The Abraham Baldwin Jazz Ensemble has given numerous performances throughout the Southeastern United States, Mexico, and Europe. The jazz ensemble has taken three European tours, in 1980 and 1996, and, most recently, in 2007 where they performed at two of the most prestigious jazz festivals in the world- the Montreux in Switzerland and the North Sea in Amsterdam- and at the opening of the Tour de France in London, England. The jazz ensemble has also performed for two of the most celebrated functions in Georgia: the opening of the Olympic Games and the Governor’s Arts Awards Ceremony, both held in Atlanta, Georgia. And they performed at two World’s Fairs- in Knoxville, Tennessee, and in New Orleans, Louisiana.
The past several years, in addition to their Europe tour, the jazz ensemble was selected as the only group to perform for the reception of the newly appointed Chancellor of the Board of Regents for the State of Georgia in Atlanta, Georgia, and was the guest performing group at the 2008 Pensacola Jazz Festival, in Pensacola, Florida, and the 2007 Kissimmee Jazz Festival in Kissimmee, Florida. Since 2000 the jazz ensemble has toured Mexico and performed for the Georgia Music Educators In-Service Conference (the annual conference for music educators in the state of Georgia) held in Savannah, Georgia. They have also been featured performers at the 2004 New Orleans Heritage and Jazz Festival, the 2005 Pensacola Jazz Festival and the 2006 Cocoa Beach Jazz Festival.
The jazz ensemble has been featured at several theme parks: Disney World, Epcot Center, Sea World, and Six Flags Over Georgia, and at many arts festivals throughout the states of Georgia and Florida. The jazz ensemble has also participated in the Florida State University and Valdosta State University Jazz Festivals, where they took top honors as the best overall two-year college jazz ensemble.
Each year the ABAC music department sponsors a major jazz festival of its own at the college, where high school jazz bands from across the state come and participate. The festival, in its 31st year, consists of performances, jazz clinics, and workshops with well-known jazz educators and performing artists. Past clinics and workshops have showcased, with the ABAC Jazz Ensemble, such jazz greats as Nat Adderly, Jamie Abersold, Ron Diehl, Bobby Shew, Vincent DiMartino, Jeff Jarvis, William Kennedy, Rich Matteson, Kevin Mahogany, Roger Pemberton, Dominic Spera, David Springfield, Steve Turre, Willie Thomas, Mike Vax, Bill Watrous, and Steve Wright. Joe Lovano, Branford Marsalis, Steve Turre, and their jazz quartets and the Count Basie, Tommy Dorsey, and Maynard Ferguson big bands, have also been guest performers featured at the jazz festival as well.