It’s funny, I never really thought her performances were that impressive (compared to other pros, of course) but I came across this a while back and really enjoyed it. Of course the WDR big band is one of the mainstays in Germany but AM does a great job and the overall result is really cool. There are a few more snippets out in the vast wild web that are worth watching as well.
Joined: 23 Mar 2003 Posts: 9033 Location: Hawai`i - Texas
Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 6:23 am Post subject:
I've been watching Andrea since she was a kid. Very charming and she's come a long way. And that band, wow! (Government subsidized music, fans. Think about it.) Kudos to the composer, excellent writing.
She's no Lee Morgan, but I always liked her version of "Moanin" in younger days. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Gno1vlre8M _________________ "If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn." Bird
Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2022 9:27 am Post subject: WDR Big Band
Granted it's been a long time since I was hired to play 1st trumpet with the WDR Big Band (1966) but here's some background on why this incredible band survives today.
There were four major networks in Germany at the time I was there, West Deutsche Rundfunk, West Deutsche Rundfunk, NorDeutscher Rundfunk and South Deutsche Rundfunk, all with huge television and radio studios. Each had a jazz band, a pops band similar to Mantovani, an opera company and a symphony orchestra. The jazz band did broadcasts and television shows like the Ed Sullivan show here in the US. What was different about the TV shows versus the way we did them in the US was they were all pre-recorded instead of live. The German's didn't want to leave anything to chance. The jazz band would rehearse and record future broadcasts usually during the evening. The studios were state of the art with the best equipment. My old buddy Wally Heider, who was the best remote recording engineer in the US, was in Cologne on a vacation and gave me a call. We were recording that evening and I invited Wally to come with me. When we walked into the studio he was amazed to see the microphone set-ups. In his mind everything was wrong and as the German engineers knew who Wally was they let him re-arrange the set up.
On a TV Variety show we spent a week rehearsing, the actual recording of the show was of course already pre-recorded. The technicians in charge of moving cables and such during the recording kept getting things tangled up jerking the featured singer as she tried to walk. So much for all the rehearsal.
To my mind the four networks had all they could wish for and the money was very good. Musicians were treated on the same level as other professionals which was something I hadn't experienced before. How was all this possible? The German government had a system where if a person bought a entertainment device like a TV or radio, a small tax was added which financed the networks. For me it was a fair system because if you didn't watch TV or listen to the broadcasts you didn't pay for them. I've had people tell me it was a socialism system but it did seem fair to me. Over time the networks felt things were too expensive to continue and started cutting down on the musicians. Sound familiar? Anyway, the WDR Big Band saw that the key for
their survival was to get as much PR as possible and the way they did this was to generate recordings with well known people. As you can now see this was a very smart idea and the band today is quite well known.
Joined: 27 Aug 2009 Posts: 336 Location: near Harrisburg, PA
Posted: Thu Jan 26, 2023 10:00 am Post subject:
I've been watching and listening to Andrea's videos on YouTube for some time, as well as the Juan Chamorro groups she often plays with. Not seeing much about her on these forums, I was able to find this topic. Wondered what folks think, as she's different from some.
I really enjoy everything that she does, but I particularly like the unusual edge she has to her voice. It makes her sound unique. (I also love Esperanza Spaulding, but she plays bass and not trumpet).
Some of the other teenagers on those Juan Chamorro groups also play and sing fantastically well. There's an astounding video of a teenage big band that sounds like a bunch of pros.
I enjoy Andrea on trumpet too, even though I also like the high note trumpet players (which isn't her thing). _________________ Kanstul 1500 trumpet
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Arghhh, etc-etc: it may indeed be possible that you can’t start the whole thing. Being outside Germany may be a copyright or whatever legal issue. The band plays and you get all the music for selected chairs. Sorry you guys can’t use it, it’s a fun app. _________________ 2019 Martin Schmidt eXcellence
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