European Jazz Ensemble on tour 2015

On Tour 2015 European Jazz Ensemble, Sextet, Quintet & Trio

European Jazz Quintet  / Sextet
Alan Skidmore, sax - UK
Gerd Dudek, sax. - Germany
Steve Melling, piano - UK
Ali Haurand, bass - Germany
Clark Tracey, dr. - UK
Sextet feat. Jiri Stivin, Prague
New wonderful CD 2014 from European Jazz Sextet
with Jiri Stivin, Gerd Dudek, Alan Skidmore, Steve Melling, Ali Haurand & Clark Tracey

1976 played Ali Haurand with four musicians from different European countries at the Jazzfestival Moers, Germany
This Concert was the foundation of the European Jazz Ensemble.

European Jazz Ensemble
(Ali Haurand) from 1976 - 2014  / 49 musicians in 38  years…
Alan Skidmore, Gerd Dudek, Leszek Zadlo, Ali Haurand, Pierre Courbois, Tony Coe, Eje Thelin, Allan Botschínsky, Rolf Kühn, Tony Lakatos, Kenny Wheeler, Uwe Kropinski, Jarmo Hoogendijk, Enrico Rava, Luten Petrowsky, Thomas Heberer, Jon Christensen, Christoph Hillmann, Henry Lowther, Rainer Winterschladen, Steve Houben, Eric Vloeimans, Steve Galloway, Paolo Fresu, John Taylor, Adelhard Roidinger, Uschi Brüning, Tony Oxley, Philip Catherine, The Khan Family India with Ustad Zamir, Ahmed Irshad Hussain, Ustad Munir Khan, Stan Sulzmann, Jiri Stivin, Charlie Mariano, Manfred Schoof, Louis Sclavis, Conny Bauer, Rob van den Broeck, Joachim Kühn, Daniel Humair, Tony Levin, Pino Minafra, Matthias Schriefl, Sebastién Boisseau, Clark Tracey, Steve Melling, Nicolas Simion, Piotr Wojtasik.
 
The name Ali Haurand is associated with many different groups, projects and international touring ensembles. As a bassist and band leader, a tireless initiator and inspirator, the jazz musician from lower RhineViersen in Germany has been able to add to European musical history.
Since 1976 the European Jazz Ensemble, which was co-founded by Ali Haurand, consists with often changing new members. It has formed a nerve and vital communication centre, a sort of creative melting pot of European jazz musicians.
Even though the focus in Ali Haurand’s music has always been on the contemporary, he does not deny his ties with the tradition of modern jazz through his experience of playing and his various musical encounters. In 1966 Ali Haurand came together with great musicians as George Maycock, Big Fletchit, Wilton Gaynair and from Belgium flute and saxophone player Jacques Pelzer. Jacques was living near Liege in his chemist’s shop. For Ali it was a very important time.
“Many American musicians came to Jacques before the beginning of our concerts. In Belgium I met and played with wonderful musicians as Chet Baker, Philly Joe Jones, Jon Eardley and Rene Thomas. Jacques Pelzer organized many concerts in Belgium and France. His daughter played drums. In his house we had wonderful rehearsals. In 1969 I played at the Jazz Festival Bilzen/ Belgium with Philly Joe Jones, Rene Thomas, Chet Baker and Jacques Pelzer. The band that performed before us was Ornette Coleman in Quartet with Dewey Redman, Charlie Haden and Ed Blackwell. Philly found the concert- ‘The New Thing’ (Free Jazz) not nice – the night ended very strange…
In the 60s I met and played with many great musicians. Now in 2012 my age is 69 … so many wonderful musicians died, it was not easy, there
were many difficult moments … Don Byas died on August 24th 1972 in Amsterdam; also in Amsterdam Ben Webster – we played together a short time before in Krefeld/ Germany – died on September 20th 1973. Rene Thomas died in 1975, Philly Joe Jones in 1985, Chet Baker in 1988, Jacques Pelzer 1994, furthermore my friends I played with George Maycock in 1979, Big Fletchit in 1983 and Wilton Gaynair in 1995.
This is all not easy for me and the music. In the years 2009 and 2010 more friends and musicians I often played with died: Charlie Mariano on June 6th 2009, Gigi Campi, promoter of Kenny Clarke-Francy Boland Big Band in January 2010 and also – how sad – my friend Peter Herbolzheimer in March 2010.
Sadness also in 2011 & 2012, because two wonderful friends and musicians and members of our European Jazz Ensemble left us: Tony Levin from England died in February 2011 and Rob van den Broeck from the Netherlands in April 2012.” 
 
France / Paris on Ali Haurand: "Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts & Jazz et des lettres" of France.
CD Dezember 2011 - 25th Int. Jazzfestival Viersen, 23rd of September 2011
European Jazz Ensemble, Octet - Konnex Records - Berlin KCD 5281
Alan Skidmore, Stan Sulzmann, Gerd Dudek, Matthias Schriefl, Jiri Stivin, Rob van den Broeck, Ali Haurand, Clark Tracey


CD Ali Haurand " Ballads" June 2010 
Charlie Mariano, Alan Skidmore, Gerd Dudek, Jiri Stivin, Rob van den Broeck,
Ali Haurand, Daniel Humair & Tony Levin - Konnex Records, Berlin


On tour...
European Jazz Ensemble (Octet & ten piece)
Alan Skidmore, sax - UK
Gerd Dudek, sax. - Germany
Stan Sulzmann, sax - UK
Matthias Schriefl, trp. - Germany
Jiri Stivin, flute(s) - Czech Republic
Steve Melling, piano - UK
Ali Haurand, bass - Germany
Clark Tracey, dr. - UK
Tentet+
Nicolas Simion, sax - Romania
Piotr Wojtasik, trp. - Poland


European Jazz Ensemble - on tour whole year 2015
The music of this cooperatively led Ensembless has a strong affinity to both tradition and renewal and endeavours at all times, through a subtle appreciation of jazz history, to create an idiosyncratic and up-to-date mode of expression. Charisma, message and spirituality are undoubtedly part of the experiential essence of these musicians - which is why they cannot and will not blindly copy what has gone before, but aim instead to supply continuity with a unique touch. Ali Haurand, a "Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" (France 2005), has as bassist and bandleader of the European Jazz Ensemble made music history.Jazz originated inAmerica. A music based on the melodic and harmonic structures of the European classical tradition and heavily influenced by the rhythmic feeling of the Africans who were brought as slaves to America, it has developed far beyond its roots. Early in the century, the Europeans welcomed jazz with open arms and improvisation returned to the musical land-scape of the continent. The first independant developements in European jazz can be traced to Django Reinhardt and his quintet "Hot Club de France". A broad, original European contribution to jazz, however, was first made by "Free Jazz" era. The independant identity and the intensity of expression which has developed since that time allows us to speak of a true European jazz or "Euro-Jazz". Of course, this expression has nothing to do with stylized, "jazzed up" European traditional music. The EUROPEAN JAZZ ENSEMBLE brings together some of the leading musicians of Euro-Jazz. Formed in 1976 as a quintet with Alan Skidmore, Leszek Zadlo, Gerd Dudek, Ali Haurand and Pierre Courbois, the ensemble radically changed it's membership in 1982. Ali Haurand and Gerd Dudek remained and were joined by E. L. Petrowsky, Allan Botschinsky, Manfred Schoof, Rob van den Broeck and Tony Oxley, since 1988 Tony Levin forming the basic group of the EUROPEAN JAZZ ENSEMBLE. For the 13th Anniversary Tour in 1989, Enrico Rava, Philip Catherine, Uschi Brüning and Louis Scalvis have been invited to participate. In 1991 the EUROPEAN JAZZ ENSEMBLE with Joachim Kühn met the Khan Family from India. For the 20th Anniversary Tour in 1996, the ensemble invited Charlie Mariano, Joachim Kühn, Enrico Rava, Conny Bauer, Jiri Stivin, Daniel Humair, Tony Lakatos and Rolf Kühn to participate. In 2001 for the 25th anniversary the Ensemble invited Paolo Fresu, Trumpet from Italy and Austrian Bassplayer Adelhard Roidinger to paticipate. 2001 – 2006: 25th anniversary tour concerts in Cologne, Siegen with WDR Television & 3 sat TV Siegen – Culture Centre in co-operation with WDR broadcasting station, Paris, Jazz Festival Liége, Madrid, Palatia Jazz Festival Deidesheim, Munich, Karlsruhe. 2002 invitation toNew York and the Rochester International Jazz Festival , US concerts with Sonny Rollins, Terence Blanchard, Randy Brecker. Tour through the UK and France . 2003 and 2004 Concerts at the Istanbul Jazz Festival/Turkey - concerts in Scandinavia – Finland . Jazz Festival Tornio & Denmark and tour of Germany and Austria with the European Jazz Quintet. 2006 – 2010: 30th anniversary tour 2006 Concerts in Karlsruhe, Paris, Ingolstadt (Audi Museum) Amsterdam, (Bim Huis), 20. Int. Jazzfestival in Viersen & WDR Television, 3 sat TV and ORF Vienna, Festhalle Viersen, Milano, Bonn Museum-NRW, Dublin & Cairo. CD 2006 recorded with 15 musicians at the Philharmonic Hall Essen and SWR Concert Karlsruhe.Concerts from 2007 until 2010 in London, Paris, Prag, Pilsen, Jazzfestival Saarbrücken, Vienna, Steyr Jazzfestival, Düsseldorf with Klaus Doldinger, Oslo, Norway and Madrid, Spain.2011: 35th anniversary tour. Concerts with our Ensemble Jazzfestival Hradec-Kraloce, Czech Republic, Jazzfestival Novi Sad, Serbia, Wroclaw Jazzfest, Poland, Festival Perugia / Umbria, Italy, 19. Int. Jazz Rally Düsseldorf June 2011 (Parliament House NRW) 25th Int. Jazzfestival Viersen & WDR Television and Berlin, Bonn, Viersen, Düsseldorf, Passau, Munich.
 
DVD 30 YEARS ON THE ROAD - Konnex, Berlin - 2006
European Jazz Ensemble - Television Concerts from 1987 - 2003 with ...
Paolo Fresu, Eje Thelin, Allan Botschínsky, Rolf Kühn, Tony Lakatos,
Jarmo Hoogendijk, Enrico Rava, Luten Petrowsky, Thomas Heberer -
Adelhard Roidinger, Uschi Brüning, Tony Oxley, Philip Catherine, The Khan Family - India
Alan Skidmore, ts. Gerd Dudek, ts. & ss. * Stan Sulzmann, ts.
Jiri Stivin, fl. & as. * Charlie Mariano, as. * Manfred Schoof, tp. & flh. * Louis Sclavis, cl. *
Conny Bauer tb. * Rob van den Broeck, p. * Joachim Kühn, p. * Adelhard Roidinger, b.
Ali Haurand, b. * Daniel Humair, dr.* Tony Levin, dr.

CD European Jazz Ensemble “30th anniversary tour” 2006
April 2009 - Konnex KCD 5225 - 2009
Alan Skidmore, ts. Gerd Dudek, ts. & ss. * Stan Sulzmann, ts.
Jiri Stivin, fl. & as. * Charlie Mariano, as. * Manfred Schoof, tp. & flh.
Pino Minafra, tp. * Matthias Schriefl, tp. * Conny Bauer tb.
Rob van den Broeck, p. * Joachim Kühn, p. * Ali Haurand, b. *
Sebastién Boisseau, b. * Daniel Humair, dr. * Tony Levin, dr.



CD European Jazz Ensemble "35th anniversary tour" 2011
September 2011 - 25th Int. Jazzfestival Viersen September.
European Jazz Ensemble, Octet - Konnex Records - Berlin KCD 5281
Alan Skidmore, Stan Sulzmann, Gerd Dudek, Matthias Schriefl,
Jiri Stivin, Rob van den Broeck, Ali Haurand, Clark Tracey