Swiss Jazz Orchestra

Last updated

The Swiss Jazz Orchestra is a big band that was founded in 2003. Though the band has seen many changes, there are still some of its initial members. The orchestra's origins lie in the Big Band of the Swiss Jazz School, the oldest college for jazz music in Switzerland (which has been part of the Art School of Bern Hochschule der Künste Bern since 2003). One of the orchestra's features is Monday Jazz Nights, a series of concerts which take place every Monday night at the venue Bierhübeli [1] in Bern. The Swiss Jazz Orchestra celebrated its 10th anniversary in the 2013–2014 season. [2] The Swiss Jazz Orchestra has worked with Anders Bergcrantz, Jerry Bergonzi, Buddy DeFranco, Torun Eriksen, George Gruntz, Joe Haider, Bert Joris, Pepe Lienhard, Jim McNeely, Adrian Mears, Bob Mintzer, Sandy Patton, Chico Pinheiro, Paquito D'Rivera, Claudio Roditi, Alex Sipiagin, and Phil Woods. [3] [4]

Contents

History

Members of the Big Band of the Swiss Jazz School (SJS) in Bern grew tired of losing the graduating and now excellent musicians decided to create a Big Band to continue playing together later on. That's when the Swiss Jazz Orchestra (SJO) was founded. During the first season, orchestra performed Marian's Jazzroom [5] in Bern. [6]

Organization

One of the reasons this anniversary can be celebrated is also thanks to the roots that the Bernese surgeon and jazz insider Ulrich Althaus planted for this orchestra: He founded the Association Swiss Jazz Orchestra (Verein Swiss Jazz Orchestra (VSJO)) on February 9, 2004. The purpose of the association is to lay a financial and administrative basis for the SJO. Althaus caught attention and support for that project from the public.

Following Ulrich Althaus, Hans Rudolf Isliker took on the role as president of the Association Swiss Jazz Orchestra (VSJO) until in 2012 Peter Knutti was elected president of the VSJO. For many years, musicians from the band did the management themselves (Till Grünewald, Klaus Widmer, Johannes Walter, Thomas Knuchel), until in 2012 Angela Schenker was hired as part-time manager. With Peter Knutti and the musician's deputies they form the business administration. [7] [8]

Monday Big Band Jazz Nights

Monday Big Band Jazz Nights are a series of concerts that take place every Monday night at the Bierhübeli in Bern. The series has a rotation of different themes (Latin, Tribute, Gala, and Groove Night), which give the orchestra the opportunity to practice its skills in different styles.

The Swiss Jazz Orchestra is the only big band in Switzerland that performs a series of concerts on a regular basis. It means great effort to work on an at least partially new repertoire each week. The Monday Big Band Jazz Nights form the backbone and help realize other advanced projects that include CD productions and touring in Switzerland and abroad. [9]

The program of the Monday Big Band Jazz Nights contains a rotation of four different themes: Groove-Night focusses on tricky and unusual rhythms. Latin Night takes the audience to Latin-American spheres. [10] Furthermore, the SJO has obtained a diverse repertoire of the most different stylistics by all kinds of well-known composers. Once each month, a particular artist or a more general subject that derives from the history of jazz is featured in Tribute-Night. The fourth category of concerts is the Gala Night. For these concerts, a guest is invited who enriches the program through his or her own music, expertise, and personality. [11]

Musical direction

It is very unusual for an orchestra to have not one, but multiple leaders who derive from the orchestra itself. Philip Henzi explains the reasons for that as follows: "Why there is not only one musical leader goes back to the early days of its foundation: The orchestra has been founded by three people. Because we appreciate and depend on the impetus, the motivation and ideals of each band member, we try to have all interests of the band represented democratically amongst the musical leaders. Presumably that is the reason for the consistency in the line-up of our musicians. Furthermore, the large number of tasks (concerning the preparation of programs, the communication with guest-soloists and also the coordination of the rehearsals) makes it almost impossible for one person alone to manage it." [12]

Albums

Different musical leaders contributed to the making of different albums, ranging from live concerts conducted by the Swiss Jazz legend Pepe Lienhard (Live mit Pepe Lienhard, Mons, 2005) to collaborations with pop singers with a nationwide reputation, such as Sina, Polo Hofer and Kuno Lauener (I schänke dir mis Härz on Buebetröim, 2007/2009). [13]

The album Paul Klee (2006) in cooperation with the American pianist and composer Jim McNeely has been the most challenging for the orchestra so far. The compositions were inspired by the drawings and paintings of the Bern-based artist Paul Klee and the CD gained national and international appreciation. [14] For the album Buebetröim ("Boys' dreams"), the SJO asked singers Büne Huber and Sina to join their production. In 2008, the SJO recorded another CD with Camerata Bern, Markus Stockhausen and Philip Henzi which bears the name Tanzendes Licht & Trimorphum ("Dancing Light & Trimorphum") (Aktivraum AG). The guest-soloist on Close Encounter (Mons, 2009) was the Swiss/Argentinian bandoneon player Michael Zisman. [15]

It almost seems like the orchestra tried to quote itself or to recall its roots, when, in 2012 Bert Joris resumed to play a big role in leading the band for the recording of Lucidity 25 years after he obtained the leadership of the Jazz-School-Conservatoire Big Band. Concerning all the recordings, it is important to draw attention to Philip Henzi: Each and every CD of the Swiss Jazz Orchestra contains arrangements, most of the albums also compositions of his. Lucidity has entirely been composed by him, a humorous element apparent in many of the titles.

Two albums were released in 2013: one is a live album recorded during the 38th International Jazzfestival Bern at Marian's Jazzroom and features Argentinian-Swiss bandoneon player Michael Zisman, Cuban saxophonist Paquito d'Rivera and Brazilian trumpeter Claudio Roditi. [16] The second was released in 2013 named Sincerely Yours and offers a cross section of the repertoire from concerts. The title aims at the audience, the ones that make the anniversary of the band possible and ensure the continuation of the band's ambitions. [17]

Cultural award

Kulturpreis 2010 der Burgergemeinde Bern

The cultural prize of the Burgergemeinde (engl. Inherited Citizen Community) of the city of Bern is awarded once a year to a group or an organization or a cultural institution for outstanding contribution to the welfare of cultural life in Bern. In 2010 the prize was awarded to the Swiss Jazz Orchestra. [18] The committee especially honored the success story of the SJO, which is founded on the Monday Big Band Nights at the venue Bierhübeli in Bern. During a period of eight months of each year, these concerts are performed in a unique frequency and quality. [19] Two other aspects were honored: first the international reputation of the orchestra, resulting from the long lasting cooperation with famous bandleaders, composers and musicians, second the fact that the musicians – despite earning a humble salary – play top-class concerts, a sign for their commitment. The cultural award also influenced the Swiss Jazz Orchestra itself, planning an ambitious future. On one hand, the prize can be considered as a reward, on the other hand the orchestra is bound to invest in a sustainable future. The SJO wants to increase its offering of being a platform for the very best young Jazz-musicians, so that they can demonstrate their abilities as artists in a segment, that has gained a higher reputation by the modern system. Also, the orchestra makes the invitation of more special guests of sounding name their business to attract more people. Future projects are planned to strengthen the role of the orchestra in the top league. [20]

Members

The lineup of the Swiss Jazz Orchestras changed a lot throughout the ten years since it was founded: While some chairs still bare the original musicians that started the band in the first place, some positions had quick changes. The list of former band members is therefore pretty diversified: [21]

Saxophones

Trumpets

Trombones

Rhythm section

Substitutes

Engineers

Discography

Related Research Articles

Musical ensemble Instrumental and/or vocal music group

A musical ensemble, also known as a music group or musical group, is a group of people who perform instrumental or vocal music, with the ensemble typically known by a distinct name. Some music ensembles consist solely of instrumentalists, such as the jazz quartet or the orchestra. Other music ensembles consist solely of singers, such as choirs and doo wop groups. In both popular music and classical music, there are ensembles in which both instrumentalists and singers perform, such as the rock band or the Baroque chamber group for basso continuo and one or more singers. In classical music, trios or quartets either blend the sounds of musical instrument families or group together instruments from the same instrument family, such as string ensembles or wind ensembles. Some ensembles blend the sounds of a variety of instrument families, such as the orchestra, which uses a string section, brass instruments, woodwinds and percussion instruments, or the concert band, which uses brass, woodwinds and percussion.

Jim McNeely Musical artist

Jim McNeely is a jazz pianist, composer, arranger and faculty.

Jiggs Whigham Musical artist

Jiggs Whigham is an American jazz trombonist.

Pepe Lienhard Swiss bandleader and musician

Pepe Lienhard is a Swiss bandleader and musician.

BBC Big Band Musical artist

The BBC Big Band, originally known as the BBC Radio Big Band is a British big band, previously run under the auspices of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). The band broadcasts exclusively on BBC Radio, particularly on BBC Radio 2's long-running series Big Band Special. It consists of professional musicians and is directed by a number of conductors. These include arranger and composer Barry Forgie, who has been the band's Musical Director since 1977, American jazz trombonist Jiggs Whigham, and guest musical directors.

Vienna Art Orchestra European jazz group

The Vienna Art Orchestra was a European jazz group based in Vienna, Austria. Organized at different times as either a big band or as a smaller combo, it was regarded as one of the leading European jazz ensembles and was an official cultural ambassador of the Republic of Austria.

Peter Herbolzheimer Musical artist

Peter Alexandru Herbolzheimer was a Romanian-German jazz trombonist and bandleader.

Victor Stefan Vogel was a Canadian jazz pianist, composer, arranger, trombonist, and conductor.

Clark Gayton

Clark Gayton is an American multi-instrumentalist, musician, composer and musicians' rights advocate.

Thilo Berg German drummer

Thilo Berg is a German drummer who led a big band in the 1980s. He has produced more than 700 jazz, classical, R&B, and soul events. Besides his own productions, he worked on concerts, meetings, and social events. He founded Mons Records.

Ascona Jazz Festival, or Jazz Ascona, is an annual jazz festival held in Ascona, Switzerland. The 10-day festival takes place from late June to early July on the Swiss shores of Lake Maggiore and is devoted to historical styles of jazz, particularly New Orleans jazz.

Manu Delago Musical artist

Manu Delago is an Austrian Hang player, percussionist and composer based in London.

University of California Jazz Ensembles

The University of California Jazz Ensembles, also known as the UC Jazz Ensembles, UC Jazz, or UCJE, is the student jazz organization founded in 1967 on the University of California, Berkeley, campus. Founded in 1967, it comprises one or more big bands, numerous jazz combos, a vocal jazz ensemble, an alumni big band, and instructional classes. With a mission statement to foster a community for the performance, study, and promotion of jazz at U.C. Berkeley, its Wednesday Night big band provides free concerts every Thursday noon on Lower Sproul Plaza, its various units perform throughout the San Francisco Bay Area including area high schools, travel to collegiate jazz festivals, and perform overseas, and for many years it sponsored the annual Pacific Coast Jazz Festival. It also provides master classes by its instructors and clinics by prominent guest artists. It has nurtured numerous musicians who have become professional jazz musicians and educators. UC Jazz Ensembles is one of three groups, with the Cal (marching) Band and UC Choral Ensembles, forming Student Musical Activities (SMA), a department within Cal Performances on the U.C. Berkeley campus. Its members are primarily U.C. Berkeley undergraduate and graduate students, representing many academic disciplines.

John McAll

John McAll is a pianist, composer, arranger and producer with experience ranging from jazz, pop, blues, rock contemporary classical, afrobeat and theatre.

Luca Hänni Swiss singer

Luca Hänni is a Swiss pop singer and television personality. He rose to fame in 2012 after winning the ninth season of Deutschland sucht den Superstar, the German version of the Idol franchise. He was the first non-German to do so and also the youngest ever winner of the show. Hänni's debut single, "Don't Think About Me", topped the singles charts in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. It was followed by the release of his debut album, My Name Is Luca (2012), which debuted atop the Austrian and Swiss Albums Charts and became a gold-seller in both countries. His second studio album, Living the Dream, released in 2013, became his second consecutive number-one album in Switzerland.

Trondheim Jazz Orchestra Norwegian jazz orchestral project

Trondheim Jazz Orchestra (TJO) is an orchestral project based in Trondheim, and closely related to both the Midtnorsk Jazzsenter and Jazz Line at the Trøndelag Conservatory of Music (NTNU).

Erling Wicklund Musical artist

Erling Sachs Wicklund was a Norwegian jazz trombonist, composer, arranger and journalist, known for a series of jazz programs on NRK.

Leopolis Jazz Fest

Leopolis Jazz Fest is an international jazz festival, annually held in June in Lviv (Ukraine) since 2011. The Guardian included Leopolis Jazz Fest in the list of the best European festivals.

Anthony Branker

Anthony Branker is an American musician and educator of Caribbean descent.

Markus Hauser is a Swiss musician, band leader, composer and music teacher.

References

  1. ↑ "Home". Bierhuebeli.ch. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  2. ↑ "Saisonbroschüre (Seasonal Overview Agenda of the Swiss Jazz Orchestra), 2013/2014" Archived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ "Swiss Jazz Orchestra - Archiv". SwissJazzOrchestra.com. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  4. ↑ "Swiss Jazz Orchestra - Orchester". SwissJazzOrchestra.com. Retrieved 13 March 2017.
  5. ↑ [Website of Marian’s Jazz Room "Marians jazzroom: Home". Archived from the original on 2014-11-29. Retrieved 2014-11-23..]
  6. ↑ [ Johannes Walter: "Das Swiss Jazz Orchestra 2003-2013 – Musikalische Gesichtspunkte der Entwicklung" in: Saisonbroschüre (Seasonal Overview Agenda of the Swiss Jazz Orchestra), 2013/2014, Bern 2013, p. 21. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2014-11-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link).]
  7. ↑ [Organisation of the SJO http://www.swissjazzorchestra.ch/index.php?page=71.]
  8. ↑ [Letter from a former president of the SJO. Hans R. Isliker: "Brief an die Mitglieder, Sponsoren, Gönner und Freunde" in: Geschäftsbericht des VSJO 2011/2012, Bern 2012, S.3-4.]
  9. ↑ [Excerpt from a media announcement of the SJO. Unbekannt: "Swiss Jazz Orchestra: Saisonende im Bierhübeli!" (Medienmitteilung zum Saison-Ende 2011/2012 vom 30.05.2012).]
  10. ↑ [Article from a local newspaper. Unbekannt: "Das Swiss Jazz Orchestra verstärkt", in: Der Bund vom 02.04.2012, Bern 2012, Bern 2012, S.5.]
  11. ↑ [Annual report of 2011/2012. Hans R. Isliker: "Geschäftsbericht des VSJO 2011/2012", Bern 2012, S.5.]
  12. ↑ [Citing Philip Henzi. Josephine Nagorsnik: "10 Jahre SJO" in: Saisonbroschüre des Swiss Jazz Orchestra (Seasonal Overview Agenda of the Swiss Jazz Orchestra), 2013/2014, Bern 2013, S. 18 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2014-11-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link).]
  13. ↑ [Swiss Charts. http://www.hitparade.ch/showitem.asp?key=307536&cat=s Swiss Jazz Orchestra & Kuno - I schänke dir mis Härz - hitparade.ch.]
  14. ↑ [Jazz education journal, Band 39, Ausgaben 4-6, 2007.]
  15. ↑ Jack Bowers: Chuck Owen & the Jazz Surge / Swiss Jazz Orchestra / The Aggregation (2009) bei All About Jazz.
  16. ↑ [CD-Info on SJO-Website http://www.swissjazzorchestra.com/index.php?page=521.]
  17. ↑ [ Josephine Nagorsnik: "10 Jahre SJO" in: Saisonbroschüre des Swiss Jazz Orchestra (Seasonal Overview Agenda of the Swiss Jazz Orchestra), 2013/2014, Bern 2013, S. 18 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2014-11-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link).]
  18. ↑ [List of the award winners of the cultural prize of the Burgergemeinde Bern http://www.bgbern.ch/burgergemeinde/kulturfoerderung/kulturpreis/verliehene-kulturpreise.]
  19. ↑ [Article from the Bern-based Newspaper "Der Bund" published 24.02.2010, about the annual cultural award that was given to the SJO "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2014-11-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link).]
  20. ↑ [Article published in "Podium" on 01.09.2009 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2014-11-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link).]
  21. ↑ [Johannes Walter: Besetzungsliste in: Saisonbroschüre des Swiss Jazz Orchestra (Seasonal Overview Agenda of the Swiss Jazz Orchestra), 2013/2014, Bern 2013, S. 22 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2014-11-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link).]
  22. ↑ [CD-Publikationen in: Swiss Jazz Orchestra: Saison 2013/2014 Bern 2013 S. 10/11 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2014-11-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link).]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.