This Thursday night at Chayz Lounge on Meeting Street, the room will be alive with the big brassy sound of classic jazz.

Aided by vocalist Kristi Kirk Heard, a 12-piece ensemble called the Dick Goodwin Big Band will tear through a varied and fascinating program on Thursday night, aptly titled “The Big Band Experience.”

Goodwin and company will cherry pick their massive repertoire, which ranges from standards like “St. James Infirmary,” “The Very Thought Of You” and “Come Rain or Come Shine” to arrangements of more contemporary material by The Beatles, Earth Wind & Fire, Chick Corea, Stevie Wonder, Dionne Warwick and more.

In addition to being a great evening of jazz, this event gives us the chance to focus on Dr. Dick Goodwin himself and the band that carries his name. Jazz fans around the Midlands might be familiar with Goodwin’s name, but they might not know about his impressive resume.

In addition to skillfully conducting his big band, Goodwin is a noted classical composer who has produced multiple pieces, including “Streets of Laredo Variations” for solo cello and string orchestra, “Fanfare’s Last Stand” for the S.C. Philharmonic, and “Overture 1801-2001" for the University of South Carolina bicentennial celebration.

Speaking of USC, Goodwin is also a distinguished professor emeritus in the music department there. He came to the university in 1973 to start a doctoral program in composition, to head the theory-composition area and to arrange for the Carolina Band. He also directed the University Symphony for a number of seasons.

While at USC, Goodwin was a recipient of the USC Educational Foundation Award and is the 2001 Elizabeth O'Neill Verner Individual Artist winner (the highest honor awarded in the arts by the State of South Carolina.) He was named distinguished professor emeritus in 1999.

In fact, Goodwin composed or arranged most of the pieces that are currently associated with the University of South Carolina such as the Alma Mater, the Fight Song, “Go Carolina,” and “2001.”

As for Goodwin’s Big Band, their story is remarkable on its own. The Big Band formed in 1973 when Goodwin was teaching at the University of Texas in Austin, and the group followed him to Columbia when he was hired to start a doctoral program at USC. Many of the original members have performed with Goodwin for decades, including its drummer, who played with the group for more than 50 years.

Goodwin has written more than 900 arrangements for his Big Band, and their repertoire is expansive, covering the Big Band era, the Dixieland era, Swing era, the beach music era and other, more current pop material.

This performance at Chayz on Thursday night is not just an opportunity to experience an experienced and confident big band ensemble, but to enjoy the work of one of our area’s most talented musical figures.