DR Big Band

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DR Big Band featuring Palle Mikkelborg and Arve Henriksen (Aarhus 2020)

The DR Big Band (also DR Big Bandet or Danish Radio Big Band ) is the big band of Danmarks Radio (DR). It emerged from the new radio dance orchestra of the DR, which was founded in 1964.

Start time

The orchestra, founded on the initiative of head of entertainment Niels-Jørgen Kaiser, initially only played music for radio use and was directed by Ib Glindemann from 1964 to 1968 . The core of the group was initially the Radio Jazzgruppen or Danish Radio Jazz Group , founded in 1961 , which has been led by Erik Moseholm since 1962 and to which around ten of the best Danish musicians and arrangers were hired. These included Allan Botschinsky , Palle Mikkelborg , Torolf Mølgaard , Poul Hindberg, Bent Jædig , Ray Pitts and Bent Axen . A large formation was built around these radio jazz groups , which were also invited to concerts for example at the Jazz Jamboree in Warsaw or Flensburg. Today it comprises 19 musicians. The musicians included Erling Kroner , Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen , Bjarne Roupé (1980–1989) and Jesper Thilo (1966–1989). In the 1960s and 1970s, some American jazz musicians like Idrees Sulieman were based in Denmark and became members of the band.

After Glindemann, the band initially had guest conductors such as Oliver Nelson , Frank Foster , Jimmy Heath , Clark Terry , Mary Lou Williams , Michael Gibbs , Robert Cornford and Mike Westbrook , before the orchestra again had a permanent conductor in Ray Pitts (1971–1973).

Time under Palle Mikkelborg and Thad Jones

In 1975 Palle Mikkelborg (1975–1977) and then Thad Jones (1977–1978) followed as director. Jones in particular shaped the orchestra in a way “that can be heard and felt to this day.” During this time they played with guest soloists such as Stan Getz and Joe Henderson .

Conversion to a big band and new tasks

With the breakdown of the public radio monopoly, the orchestra received new tasks; the big band started playing more and more albums. The orchestra has been conducted by Ole Kock Hansen since 1986 and then by Bob Brookmeyer (1996–1998) and Jim McNeely (1998–2002), respectively . Then it was headed by Chris Minh Doky . The Japanese Miho Hazama has been the chief conductor since 2019 .

Miles Davis and Mikkelborg took part in the recording of Miles Davis' album Aura (1985) by many musicians in the formation. In recent years, albums with soloists such as Randy Brecker , Chris Potter or Mike Stern , but also Christmas albums, have been created. Furthermore, the band increasingly participated in television productions such as the talent show X-Factor or productions with the children's channel of television, so that the band is now known to the general public.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ cf. Swinging Flensburg-Danish jazz activities
  2. ↑ The radio jazz groups , which also appeared with guest soloists such as Dizzy Gillespie , were dissolved in 1987.
  3. ↑ a b Angela Ballhorn Danish Radio Bigband / Chris Minh Doky: Not lazy in the country of Denmark Jazzthetik 11/12: 2010: 20–21
  4. ↑ Ny chef dirigent mødte DR Big Band ved lidt af et tilfaelde. October 10, 2019, accessed April 3, 2020 .
  5. ↑ Radioens Big Band
  6. ↑ Portrait ( memento from November 23, 2009 in the Internet Archive )