WDR Big Band

WDR Big Band Cologne

The WDR Big Band Cologne serves as a group of musical ambassadors, promoting culture to audiences around the world by performing jazz and jazz-related music. Grammy awards in 2006 and 2007 and numerous Grammy nominations over the years reflect the band’s international acclaim, which continually evolves and strengthens.
Musical borders are musical challenges. The WDR Big Band Cologne develops and performs new programs in many styles. Because of the international diversity of the band’s personnel, their jazz productions often pay tribute to the European music tradition. This concept—linking different cultures through music—plays an integral role in the selection of the band’s projects.
The WDR Big Band’s unique ensemble sound stems from each musician’s distinct personality as a soloist. Whether working with their principal conductor Michael Abene, or with various guest conductors, composers, arrangers and guest soloists, the WDR Big Band Cologne embraces the world of jazz and jazz-related music—including Latin jazz, world music, fusion and cross-over.

Michael Abene

The New York composer, arranger and pianist Michael Abene has been the Principal Conductor of the WDR Big Band in Cologne, Germany since 2004. He has written music for varied commissioned productions which reflect his deep musical knowledge and inspiration. Working with such an internationally renowned jazz orchestra as the WDR Big Band Cologne is something especially rewarding for him, particularly because of the solo potential and the band’s distinguishing ensemble sound.
Michael Abene was extremely delighted when productions of the WDR Big Band Cologne were honored at the 2008 Grammy Awards. Michael was nominated for a Grammy for the arrangement of “Overture/Gershwin Medley” for Patti Austin’s CD “Avant Gershwin”. Patti Austin won the Grammy in the “Best Jazz Vocal Album” category for “Avant Gershwin”, which is one of a series of productions with the WDR Big Band Cologne, under the musical direction of Principal Conductor/Arranger Michael Abene.
In several jazz-blogs Michael Abene is sometimes found to be compared to “a chameleon”. He has an astonishing adaptability for composing and arranging in very different styles. Michael’s far reaching tasks such as Professor of Jazz Composition at Manhattan School of Music, conductor, composer, arranger and producer serve to make Michael Abene so very diverse and unique.