HSD Big Band feat. Reiner Witzel

Since its foundation in 2004, the Big Band of the Düsseldorf University of Applied Sciences has won numerous awards, including the prestigious WDR Jazz Prize. Several CD releases such as "Shades of Blue" and "Funny Smell" have made the big band famous far beyond the borders of Düsseldorf. Since 2014, the HSD Big Band has been led by trumpeter, pedagogue, composer and arranger Martin Reuthner. In 2024, the band will celebrate its 20th anniversary and has fulfilled a heartfelt wish to mark the occasion:

A joint project with the internationally renowned Düsseldorf saxophonist Reiner Witzel will be realised in 2024. Witzel has been a strong and active voice in the national and global music scene for many years. Productions/concerts with Richie Beirach, Dave Liebman, Alex Sipiagin, Lew Soloff, Adam Holzman, Mark Egan, Craig Harris, Maceo Parker and many others, as well as numerous projects of his own, have earned him an international reputation. He has played worldwide at festivals such as the Montreux Jazz Festival, Montevideo Jazz Festival, Canarias Islands Jazz Festival, Yaounde Jazz Festival and many others.
With his long-time musical partner, the legendary American pianist Richie Beirach and his bands "Witzel`s Venue" and "Drei im roten Kreis" with guests such as David Sanborn, Vernon Reid and Lew Soloff, he has released numerous CDs that have made it into the English and Japanese jazz charts. He has also composed numerous pieces for theatre and television. After many productions with stars such as The Supremes, Third World, Fela Kuti, Udo Lindenberg, Defunkt, Roger Cicero and many others, he also has many fans in the pop and world music scene. He has received numerous awards, including a scholarship from the German Ministry of Culture and the "Hennessy Jazz Award". A former student at the Cologne Conservatory of Music and the Manhattan School of Music, he now teaches saxophone and ensemble at the Maastricht Conservatory and the Düsseldorf Conservatory of Music. He is also a sought-after workshop lecturer worldwide.