WDR BIG BAND

WDR BIG BAND

Vince Mendoza, Composer in Residence - Noche Triste 

The origin of the today's WDR Big Band Cologne lies with the "Cologne Broadcasting Dance Orchestra" active in August 1946 at the then NWDR Cologne (the predecessor of today's WDR), which was under the direction of Otto Gerdes and in alternation with the Radio-Tanzorchester Hamburg under Kurt Wege in the only program of the NWDR occurred.

Already in the autumn of 1947, Otto Gerdes joined as conductor to an orchestra of the Südwestfunk (SWF). It was replaced by Adalbert Luczkowski , who had been active in the string section of the "German Dance and Entertainment Orchestra" founded in the war and possibly wanted to continue the tradition of this band in Cologne. At least the existing orchestra was called "Kölner Tanz- und Unterhaltungsorchester" (KTUO). Soloists of this orchestra included Heinz Schachtner (trumpet), Erich Well (trombone) and saxophonists Eddie Raisner and Paul Peuker.

Adalbert Luczkowski conducts the Dance and Entertainment Orchestra (1954)

At the end of the 1950s, WDR discovered a love of jazz . Since the existing KTUO was not designed for this, Kurt Edelhagen was commissioned to set up a jazz big band . In 1957, Kurt Edelhagen moved from the SWF to the WDR and brought three musicians from his previous band to Cologne. All the others he sought all over Europe together, and with musicians from eight nations, the band was complete. However, the composition changed constantly, as Edelhagen was known for a strong "wear" of musicians. The new "Kurt Edelhagen Orchestra", however, remained an independent band under the name of its director and was not a "broadcasting orchestra". Only Edelhagen had a work contract with the WDR, which had to be renewed annually. In this respect, he can only be considered in a broader sense as the forerunner of the "WDR Big Band". Only after the dissolution of his contract by the WDR in late 1972 and the associated end of his own big band Edelhagen recorded between 1976 and 1980 recordings with the "WDR Dance Orchestra". ^[1]

Adalbert Luczkowski retired on 1 January 1966. His successor was in 1967 the former head of the RIAS Tanzorchester Berlin, Werner Müller. The Cologne Dance and Entertainment Orchestra under the direction of Adalbert Luczkowski and then Werner Müller played for a time parallel with the Edelhagen band at WDR. At times, Werner Müller combined the musicians of his band with the strings of the WDR Radio Orchestra to form the "Great Entertainment Orchestra of the WDR". With him came the name "WDR Dance Orchestra" and later "WDR Big Band". In September 1987 Wolfgang Hirschmann became the first sound engineer and producer of the WDR Big Band Cologne; From 1996 to January 2002 Hirschmann was her orchestra manager, whose repertoire he constantly expanded. Lucas Schmid followed him on this course.

Chief Conductor since 2016 is Bob Mintzer . At the same time, Vince Mendoza was introduced to the band as the composer in residence.

Since 2004, Karolina Strassmayer (alto saxophone) is the first female member of the orchestra. Since 2014, the orchestra has also had a brass player with Shannon Barnett . The WDR Big Band Cologne has received several awards.