Speaking of mellophones and big bands. The most notable use of the mellophone in jazz was in Stan Kenton's orchestra. His orchestra's "sound" was due in part to the use of an entire section of a variant of the mellophone, the mellophonium. From his album "Mellophonium Moods"; here as solo instrument:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r6Ad0Rol_hg
For the hardcore geeks:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ezOMeKoHRbs
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=r6Ad0Rol_hg
For the hardcore geeks:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ezOMeKoHRbs