Nils Wogram is a lot, but he is certainly not one thing: uninspired. As intensely as he may devote himself to each of his numerous projects, new path markings are always emerging on the horizon of his imagination. Who knows the trombonist, knows that he never chooses the easiest way. He often chooses the route that is least expected of him. And yet the choice turns out to be consistent, especially as it prepares for each of these trips so well that it becomes a very pleasant challenge for all passengers.
His gifted leader of small ensembles has actually recorded his new album "Work Smoothly" with a large jazz orchestra. And not with any big band, but with one of the flagships of the scene, the NDR Big Band. This is not his first encounter with the renowned orchestra, as in 2007 he published "Portrait Of A Band" in this combination. However, on the new CD, this episode does not just continue, but Wogram takes a whole new approach that does justice to his current horizons. If one wanted to agree on the often-used phrase, "it should not be an ordinary big-band album," one would do only partially justice, because basically it is just that: a true big-band album.
But it is precisely in this respect that it differs from the flood of productions that just do not want to be. Wogram pulls out all the stops of the big band. In the beginning he thought about what it means to write for a big formation. His passionate postulate on this subject also provides the answer to the understandable question of why he ever made a big-band album. "I listened to a lot of historical big band recordings, and many of my colleagues write for big bands. There are now many free big bands. Most of it is incredibly well done, the players have a high technical level. Colors, structures, the frame, everything fits. What I often miss is the substance. Something that really gets stuck with the listener. That you do not just see such a wall approaching and impressed by it, but rather melodies that speak for themselves. I just wanted to write real pieces and not just dig up some material from a germ cell to make an impressive arrangement about it. "
Wograms claim is to feature the classic sections and functions of the big band and still make something very personal. He uses these structures in a highly variable and dynamic way. It's about the story that wants to be told musically, not the medium that tells it. The self-confidence with which a freelancer like Wogram writes his stories into a long-established ensemble like the WDR Big Band is impressive. He does not cut the sound colossus at any point in his power and Fulminanz, and yet the Storylines are very small parts. The variety of colors and voices becomes possible in the first place because, in addition to the band as a whole, Wogram also resorts to a multitude of individual design possibilities. Above all, he allows himself the luxury of working slowly, giving room to every tone, every chord, and even when writing, not to capitulate on what is offered, but to search until it fits best.
At no time was it about reinventing the Big Band concept. Wogram and the NDR Big Band have deliberately decided on each other and therefore take as they are. This healthy acceptance results in a natural and lifelike flow of intentions and images. However, Wogram's intense preoccupation with the possibilities and history of the Big Band has another side effect that is not intended in this form. Regardless of the specific compositions that the trombonist wrote for the band, he also tells the story of the big band. George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Count Basie, Henry Mancini, Quincy Jones, Gil Evans, Carla Bley, and Django Bates all seem to be watching Wogram unobtrusively. He does not copy or imitate anything, but he allows these references intuitively. Everything sounds surprising and new, and yet it also seems familiar and corresponds to the progressive memory. "It was important to me that in the end I not only find myself as a front man, but that all the participating musicians feel comfortable with it as well. I had previously discussed with the orchestra how I want to set up the band, was allowed to bring my own Tonmann. I invited the whole big band to dinner. That's not to be underestimated. If you just go there and say, 'my music will go, now you have to play it perfectly', problems inevitably arise. I did not want to fail because in the end it means that my music is so exhausting and difficult. No, the musicians should find each other again and feel good. "
Wograms decision to include well-known musicians from his environment in the production belongs to well-being and recovery - not least in the sense of the listener. He has brought in a fellow-speaker, French-born pianist Bojan Z, whose musical cosmopolitanism inspired him on the duo album Housewarming. When it comes to playfulness, humor and emotional intelligence, the trombonist and the pianist are on the same wavelength. Drummer Jochen Rückert, due to his membership in Root 70, is one of the musicians most familiar with Wogram's way of thinking. The saxophonists Steffen Schorn and Niels Klein also played with Wogram many times before. In Rainer Tempel he finally decided on a conductor who leads the big band with the same ease with which he composed the pieces himself. Temple agrees with Wogram that spirit is more important than precision.
Only those who prepare for life can take it as it comes. This also applies in full to "Work Smoothly". Nils Wogram took it easy, thought through and prepared all the components as well as possible from many sides, in order to finally be able to fall into the playful moment with all those involved without hesitation. That's how a Big Band CD came to be, which has everything a Big Band CD needs, and yet, or perhaps because of that, is quite different from anything we know in this segment.
