Swinging Europe

The aim for the organization is designed to locally and internationally promote and further develop cultural and music activities. This including, inter alia, by implementing arrangements, by cooperation with musical performers, talents and by participation in national and international networks with the focus on jazz music and by collaboration with executive jazz musicians, tour management, educate and training international and national jazz musicians.
 

Since 1998 the Danish based organization Swinging Europe, every year has taken to the road and toured with the EJO. In 2005 the world wide network of jazz producers from the National Public Radio stations– organised under the  European Broadcasting Union (EBU) joined the project. The EBU jazz producers - each year -handpick a new conductor, new composers and a new line-up of musicians - who meet for a three-week concert tour. The musicians, aged 18-30, all have flourishing careers within the world of jazz, rock, pop and electronica. But they skip their regular tours and take the opportunity of 'sitting in the section'; playing in a big band continues to attract the discerning musician.
 

The two people behind are Erik Moseholm and Birgit Vinge. In 1998 they commissioned Pierre Dorge from Denmark to conduct, followed by Francois Théberge (France) 1999, Helge Albin (Sweden) 2000, Benjamin Herman (The Netherlands) 2001, Django Bates (UK) 2002, Bruno Tomasso (Italy) 2003 and Pedro Moreira (Portugal) 2004. In 2005 the “EBU Big Band” and “Swinging Europe” were merged, forming what is now known as the EBU-European Jazz Orchestra. Since then the EBU’s jazz producers have taken turns in choosing the composers and conductors – Vic Vogel (Canada) 2005, Barrie Forgie (UK) 2006, Lars Møller (DK) 2007 and Niels Klein (D) 2008. More than 200 musicians have taken part in the band. 169 concerts have been arranged in 33 countries in Europe, North and South America and in Asia.