Thad Jones is considered one of the most important composers and arrangers in jazz history. He came from an extremely musical family, and his brothers Hank Jones (piano) and Elvin Jones (drums) also achieved great fame. He himself was self-taught on the trumpet and performed with Sonny Stitt at the age of 16. During the Second World War, he played in various US Army bands, then made several recordings with Charles Mingus and was a member of the Count Basie Orchestra from 1954 to 1963, for which he also arranged. He then worked with Pepper Adams, among others, and founded the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra with Mel Lewis in 1965, which was an institution on the American jazz scene for the next thirteen years. Thad Jones would have celebrated his 100th birthday in 2023, reason enough to dedicate a special sextet program to this giant with proven connoisseurs of his music.

Joe Magnarelli (trumpet), Dick Oatts (alto saxophone) and Gary Smulyan (baritone saxophone) are among the outstanding musicians on the New York jazz scene. Joe Magnarelli has been one of the world's leading trumpeters for three decades, working with the Lionel Hampton Big Band, organist Brother Jack McDuff, Toshiko Akiyoshi, Harry Connick, Jr., the Buddy Rich Band, Maria Schneider, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra and Ray Barretto, among others. Dick Oatts and Gary Smulyan have been members of the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Big Band, now the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, since the late 1970s and have also worked with musicians such as Freddie Hubbard, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Chick Corea, Tito Puente, B.B. King, Diana Ross and many others.

The rhythm section consists of three perfectly attuned musicians: pianist Oliver Kent, bassist Aldo Zunino and drummer Bernd Reiter are among the most booked sidemen in Europe and have been working with all the greats of the scene for more than 30 years.

This sextet brings the classic Thad Jones compositions back to the stage and presents energetic and swinging music at the highest level with professionalism and enthusiasm, simply "Jazz at its Best"! (Press release)