A good party requires good music and this 18-piece big band is taking care of that together with their special guest, two-time Edison winner Fay Claassen. Let It Snow, Santa Claus is Coming to Town and other Christmas songs are performed alongside classics such as My Favorite Things, in special jazz arrangements. The New Jazz Orchestra was founded by jazz maestro Henk Meutgeert and master pianist Peter Beets.
Fay Claassen is internationally renowned for her strong vocal personality. She collaborated with, among others, Bob Brookmeyer, Mike Stern and Kenny Wheeler. The American Scat Omni Book, which encompasses transcriptions of vocal improvisations by the likes of Kurt Elling and Sarah Vaughan, also includes a Fay Claassen improvisation, the sole European contribution. ‘Fay Claassen is to singing what Audrey Hepburn was to the movies: elegant and graceful’ (Cadence).
Henk Meutgeert is known as a dynamic band leader and an energetic arranger. Peter Beets is an acclaimed pianist who can move an entire orchestra with his refined swing. Their long-standing collaboration has proven very fertile. For example, in 2010 they received an Edison Award for Blues for the Date. This album, which was recorded at the BIMHUIS with the Jazz Orchestra of The Concertgebouw, contains compositions by Peter Beets exclusively and was compiled, conducted and arranged by Meutgeert. The album was voted one of the five best large ensemble albums of 2010 by All About Jazz.
Henk Meutgeert conductor, Peter Beets piano, Wouter Kuhne drums, Tijs Klaassen bass, Jasper van Damme, Mo van der Does altsax, Floriaan Wempe, Gideon Tazelaar tenorsax, Rik van der Bergh baritonsax, Pablo Martinez, Peter Keijzers, Alba Pujals trombone, Berend van Gurp bastrombone, Libbe Oosterman, Koen Smits, Gidon Nunes Vaz, Ellister van der Molen, Abriel Ferreira, trumpet