OOF! – 2023

WDR Big Band

The European jazz orchestra performs an inventive Jim McNeely composition

Click here if you have a memory of this artist that you’d like to share

Click here to Support Jazz on the Tube

The WDR Big Band has long been one of Europe’s top modern jazz orchestras.

In addition to his piano playing, Jim McNeely is a creative arranger-composer who writes harmonically advanced originals.

The WDR Big Band, under the direction of Stefan Pfeifer-Galilea, in 2023 performed McNeely’s “Oof,” utilizing a dense arrangement that took advantage of the power and high musicianship of the 18-piece ensemble.

The excellent soloists on the complex piece are pianist Billy Test and altoist Johan Horlen.

-Scott Yanow

Click here if you have a memory of this artist that you’d like to share

Click here to Support Jazz on the Tube