Paul Heller Big Band feat. Erik & Bart van Lier – „Herbolzheimer 90“

Erik van Lier (conduction), Special Guest: Bart van Lier (trombone), Günter Bollmann, Raphael Klemm, Philipp Schittek, Achim Hartmann (trombones), Stefan Pfeifer, Martin Gasser, Frank Jacobi, Paul Heller, Jens Neufang (saxophones), Jeanfrançois Prins (guitar), Hubert Nuss (piano), Caris Hermes (bass), Bruno Castellucci (drums), Wim Both, Max Seibert, Ruud Breuls, Stephan Kreutz (trumpets)

Paul Heller celebrates Peter Herbolzheimer‘s 90th birthday – with his entire big band! He has also invited two world-renowned guests from the Netherlands: Erik van Lier conducts the Paul Heller Big Band, whose special guest is his brother Bart van Lier. Both are – like Herbolzheimer – trombonists, both were part of the regular line-up of Herbolzheimer’s legendary “Rhythm Combination & Brass” for many years, both worked as instructors in the Bundesjazzorchester (BuJazzO), whose musical director Herbolzheimer was from 1987 to 2006.

Peter Herbolzheimer (1935-2010) achieved fantastic things for jazz. The musician, composer, arranger and big band leader courageously bridged the gap between jazz, rock and what is commonly labeled as popular music. And always built bridges: as a soloist in the orchestras of Kurt Edelhagen or Bert Kaempfert, as orchestra leader in Alfred Biolek’s “Bios Bahnhof” and as arranger of the brass parts for Udo Lindenberg’s Panikorchester – but above all as an innovator and pioneer with the grooving, heavy rocking power big band “Rhythm Combination & Brass” at the beginning of the 1970s. Herbolzheimer relied on the crisp sound of the brass section, while reducing the saxophone section to one instrument – setting grandiose accents, for example in the form of Herb Geller. Now the Paul Heller Big Band presents Herbolzheimer’s work with all the splendor of its saxophone section. You can be amazed and enjoy how passionately Heller and his guests will honor Peter Herbolzheimer.