FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION FOR THE 2023 GRAMMY AWARDS®

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album – Ron Carter & The Jazzaar Festival Big Band
Directed by Christian Jacob

Remembering Bob Freedman

The album features the bass legend Ron Carter with acclaimed jazz instrumentalists trumpeter Ryan Quigley, saxophonist Antonio Hart, trombonist Jason Jackson, pianist Donald Vega, and drummer Carl Allen as seasoned role models for twelve selected aspiring young jazz musicians from the Swiss music scene that completed the big band. This was recorded live and the concert was rehearsed and performed under the direction of Christian Jacob. The concert took place on April 12, 2019, at the Jazzaar Festival in Aarau, Switzerland.

The production was a long-awaited collaboration between the producers of Jazzaar Festival, Bob Freedman, and Ron Carter, which took a sudden tragic turn when Bob sadly passed away in the middle of planning, almost bringing the project to a halt. But since Bob had already eagerly and kindly supplied a good many arrangements prior to this, it was unanimously understood that he would have wanted the show to go on.
Thus the program is a fondest tribute to the late Bob Freedman and it includes an original by Ron Carter as a dedication to his old friend.

Ron Carter & The Jazzaar Festival Big Band
Directed by Christian Jacob

featuring: Ron Carter – b (USA), Ryan Quigley  Ltp (SCT), Antonio Hart – as (USA), Jason Jackson – tb (USA), Donald Vega – p (NIC/USA), Carl Allen – d (USA)

The Jazzaar Festival Big Band

Mathieu Bitz – as, Casimir Ekman – ts, Felix Piringer – ts, Robert Soltermann – bs, Felix Niggli – tp, Samir Rachide – tp,
Elwin Stephan – tp, Sebastian Wey – tb, Aarni Häkkinen – tb, Don Randolph – tb, Kevin Burg – g

Produced by Helen Savari-Renold & Fritz K Renold

All music was arranged by the late Bob Freedman with the exception of Ron’s original “Opus 5”, arranged and orchestrated by Christian Jacob.