Wolfgang Schmidtke Orchestra

Kurt Weill goes Jazz

The Wuppertal saxophonist and composer Wolfgang Schmidtke formed his orchestra 20 years ago. The 15-strong ensemble never saw itself as a big band in the conventional sense, nor sought to achieve the ideal of stylistic perfection. Instead, the focus has always been on distinctive sound production and the improvisational ability of individual musicians, also and especially in the orchestral format. The Wolfgang Schmidtke Orchestra is made up of outstanding soloists such as Ryan Carniaux (trumpet), Helga Plankensteiner (baritone saxophone) and Michael Lösch (piano), all of whom are well-established with their own bands.