The Big Band of the Bundeswehr - over 50 years of the world's best scores for swing, rock, and pop
The Big Band of the Bundeswehr, under the direction of bandleader Timor Oliver Chadik, is one of the most unusual show and entertainment orchestras in Germany. The musicians from North Rhine-Westphalia present themselves both as a modern-sounding business card of the Federal Republic of Germany and as high-profile musical ambassadors.
In music, uniformity has no place in the Big Band of the Bundeswehr. All instrumentalists are handpicked, top-class soloists in their respective fields, and graduates of the most renowned art colleges for modern entertainment music.
The then Minister of Defense and later Chancellor Helmut Schmidt therefore commissioned in 1971 to assemble a formation capable of creating a modern sound for a modern army. People should hear the hits of their time, the great classics of past days, and the ever-relevant swing and jazz music at the concerts. Even today, this musical concept, established 50 years ago, enjoys great popularity and relevance. For example, U.S. Presidents, the President of the Federal Republic, and even the Pope have all grooved along to the Big Band of the Bundeswehr with their feet or snapped their fingers.
Since its establishment, the Big Band of the Bundeswehr has, for good reason, performed without fee. With ticket sales exceeding 20 million euros, people in need have been helped since day one.
Furthermore, the swing formation is always a welcome guest abroad: Moscow, New York, Washington, El Paso, Oslo, Madrid, Cape Town, Rio de Janeiro, Kuala Lumpur, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, or Seoul - hardly any country is unknown or too far away for the Big Band of the Bundeswehr. The 24 professional musicians are also well-versed in diplomatic, social, or simple dance floor settings and know what is expected of them.
The Big Band of the Bundeswehr has gained an extraordinary reputation in the show business over the past five decades, has continuously enhanced it, and is working to further solidify and expand it. This includes collaborating with major artists from the national and international music scene. For instance, artists like Joris, Gregor Meyle, Klaus Lage, Pe Werner, Max Mutzke, Laith Al-Deen, Till Brönner, James Blunt, or Samu Haber have played together with the swing formation.
With the club concert at the Pantheon, the ensemble intentionally demonstrates that it can also captivate audiences without star guests and high technical effort, in a very intimate setting and with a classic Big Band jazz program. Each musician is an excellent section player and soloist at their respective instrument - many have even written their own pieces for "their" orchestra. Experience shows that one evening is not enough to nearly experience the full artistic quality spectrum of this band. All arrangements heard on this evening offer plenty of space for soloists as well as for the rich ensemble sound of the Big Band. Swinging-modern mainstream Big Band jazz guarantees an energetic musical experience.
bigband-bw.de
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q9TVEx-6WLU
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