From January to June 2007 we had the honour of playing regular dates
at the Vienna jazz club Porgy & Bess as the ”P&B Stageband“. This
allowed us to play a wide variety of thematic sets and musical selections in
addition to my own compositions and arrangements.
One evening was dedicated to European big band composers such as Antti
Rissanen, Helmar Hill, Herbert Berger and Kenny Wheeler, and I was
able to play a concert consisting entirely of the best pieces originally
performed by the Buddy Rich Big Band, which I had longed to do for a long time. A
further highlight was our ”Spotlight on Ella Fitzgerald“ evening featuring
Karin Bachner, where we played rarely performed original arrangements from the
legendary Ella Fitzgerald Songbook Recordings.
As a conclusion to the series, our last concert on 14 June 2007,
entitled „Best of Stageband“, was recorded live. It was an unforgettable evening with
a very special atmosphere, and I am very happy that this concert has been
preserved in sound and image and is now available on this DVD.
Robert Bachner
