JugendJazzOrchester NRW feat. Fay Claassen

JugendJazzOrchester NRW
It was an event that cannot be overestimated even today: 49 years ago, North Rhine-Westphalia was the first federal state to establish a jazz orchestra for young people. This is how the JugendJazzOrchester NRW came into being - a large orchestral project that is still a brilliant success story today.
From the very beginning, the success of the JugendJazzOrchester NRW - JJO NRW for short - was due to the profound training in the areas of composing and arranging, but above all concertizing. As a modern big band, the JJO NRW is firmly anchored in the jazz tradition, while at the same time being influenced by contemporary jazz trends. With its accomplished young instrumentalists, the JJO NRW celebrates sophisticated orchestral jazz between polyphonic voice leading and dense clusters of sound.
As a role model for many state youth jazz orchestras, but above all as a cultural ambassador for North Rhine-Westphalia, 45 concert tours have taken the JJO NRW around the globe to date.
The JJO NRW, winner of the WDR Jazz Prize in the "NRW Young Jazz Talent" category, has made a name for itself through its unusual and innovative projects, among other things. The willingness and competence with which the ensemble operates across styles always leads to exciting sound combinations.
The NRW Selection Ensemble is a funding project of the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia and is sponsored by the "Verein zur Förderung junger Jazzmusiker*innen in NRW e.V.".

Fay Claassen
"Claassen knows how to put emotion into her music. There is poetry in her vocal notes. She can sound fragile and melancholic, in interpretations that are always technically high-quality
and presented with a rare elegance." - Amanda Kuyper, NRC Handelsblad
The Dutch singer Fay Claassen is one of Europe's leading jazz singers. With her unmistakable voice and her improvisational skills, she has the special gift of always touching the listener's heart. Fay sings with refinement, elegance and sensitivity. She has received numerous prestigious and international music awards, including a Golden Record, the German Record Critics' Award and was the first artist ever to win her fourth Edison Jazz Award in 2022.