Zurich Jazz Orchestra

Zurich Jazz Orchestra & Thomas Gansch & Ed Partyka (CH/A/USA)

Born in Baden near Zurich, I am naturally delighted about the cooperation between the fabulous Zurich Jazz Orchestra and the wonderful Austrian trumpeter and composer Thomas Gansch, as well as the renowned American-born arranger, conductor, and trombonist Ed Partyka, who has long lived and worked in Europe. The Moods jazz club in Zurich’s Schiffbau, which was redesigned by an Austrian architect collective, and the Porgy & Bess in Vienna have a lot in common: both were founded in the early 1990s by musician initiatives—in our case by the Vienna Art Orchestra around the Swiss composer and arranger Mathias Rüegg. Both jazz clubs moved around the early 2000s into larger, more modern venues and share a pluralistic programming philosophy. Both have been among Europe’s top jazz venues for years. What the Zurich Jazz Orchestra means for Moods, the respective stage band means for Porgy & Bess: a collective given the opportunity for a season to present different facets of their repertoire monthly, experiment, implement concepts, and try out diverse ideas. At Porgy & Bess, the stage band changes seasonally; at Moods, the ZJO performs once a month with a current program. Thomas Gansch played in 2002 with his group Gansch’n’Roses, and Partyka in 2005 with the Ed Partyka & Flip Philipp Dectet stage band at Porgy & Bess. Partyka was also a member of Gansch’n’Roses, and both played in Mathias Rüegg’s Vienna Art Orchestra. So they know each other well and have worked closely together in the past. The cooperation of ZJO with Thomas Gansch has now lasted more than a decade. Perfect conditions for a whole program written by the versatile trumpeter in arrangements by the current musical director of the ZJO.

Straight away: This recording is a breathtaking charge through modern big band culture, without losing sight of tradition and knowing the innovations of mavericks like Don Ellis. The orchestra sounds fantastic with contemporary arrangements—and of course with an outstanding soloist, equipped with formidable technique, who never loses musical humor and often quotes with a wink. Two pieces stand out: the focus track “Hot Feet” dates back to 2007 and was first released on the second album of the aforementioned Gansch’n’Roses. “A friend and sound engineer once said the piece sounded like the theme music of a 1970s American cop show. I’ve always liked that association,” explains Thomas Gansch. Arranged for big band, this impression intensifies and “Hot Feet” could indeed serve as a theme for Kojak or Starsky & Hutch. And “nomen est omen” — try dancing to this tune; your soles will be on fire!

Program and cast

Thomas Gansch: trumpet, compositions
Ed Partyka: conductor, arrangements
Zurich Jazz Orchestra