For the last few years, the young Austrian composer, arranger, and conductor Barbara Bruckmueller and her band have been cooking up a tasty musical gumbo in the wilds of central Europe. All sorts of good things go into their pot -- ballads, New Orleans styles, odd meters, the Great American Songbook, Brazilian music, funk, rock, punk, and a little chanson. That list might look like a mish-mash, but, like good Louisiana chefs, Bruckmueller and company bring it all together." - John Edwin Mason
big band

Ever since Barbara can remember, the Big Band Sound cast a spell on her. She was fascinated by the energy and the rhythm that came from the swing bands and dance orchestras of the 30ties and 40ties. Later, in the course of her jazz piano studies, the music of Oliver Nelson, Gil Evans, Mel Lewis/Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer and Maria Schneider came to her attention and she discovered that a Big Band not only lives from its power, but also offers a wide and deep range of sounds.
Barbara's first compositions and arrangements arose during her studies and after a while one could find a bunch of music lying on her desktop making a plea to be played finally. So it was time to found her own Big Band with her favourite musicians to arouse the written score.