Peter Lenz

The big band, as the orchestral form of jazz, has a long tradition. Dazzling representatives such as Duke Ellington, Woody Herman, Count Basie and many, many more have cemented the big band format as a stylistic form rather than a line-up in jazz history through their compositions. Peter Lenz attempts to loosen this cement a little with his use of large ensembles. In classical music, it is customary to use different instrumentations for different pieces. On the album Breathe - Music for Large Ensembles, Lenz also uses three line-ups of different sizes and focuses on the endless timbres of these instrumentations.

"Mr. Lenz's large ensemble compositions transcend the stylistic trappings often found in traditional big bands. Peter's writing focuses on the essence of each song, the journey of each piece, and the inherent and natural sound of the band, which allows the music to be performed as well as listened to in the most effortless way." Jim Black

Program and cast

Peter Lenz: composer, conductor
Efrat Alony: vocals
Alana McPherson: alto saxophone, flute
Brian Krock: alto saxophone, flute, e-horn
Chris Speed: tenor saxophone, clarinet
Matt Halpin: tenor saxophone, clarinet
Matthias Tschopp: bass saxophone, bass clarinet
Dominic Pessl, Gerhard Ornig, Jake Henry, Kenny Warren: trumpets
Sam Blakeslee, Janning Trumann, Andreas Tschopp, Hannes Oppel: trombones
Keisuke Matsuno: guitar
Viola Hammer: piano
Raphael Meinhart: mallets
Marty Kenney: bass
Jim Black: drums
Violeta Puerta Cano: visuals