Legendary American Big Band Is Now A Dutch National Treasure

One of the most influential and respected American big bands of the so-called "Golden Era of Jazz", the Jimmie Lunceford Orchestra, has been resurrected after 60 years and is now performing and recording in their new home...Holland.

From 1934 to 1947 the Lunceford Orchestra, also known as the 'Harlem Express' was the "house band" of Harlem, NYC's "Cotton Club", which in that time was arguably THE most famous nightclub in the world.
Among the artists who came up through the ranks under Lunceford, or who
appeared in concert with the band were, Bessie Smith, Adelaide Hall, Sy Oliver,Eddie Wilcox, Trummy Young, Billie Holiday, Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway and Louis Jordan. It was the Lunceford Orchestra which introduced the two-beat swing tempo which became the 'sound' of the 30's and 40's, and inspired dance fads such as the Lindy Hop and the Jitterbug...and influenced other major big bands such as Tommy Dorsey, Count Basie and Glenn Miller.

The band broke up within a few months of Lunceford's untimely death while on tour in 1947 and soon faded into the mists of memory. It was only a chance discovery of the original Lunceford band book with charts and notations in 1999, gathering dust in the Smithsonian library, that inspired Dutch saxophonist and band-leader, Robert Veen to embark on an epic 8 year journey to resurrect the JLO, to record and release the first "new" Lunceford recordings in 60 years.

The Jimmie Lunceford Legacy Orchestra will present their "new" CD, "Rhythm Is Our Business", on 20 September in the Dutch city of Breda, prior to presenting their all new 3 hour show, "A Night At The Cotton Club" at the the 10th Annual Jazz Op Tilt Festival two days later [22 Sep] in Giessenburg, Netherlands. This follows their earlier appearances at the North Sea Jazz Festival..and in Amsterdam's famed "Paradiso" club last February.

Jimmie Lunceford Legacy Orchestra
c/o Robert Veen or Shai Shahar

Snail mail: Zwaan #34, Harmelen, NL 3481TN

email:robertveen@orange.nl
email: luncefordlegacy@gmail.com
Tel # +31-06 53880789
Tel # +31-3481-443966
website: www.myspace.com/jimmieluncefordlegacyorchestra

We are a Dutch [Netherlands] -based "big-band" dedicated to preserving and promoting the legacy of American band leader Jimmie Lunceford and his orchestra through the live and recorded performances of the original arrangements and band charts of the JLO.

This release was published on openPR.