Who or what exactly is the Corsair Blue Jazz Orchestra (CBJO)? Well, that's kind of hard to explain simply because it's always reinventing itself.

But here's what you absolutely, positively need to know: It's a big band with a big sound playing a big concert for a big cause.

A band deeply rooted in Manheim Township, Corsair Blue Jazz Orchestra, with special guest America's Sweethearts, will present a benefit concert at 7 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 12 - the day after Veterans Day - at Highland Presbyterian Church, 500 E. Roseville Road, Lancaster. A freewill offering will be accepted, and all proceeds will go toward the Wounded Warrior Project.

"The goal is to honor veterans of all eras and to raise money for the Wounded Warrior Project," said Joe Chesnutt, CBJO's founder and trumpet player. "It's one of my preferred charities. We're like a Glenn Miller-style big band. I think it's a very full, rich sound that makes you want to tap your feet and smile. For many people, it'll bring back memories from their youth. It's very sentimental for a lot of people."

The 90-minute concert will feature big band swing music from the 1940s.

"We love it," said Chesnutt. "It's alive and well. We play it very well and our audiences like it."

Following a pandemic-induced moratorium, CBJO presented a scaled-back version of its Veterans Day concert last year. In 2019, the all-volunteer band raised $2,280 for the Wounded Warrior Project with its Veterans Day performance.

This year, CBJO has performed eight concerts at various venues across Lancaster County.

"There's a lot of music here in Lancaster," said Chesnutt. "We play for the love of playing. We're not professional musicians. How you would grow a band like this is related to how the music has evolved. We've added to our inventory. The demographic we were originally targeting was the Greatest Generation. Many of them have passed away, but their children are still here."

CBJO comprises 20 musicians, playing trumpets, trombones, saxophones, clarinets, a guitar, piano, drums and an upright bass.

"We have a housewife," said Chesnutt. "We have a microbiologist. We have an entrepreneur. We have a couple of veterans. It runs the gamut. It's a huge cross section of the population. The common link is everybody plays very well, and it comes from their youth."

The Corsair Blue Jazz Orchestra takes its name from the American Corsair fighter aircraft that saw duty in World War II and the Korean War, and the blue is a reference to Manheim Township High School's school colors. The orchestra's origins can be traced to the 35th reunion of Manheim Township's Class of 1978 in 2013.

"Manheim Township had outstanding jazz bands in '76, '77 and '78," said Chesnutt. "We were talking at the reunion, 'Wouldn't it be nice to get the band back together and play again?' So we decided to form a band, and the era of music we really liked was the '40s and '50s. Five of us put this all together, and that's how it came to be."

For additional information about the Corsair Blue Jazz Orchestra, go to http://www.corsairbluejazz.org.