Howard Levy, Victor Garcia & the Happy Time Orchestra

One of the good things to arise from pandemic shutdowns was the formation of The Happy Time Orchestra, the Chicago-based Latin jazz ensemble composed of founder and drummer Collin Nordine, pianist Howard Levy, trumpet player Victor Garcia, tenor saxophone player Chris Madsen, and others. It’s all upbeat or mellow original compositions in styles from songo to calypso. The band’s debut album, Of This World, was released in August 2021.