With "Ariabesques," Bill Dobbins and the WDR Big Band have brought Johann Sebastian Bach"s "Goldberg Variations" to life once again. Originally composed for the two-manual harpsichord, Dobbins has managed to create an impressive version for big band by swapping repetitive notes with short rests. By fusing the original melodies and the most important notes of the bass lines with impressive solos, the Bachian characteristics form a stringent basis that creates original sound impressions with funky jazz elements.
American composer, pianist, jazz educator and conductor Bill Dobbins has collaborated with several popular musicians* of different genres in his career and has taught several times at the Eastman School of Music. Bill Dobbins first came into contact with the renowned WDR Big Band in Cologne in the 1990s and led the band as principal conductor from 1994-2002. For years, the line-up of the WDR Big Band has included international star musicians such as Karolina Strassmayer and Ludwig Nuss. In 2007, the WDR Big Band received its first Grammy and has many other recognized successes to its credit. The "Goldberg Variations" are not the first compositions by Bach that Bill Dobbins and the WDR Big Band have dared to tackle. Already in 2010, the conductor and the big band released a jazz version of Bach"s "Christmas Oratorio" with the well-known ensemble "The King"s Singers". With "Ariabesques" Bill Dobbins has succeeded in making Bach"s "Goldberg Variations" a new experience. The WDR Bigband takes you on a harmonic journey of sound that enchants music laymen and offers a musical challenge to music connoisseurs.
