Big Band

Portraits

By Tjasa Fabjancic

Label: ZKPRTVS
Released: 2026

David Mitcham

After many years writing film scores, double Emmy winning film composer David Mitcham returns to his jazz roots with a suite of pieces for his Glorious Assembly Jazz Orchestra. Featuring long-term collaborators John Parricelli, Ianto Thomas, Andy Wood, Louis Dowdeswell, Gareth Williams, and others such as Tori Freestone, Mark lockheart and Phil Meadows, The Glorious Assembly Jazz Orchestra is just that, a glorious assembly. David adds extra woodwind to the standard big band line up ranging from flute and piccolo to contrabass clarinet.  

Orquestra de Jazz de Espinho

Brian De Lorenzo

Talent America's 2001 Performer of the Year BRIAN De LORENZO is equally at home in night clubs, concert halls, and theatres. He has performed in such places as Israel, Wales, Spain, Scotland, Italy, and England, as well as cruise ships in Alaska, the Mediterranean, and crossing the Atlantic. He has sung at clubs such as The Iridium, Birdland, 54 Below, Don't Tell Mama, and Eighty-Eight's in New York; Piaf's in San Francisco; Odette's in New Hope, PA; and at various venues in Massachusetts including Scullers Jazz Club, Club Cafe, and The Crown & Anchor.

Brian earned the title Performer of the Year by winning first place at Talent America's 27th Annual "Talent of the Year Awards" in New York, competing with performers from all over the US.

Brian's debut recording Found Treasures was nominated for the "Recording of the Year Award" by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets & Clubs (MAC)

Glorious Assembly Jazz Orchestra

Active since: 2025

The Glorious Assembly Jazz Orchestra was brought together for the first time in 2025 to record at British Grove studios. All the music for Glorious Assembly is written and directed by David Mitcham.

The jazz orchestra is made up of the following performers, Flute: Gareth Lockrane: Clarinets: Michael Whight, Steve Morris, Saxophones: Phil Meadows, Kasper Rietkerk, Mark Lockheart, Tori Freestone, Claire McInerney: Trumpets: Louis Dowdeswell, James Davison, Tom Rees-Roberts, Laura Jurd, Trombones: Andy Wood, Mark Nightingale, Callum Au, Bass Trombone: Richard Henry: Tuba, Dave Powell: Piano, Gareth Williams, Guitar: John Parricelli, Bass: Loz Garratt, Drums: Ianto Thomas. 

Billy Magno

Born: February 5, 1978

Uma ponte entre gerações e tradições

Nascido em Pão de Açúcar, Alagoas, em 1978, Billy Magno (Williams Magno Barbosa Fialho) é um multi-instrumentista, arranjador e maestro de renome, cujo trabalho serve como elo fundamental entre as eras de ouro da música brasileira e a improvisação do jazz moderno. Atualmente radicado em São Paulo, Magno construiu uma carreira marcada pelo domínio técnico do piano, saxofone tenor, clarinete e saxofone barítono, consolidando-se como um dos principais orquestradores para palco e tela.

Novo lançamento: O Pulso e o Coração

Garrett Wingfield

Garrett Wingfield is a composer and saxophonist who actively avoids boundaries and borders in his artmaking. His compositions “...demonstrate his unique skills as a writer and instigator of group improvisation...” (Free Jazz Blog) and are “...equally informed by disparate influences — as much Ellington as it is Berio, as much Ornette as it is Zappa…” (Nextbop). His practice undermines the idea that improvisation and highly structured composition are antithetical. Instead, his music brings an intuitive and human element to the otherwise dense and esoteric.

João Lenhari

João Lenhari is a Brazilian trumpeter, composer,
arranger, and educator based in Montreal. The first
musician to earn a Doctorate in Jazz Performance
from the Université de Montréal, he studied with
Canadian jazz legend Ron Di Lauro, whom he
succeeded as Musical Director of the university’s Big
Band in 2023.
Recognized as an arranger, Lenhari has worked with
ensembles and artists such as Nelson Ayres Big
Band, Brasil Jazz Sinfônica, Banda Urbana, Leticia
Persilles, Diogo Ramos, and Taïs Reganelli, and was
twice a finalist for the Prêmio Profissionais da
Música. He has also composed and arranged
soundtracks for film and television, including the
feature film Chacrinha, o Velho Guerreiro, the short
film Inevitável, and the Netflix miniseries Os Donos
do Jogo.

WDR Big Band

Active since: 1946

The WDR Big Band, based in Cologne, Germany, is widely considered one of Europe's premier, full-time professional jazz ensembles. Formed in 1946 and evolving into a dedicated jazz big band in 1980, the ensemble is renowned for its razor-sharp precision, versatility, and broad stylistic range, covering everything from classic swing to modern, fusion, and world music. As the big band for the German public broadcaster Westdeutscher Rundfunk, its mission is to promote jazz culture, and it achieves this through an extensive catalog of recordings and frequent collaborations with legendary international jazz artists, including Vince Mendoza, Ron Carter, and the Brecker Brothers. This collaborative work has earned the band multiple prestigious awards, including several Grammy Awards. The WDR Big Band is a flexible and technically brilliant institution that honors the jazz tradition while actively commissioning new music and shaping the future of large-ensemble performance.