New Bob Mintzer cd with the WDR Big Band “Soundscapes” available now

As chief conductor of the great WDR Big Band for the last 6 years, Bob Mintzer was ready to showcase his own material with the worldclass large ensemble.

An amalgam of moods, grooves and intricate textures, Soundscapes not only showcases Mintzer’s writing for this indelibly tight, universally esteemed ensemble, it also fi nds him doing double duty as principal soloist on tenor sax and Electronic Wind Instrument (EWI) while providing a spotlight for such other outstanding soloists as longtime WDR members Paul Heller on tenor sax, Karolina Strassmayer and Johan Hörlén on alto saxes, Ruud Breuls and Andy Haderer on trumpets and Andy Hunter on trombone.

Few composers write mostly original music for large ensemble and hardly any, then, have much of the music available in a published format for other bands and students to study and play. Mintzer stands alone as the preeminent composer/arranger for big band at this time.