About artist
This is what jazz expert Klaus Schulz wrote in the German magazine Jazzpodium about the 2001 Salzburg Autumn Jazz Festival (Salzburger Jazzherbst 2001) appearance of the Jazz Bigband Graz, together with composer-master trombonist Bob Brookmeyer. Time has flown and much has changed, but the Quantum Leap is still happening, as many music colleagues, jazz fans and journalists have told us. But first, back to the beginning.
The Jazzorchester, founded in 1998, in Graz, Austria, catapulted itself into the major leagues through astute programming and collaboration with some of the most high-profile international jazz artists. In addition to memorable festival performances with the Grammy Award-winning, American vocal sextet Take 6, the New York Voices, Kurt Elling, Jon Hendricks and Bob Mintzer, among others, it was the band’s collaboration with composer-trombonist Bob Brookmeyer and Ed Neumeister, resulting in two albums, which confirmed that this is a truly stellar jazz ensemble that can hold its own among the best. In 2003, flutist-saxophonist Heinrich von Kalnein and singer-trumpeter Horst-Michael Schaffer took over the artistic leadership of the band with the declared goal of taking the JBBG in a whole new direction and of creating their own distinctive sound.
by Karin Kaminker