Calefax – a classical reed quintet – and the TonyOverwater Trio – a jazz ensemble – have joined forces to perform severalsuites that were written by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn for the Duke Ellingtonorchestra, in new arrangements for six reed players (oboe, clarinets, saxophones, bassoon),double bass and drums. Following the huge successes of concerts in the Netherlands (both onclassical music stages and in jazz venues such as the Bimhuis and North Sea Jazz) and theinternationally acclaimed cd, they plan a concert series in 2008/2009 through the Near,Middle and Far East. These were the countries that Ellington toured with his orchestra in1963, and that inspired him to write his famous Far East Suite: from Cyprus and Greece,through Lebanon and Iraq, to India and Japan.
By collaborating closely with musicians in the countries that will be visited, the twoensembles enter into a dialogue with other cultures and, most importantly, demonstrate howmusic can rise above cultural and social differences. Both groups will play ‘individually', inviting local musicians to join in; together, the Tony Overwater Trioand Calefax will not only perform the Far East Suite, but also play new music by Dutchcomposers – written especially for this occasion – and by composers from thevisited countries, in a “jukebox composition” masterminded by saxofonist/composerMaarten Ornstein. During their journey, they will collaborate with local musicians andcomposers in concerts, masterclasses and workshops, that will be extended with talks, filmsshows, discussions, etcetera.
The results of these collaborations will be presented in a concert series in theNetherlands in the season 2009/2010, where the highlights of the concert tour will beperformed together with the musicians from the “ far east countries” .