DR Big Band and Kálmán Olah

DR Big Band (DRBB) is playing an exclusive concert in Slovakia in cooperation with the Slovak Radio & Television (RTVS), JazzExportDenmark and Salek Production.The concert will be recorded for EBU broadcasting.Joining the Danish Big Band as soloist is the Hungarian jazz pianist Kálmán Oláh.He has gained international reputation as an artist who masterfully combinesthe elements of jazz, folk and contemporary classical music. He is therecipient of numerous awards, including the Grand Prize of the 2006 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Composers Competition. Renowned for his distinctive compositional style and his original approach to playing jazz, Kálmán has appeared with scores of well-known artists including Lee Konitz, Randy Brecker, Steve Grossman, Jack DeJohnette, John Patitucci, Tommy Campbell, Ron McClure, Stefano Di Battista, Philip Catherine, PalleDanielsson, André Ceccarelli, Paolo Fresu, Kenny Wheeler and RaviColtrane, to name a few.Kálmán Olah and the DRBB will go deep into the Nordic sound of Danishjazz combined with Hungarian Folklore/Jazz, playing both Kalman Olah’scompositions and arrangements and a combination of genuine Danish jazzfrom the DR Big Band repertoire.

Gabor Bolla on the 2nd tenorsax

As a surprise DRBB has a guest star on the tenorsax. Gábor Bolla was born on October 15, 1988. At the age of ten he started playing the clarinet, at twelve he won first prize in the National Music Schools' Competition.Then he took up the saxophone and, in 2003, he made it to the semi-finals of the World Saxophone Competition at the Montreux Jazz Festival. In 2004 he received the Hans Koller Prize as the Talent of the Year in Austria and in 2005 the Bolla Quartet scooped both the Grand Prix and the Prix du Public at the Avignon Jazz Festival in France.In 2006 he won the Hans Koller Prize – New York Stipendium. He played with Krik Lightsey, Johnny Griffin, Jimmy Wormworth, Jojo Mayer, Stephane Belmondo, Jim Rotondi, Don Menza, Vienna Art Orchestra, Modern Art Orchestra etc. He recorded his debut album for ACT Music called "Find Your Way" in January 2012. His main influences are Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane.

DR BIG BAND

“Probably the best band in Europe” said Earnie Wilkins years ago about DRBB. When you tell the story about DRBB of course you have to mention all the great musicians, who have been working with the band and in the band since the early sixties. This is, by the way, just the beginning of the story. Aiming for the future, the band focuses on key factors that make the big band a greatexperience for the audience: such as a high technical standard, a livingartistic expression and a mixture of tight choreography and relaxed humour.- Technical standards are extremely high and the soloist performances reach

for the sky.- The living artistic expressions and professional identity makes the bandsound sublime whether they play future jazz or they go retro!- Their special tight choreography together with their relaxed humour bringsthe swinging to new standards.- Their unique Scandinavian sound and style.

Among the musicians you’ll find artists like- Peter Jensen(tb), American Grammy nominee 2012 for best instrumentalarrangement,- Gerard Presencer(trp), 4 times winner of “Best Trumpet Player” at BritishJazz Awards.- Hans Ulrik(sax), Danish grammy winner 1999 for Jazz&Mambo.

THE DANISH RADIO BIG BAND- aiming for the future

Recent reviews:

“Especially bright was Nicolai Schultz’ etheric flute ..... and as a sovereign completion Steen Hansens trombone solo” (five stars in Politiken)Review of Darcy James Argue concert jan 2013, DR studio 4Christian Munch-Hansen - Politiken 20.01.2013

“Fascinating and colorful sound - of almost sculptural character.”Review of celebrating Gil Evans 100 years.Kjeld Frandsen - Berlingske Tidene 06.10.2012

“Fusion across genres and traditions - impressive....”Review of DRBB featuring Eivør Pálsdottir.Henrik Friis - Politiken 20.03.2011

“Not just a band but creating concepts of unique identity”Review of DRBB featuring Joe Lovano.Henrik Palle - Politiken 04.07.2010

DR Big Band - the short story

DR Big Band was founded in 1964, at a time when the Copenhagen jazz scene was buzzing with life and the city was regularly visited by big musicians from the USA.DRBB had since then been led by many striking bandleaders and beenplaying with a lot of great musicians. Those include leaders like Thad Jones, BobBrookmeyer, Ray Pitts, Maria Schneider and Jim Mcneely on the conductorside and soloists like Miles Davis, Joe Henderson, Stan Getz - and in recent

years among others Randy Brecker, Chris Potter, Mike Stern and JohnScofield.

You can find loads of material and old stories about this legendary Big Bandand they all tell the story about high focused musical expertise and outstanding artisticperformances.

External link to Danish Radio in Danish: http://www.dr.dk/Koncerthuset/dr-ensembler/dr-big-bandet/forside.htm

You tube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPdU39RzWsEhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHBnJwuVcDUhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPdU39RzWsE&feature=relatedhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84LkMrlPjwA&feature=related