Radioens Big Band

The Danish Radio Big Band (DR Big Band), often referred to as the Radioens Big Band is a big band founded in Copenhagen in 1964.

Originally called the New Radio Dance Orchestra, in the early years the band was led by Ib Glindemann. But over the next few decades many new faces joined, such as Chris Potter, Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer Jim McNeely, and guest soloists like Miles Davis, Stan Getz, and Joe Henderson.

In 1964 the Danish broadcasting corporation Danmarks Radio (later abbreviated to DR) had a monopoly of both radio and TV broadcasting in Denmark. When Niels-Jørgen Kaiser, DR's head of entertainment, decided that DR had to have its own jazz band, it was without regard for economics. He wanted national radio to reflect that jazz was active in Copenhagen clubs. During the first few decades, the New Radio Dance Orchestra, which later became the DR Big Band, acquired a reputation that could attract popular jazz musicians.

With the fall of the radio and TV monopoly in the 1980s, and later when DR moved out to 'DR City' in the 2000s, the struggle for funding for DR's large orchestra became fierce. Chris Minh Doky, the band's artistic director, decided in 2008 to increase its visibility. Since then the DR Big Band has recorded with jazz musicians Randy Brecker, Chris Potter, and Mike Stern, but it has also appeared on the Danish version of the talent show X Factor, on the family series Sigurd & the Big Band, and on the show Circus Summarum.

Members

Trumpet:

Trombone:

Saxophone:

Rhythm group:

Saxophone:

Trumpet:

Trombone:

Bass:

Drums:

...
Wikipedia