When I left Woody Herman’s band in 1972, I left big bands for good. Well—I thought I had. They were too big, too loud, for me. Apart from an occasional gig writing something for a singer, I had no desire or interest to revive that side of my musical life. Then a few years ago, I got a couple of commissions that had me rethinking my feelings about big band music and my approach to writing it.
For one thing, I needed an outlet for some tunes I have written over the years that I think have stood the test of time (at least my time). They have strong melodic and harmonic qualities and adapt well to my concept of big band music, which is that the band should behave like a small combo. Soloists improvise on the chord changes, with ensembles constructed simply on the form of the piece so that what ebbs and flows is always recognizable. I have an aversion to being clever. I prefer, and hope, that the music coming out of me is free of affectation and manipulation, yet has an emotional curve determined by the music and my feelings. Another reason was to address the problem of a piano player on the one hand and lots of brass on the other. I wanted to even the odds, give each element its due. But what brought everything together was a commission for a radio program with the famous NDR Bigband. Thanks to Axel, Jörg-Achim, Ollie and especially the individual members of the band—personalities all, in the best Duke Ellington sense—who gave of themselves and made the music come alive as I heard it in my mind. Only better!
I hope that you enjoy the musical adventures of yours truly.
To be continued.
Alan Broadbent
Compositions
Alan Broadbent – except #9 Samuel A. Ward
Arrangements
Alan Broadbent
Conductor
Jörg-Achim Keller
Trumpets / Flugelhorns
1. Thorsten Benkenstein
2. Ingolf Burkhardt
3. Claus Stötter, soloist on #7, #9 - except Felix Meyer #4
4. Reiner Winterschladen
Saxophones
Fiete Felsch (1. as / ss / fl), soloist on #1
Peter Bolte (2. as, fl)
Christof Lauer (1. ts, cl), soloist on #3, #5 - except Gabriel Coburger #2 (ts, cl, ss)
