From southern
Sweden and the area around the coastal town of Malmö, Tolvan Big
Band has been developing to become a powerhouse organisation with
an international reputation of the most up-to-date and
ambitious Big Bands anywhere in the world. Since around 1979
its musical leader Helge
Albin, creative
Saxophonist,
and composer
and arranger
has emerged to devote much of his time and energy to organising
the band into a successful ensemble capable of a vide variety of
musical situations. The proof of this success can
be heard clearly
in their recordings, sometimes in the company of very celebrated
guests. And of course in their Live performances. Below is a list
of some of the high spots in the life of the band starting at year
1983:
1983:______________________________________________
At the Kristianstad Jazzfestival in southern Sweden the band have
a concert together with Dizzy
Gillespie.
Who was so amazed when he heard the band that he exclaimed "
This is the best Big Band that i have played with since
1947!" One week later the band appeared at the Montreaux
Jazz Festival in Switzerland. The concert was recorded and some
of the music released on the LP "Tolvan Big Band: Montreaux
and More"(Dragon Records DRLP61) This record was awarded the
"Golden Disc" for the best jazz recording that year by
the Swedish jazz magazine "Orkester Journalen". Another
Festival appearance the summer of 1983 was in Wienne, France. A
documentary programmme on Tolvan Big Band was filmed by the Swedish
Television.
1985:______________________________________________
That year
the band collaborated with Swedish artist-singer: Tommy
Körberg which
resulted in a TV- programme and an LP : "Tommy Körberg
& Tolvan Big Band". Another important collaboration was
with the outstanding American soprano saxophonist and composer David
Liebman. They
toured together and Swedish TV recorded perfomance at Malmö Concert
House. Liebman had such a positive attitude working with the band
that he returned som months later for a record date. An LP was also
released on Dragon Records: "David Liebman&Tolvan Big Band-Guided
Dreams".
1989:______________________________________________
Michael
Brecker, concidered
by many as perhaps the world's greatest modern saxophone player
was a guest of the band, and like David Liebman, he had only
good things to say about Tolvan. He remarked, "You can't
find such a band as this even in New York" In the magazine:
Media för Musiker he expressed the opinion: "This is a most
unusual Big Band. The arrangements and compositions are done in
a very imaginative way so as to do as much justice as possible to
the sound of the band and the soloist. Very imaginative indeed.
They went on a tour and Swedish TV broadcast one of the concerts.
1990:______________________________________________
A suite
was commissioned by Swedish Radio and Helge Albin composed
"Colours" which was recorded by Phono Suecia Records.
The advanced writing and playing techniques of this work further
establish Tolvan Big Band as a world-class orchestra and Helge Albin
as a composer and arranger of stature. This production was nominated
for a Swedish Grammy.
1991:______________________________________________
English composer-arranger-pianist Mike
Westbrook visited
Sweden together with his singer-wife Kate
Westbrook for
a tour together with Tolvan Big Band. The music was an unusual programme
of music from Rossini operas arranged by Mike Westbrook.
1993:______________________________________________
Once
again Tommy Körberg collaborated with the band and they appeared
and recorded a CD in London called "Live in London". The
material consisted of music composed by John
Lennon and
Paul McCartney.
1995:______________________________________________
An almost
unique occurance took place that year. Leader and saxophonist Helge
Albin was honoured with the Swedish daily newspaper "Sydsvenska
Dagbladet's Europapris", a prize for, among other things,
"his resolute efforts in developing Tolvan Big Band to become
a European institution of significance". The Europapris had
previously only been awarded to politicians and scholars, one of
these being the former Swedish prime minister Carl Bildt. In the
same year the band recorded a CD titled: "The Touch".
which was also nominated for a Swedish "Grammy".
1996-1998:_________________________________________
The band
makes the record. "Tolvan Big Band plays the Music of Helge
Albin" 1997.
1999:______________________________________________
Tolvan
Big Band gets nominated for US AFIM Award!
Tolvan Big Band touring Australia.
2000:_________________________________________
Tolvan
Big Band performing the Grand Opening of Helge Albin's THETRIS
2001:_________________________________________
Tolvan Big
Band touring Chile -South America.
2002::_________________________________________
The band makes the record. "A Walk in the Centerpoint".
2003-2006::_________________________________________
Tolvan Big
Band touring Europe and Scandinavia frequently.
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