Over the last year, the Jazz Artists of Charleston (JAC) organized several independent and Piccolo Spoleto-related concerts and elegantly presented some of the sharpest talent in town. In similar fashion to last March’s fantastic South Carolina Hit Parade concert (with a touch of winter holiday flair), JAC will showcase many of Charleston’s top jazz musicians this Wednesday with a program produced by Jack McCray called Holiday Swing. The event marks the official debut of the Charleston Jazz Orchestra. Trumpeter and bandleader Charlton Singleton (pictured) leads the ensemble through a variety of seasonal hits as well as selections from the great jazz composer and pianist Duke Ellington’s reworking of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker. Arranged with the help of Billy Strayhorn in 1960, Ellington’s big band adaptation features the Overture, “Toot Toot Tootsie Toot (Dance of the Reed-Flutes),” “Peanut Brittle Brigade (March),” “Sugar Rum Cherry (Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy),” “Arabesque Cookie (Arabian Coffee),” and more. Proceeds benefit the Charleston Jazz Initiative and Jazz Artists of Charleston. —T. Ballard Lesemann Wed., Nov. 26, 7 p.m. $30/advance, $40/door, $15/student rush, (843) 564-5154, www.jazzartistsofcharleston.org. Charleston Music Hall, 37 John St., (Downtown), (843) 853-2252, www.charlestonmusichall.com.