Première New York, City of Jazz
New York has always attracted jazz musicians and lovers of the genre. Duke Ellington set the tone by moving to the Big Apple in the twenties. There is no big name in the history of American jazz that hasn’t at one time or another, lived and worked in New York. In short: New York is the City of Jazz! With graphic novelist Philip Paquet, singer Tutu Puoane and composer Bert Joris, the Brussels Jazz Orchestra created a contemporary project about the City of New York. The mood of the early 20th century is evoked with a combination of music and imagery.

The concert opens with Manna Hatta, a composition by Frank Vaganée that takes you straight to the heart of Manhattan. Followed by the live soundtrack performance to two graphic novels by Paquet — The Portrait and Smilin'. Paquet is a notorious jazz-lover, creating an ode to New York's 30s and 40s jazz scene with his stories. These stories are edited into original videos and projected on a large screen, while the orchestra performs the soundtrack live.

Tutu Puoane, one of the greatest vocalists of our country, sings Billie Holiday songs arranged by Bert Joris. Holiday created a craze in New York jazz clubs in the 30s and became one of the leading ladies of jazz. The Brussels Jazz Orchestra has already collaborated successfully with Tutu Puoane on Writing Billie, a project based around Billie Holiday. More recently, their album Mama Africa received international music awards and was much appreciated in concert halls worldwide.

Another highlight of this concert is formed by the screening of A Bronx Morning, a short documentary film by Jay Leyda dating from 1931, showing us the daily life in the Bronx in the 1920's. Frank Vaganée has composed a soundtrack for this film, performed by the BJO.

The icing on the cake is the screening of Liberty, a film by Laurel and Hardy, set on the top of a skyscraper in New York. Composer Bert Joris has written a modern soundtrack for this film, performed live by the BJO.

Flagey, Brussels Jazz Orchestra