The Manhattan Jazz Orchestra was formed in 1979 by famed Tokyo based record producer Shigeyuki Kawashima and New York arranger extraordinaire Dave Matthews as an expansion of the award winning Manhattan Jazz Quintet (MJQ).

In 2002 and 2003 Swing Journal’s Readers Poll has voted Manhattan Jazz Orchestra the number one big band. In 1995, David and his co producer Shigeyuki Kawashima received the Swing Journal Critic's Award for producing the Manhattan Jazz Orchestra CD “Get It On”.

Members of the MJO have included Lew Soloff, Ryan Kisor, Scott Wendholt, Jim Pugh, John Fedchock, Andy Snitzer, Bill Evans, Chip Jackson, and Terry Silverlight.