Crossroads Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw

• 1 Shortcut 07:58
• 2 Olivia's Dance 07:57
• 3 English Heart 08:17
• 4 Jane St. 2 AM 07:01
• 5 Sixmas 07:45
• 6 Swarms 07:52
• 7 Para Poli 08:16
• 8 Ataraxia 10:12
• 9 The Ninth Planet 08:31
• 10 A Minor Confusion 10:39
• Total Runtime 01:24:28

Info for Crossroads

Crossroads: a new international perspective on Dutch Jazz. Stretching the boundaries of contemporary big band music. The Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw is extending its limits, in more ways than one. The band developed its identity in the late 1990s with the bi-weekly concerts at the Amsterdam Bimhuis. Since then it has literally conquered the world, not only touring all over Europe but also playing in Latin America, South Africa, Indonesia, Japan and China. Musically, too, the band is evolving all the time. The starting point was the classic 1950s idiom, but from the beginning, the orchestra was challenged by guest soloists and composers from a wide range in jazz styles.

With the album Crossroads the Jazz Orchestra takes another step forward. Conducted by Dennis Mackrel and Rob Horsting (who has been arranging for the group since the beginning), the orchestra presents nine compositions by various band members, Martijn van Iterson, Joris Roelofs, Ilja Reijngoud, Simon Rigter and Jorg Kaaij, and Rob Horsting. The arrangements were written by Dennis Mackrel, Rob Horsting, Henk Meutgeert, and three international guest arrangers: Michael Abene and Ed Partyka (U. S. A.), and Vellu Halkosalmi (Finland).

This album is a breakthrough. Along with their future-oriented American colleagues of the Maria Schneider and Darcy James Argue orchestras, with this album the Jazz Orchestra marks a new century in the development of the jazz big band.

Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw
Dennis Mackrel, chief conductor
Rob Horsting, co-conductor
Juan Martinez, artistic director

The Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw (JOC)
belongs to the absolute top big bands in Europe. It presents a strong vision on and respect for music in all its forms, played by a world-class rhythm section and brass sections. The JOC bears the name of the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the only concert hall in the world that, in addition to a classical orchestra, also has a jazz orchestra attached to its name.

International: The JOC has worked with a wide variety of international guest soloists, from Roy Hargrove to Chick Corea, Branford Marsalis to Oleta Adams, Jose James to Jazzmen Horn. Having toured all over the world at all the large festivals and in the most beautiful jazz clubs - from Birdland New York to North Sea Jazz Capetown, from Tokyo to Moscow and from Rio to Budapest - the JOC is also highly respected internationally. Find out about our current international projects

Our music: On our solo albums our musicians play at the top of their abilities and we play a significant role in the development of contemporary jazz. Our latest albums Crossroads, Jazz Influencers and Threnody were widely praised by the press. Discover more

Our programs: The JOC connects through jazz. We are on top of the latest developments in the scene and work with emerging talents, but also pay tribute to the rich jazz history, spanning more than a hundred years of music. We dive into adventurous crossovers, varying from soul to kaseko and from tambu to pop.

Education & talent: We keep jazz music alive and kicking. We are constantly committed to introducing a broad and diverse group of young people to jazz. We do this by interacting with kids and young people, from 8 year onwards, through various talent development projects such as the JOC Boot Camp program, and with students from several Dutch conservatories (JOC Big Band Academy).

Awards: The JOC won two Edison awards in the Jazz&World category: one for the album Blues for the Date (2010) and one for Crossroads (2019). Blues for the Date was also named one of the best large ensemble albums of 2010 by the authoritative New York magazine All About Jazz from New York.

This album contains no booklet.