After only one listen to the music of critically-hailed arranger and composer Maria Schneider, one will immediately note the influence of such monumental jazz figures as Gil Evans and Bob Brookmeyer. So it should come as little surprise that Schneider studied and worked closely with both composers and is both carrying on and expanding upon their musical traditions. Schneider’s orchestral jazz music is moody and evocative, conjuring pastoral imagery, and has earned the composer multiple Grammy nominations. The fact that Schneider’s 2004 recording, Concert in the Garden, was the first recording to be nominated for such an award without the benefit of major label distribution or placement in record stores (the disc is available exclusively from the musician’s Artist Share label and Web site) speaks volumes about her genre-spanning appeal. On Sunday, Schneider brings her 19-piece band to the stage of the Albright-Knox Art Gallery as part of the gallery’s Art of Jazz Series. Rarely do Buffalo audiences have the opportunity to witness such a large jazz ensemble in such an intimate setting.

Sunday, January 29 at 3pm and 7pm. Albright-Knox Art Gallery,

1285 Elmwood Ave. (270-8292). $21 general.