”  he said.

Thomas, who also tutors older music students says his performances “let my kids know I would handle an on-stage situation. And I tell them if you want to make music your career, these are things you need to know while getting out there.

“I also think it is good for them to see their teacher doing the things that he is trying to get them to do, too,” he said.

Most Big Band members are local and many have been part of the group for a while. Their backgrounds are varied. Many are teachers, another is a journalist and one is a retired UF math professor who was on the road with Benny Goodman’s group decades ago, Thomas said.

The band is comprised of 18 musicians including five saxophone players, four trumpet players, four trombone players and a four-member rhythm section with a guitarist, pianist, bass player and drummer. The band also has a vocalist.

Other concerts are planned at Meizon Church on Feb. 4, April 14 and June 23, all at 2 p.m.