ArtistInfo

ORF Big Band

Band, 1971-1982 AT, Vienna
Jazz and R&B/Soul

Around 1970, the Austrian Broadcasting Company was reformed, transforming itself into the innovative ORF and finally launching a contemporary pop and jazz station, Ö3. At the same time, the ORF Big Band developed from the core of the Fehring Orchestra, rejuvenated by talents like drummer Erich Bachträgel. It became an orchestra ready to meet all the needs of a modern broadcasting corporation; however, due to the ambitions and experiences of its leaders, Erich Kleinschuster and Johannes Fehring, its emphasis remained on the production of first rate, big band jazz. In earlier years, ambitious Austrian jazz musicians had to go abroad to achieve recognition, but thanks to the existence of the ORF Big Band, consummate international jazz talents – like Art Farmer on flugelhorn and trumpet, or Jimmy Heath on soprano and tenor sax, or Jimmy Woode on double bass – were bound at least temporarily to Austria. The Orchestra existed from 1971 to 1982. They recorded a lot of libraries called "ORF Arbeitsplatten" that get sold for enormous prices on the collectors market.

Members

	Fritz Pauer p, ep 1943-2012 AT
	Art Farmer tr, fh 1928-1999 US
	Jimmy Woode b 1926-2005 US
	Robert Politzer tr 1939-2010 AT
	Hans Salomon sax *1933 AT
	Erich Kleinschuster tb 1930-2018 AT
	Karl Drewo ts, sax 1929-1995 AT
	Willi Meerwald tb 1924-2005 AT
	Wayne Darling b, ep *1945 AT
	Benny Bailey tr 1925-2005 US
	Karel Krautgartner as, cl 1922-1982 DE
	Lee Harper tr 1945-2010 AT
	Heinz Jäger b *1955 AT
	Roy Deuvall tb
	Ilter Yenisen tb
	Hannes Kottek tr, fh 1958-1994 AT
	Ernst Kugler tb 1923-1985 AT
	Rens Nieuwland g *1953 NL
	Richard Österreicher g, ep *1932 AT
	Harry Pepl g 1945-2005 AT
	Leszek Zadlo sax, ss, ts *1945 DE
	Erich Bachträgel dr, ep AT
	Robert Demmer tr 1926-2011 AT
	Hans Löw sax AT
	Ernst Lamprecht tr AT
	Walter Schiefer dr, tam AT
	Heinz Czadek tb *1944 AT
	Garney Hicks tb
	Fritz Ozmec dr, perc *1948 AT
	Felix Hanusik sax AT
	Charles Baker tb
	Tom Baker eb
	Peter Klinger sax AT
	Butch Kellem tb US
	Robert Dodge tb AT
	Roland Batik p AT
	Tom Henkes vib, perc *1955 CA