PanAmericana! began in New York in 1997 as a compositional vehicle for Gary Morgan, as well as a repertory orchestra for modern Cuban and Brazilian classics. The recent emphasis in the band has been the orchestration and arrangement of some of the wealth of material emerging from the contemporary composers of Brazil, who do not have much exposure in this country, including such major talents as Egberto Gismonti, Milton Nascimento, Hermeto Pascoal, Jovino Santos Neto and Itibere Zwarg. This is not your father's big band. Although Gary is steeped in the big band tradition and sound, PanAmericana! represents an attempt to expand, through orchestration, his rhythmic, melodic and harmonic ideas.