Fay Claassen & WDR Big Band - Dutch Songbook (2018)

"This album is a live recording of a very precious musical moment for me. What you hear is exactly as it happened at that special concert. Everything felt right, the great WDR Big Band conducted by Torsten Maass with its fantastic soloists, the gorgeous arrangements, the special guest soloists I could bring from the Netherlands: Peter Tiehuis, Cor Bakker and Theo de Jong, not to mention the enthusiastic audience of the club. A Dutch ‘Friendly Takeover’ in Cologne! "

In November 2015 Fay was asked by the management of the WDR Big Band to put together a programme with music from the Netherlands. Fay got carte blanche to choose all the music and have it arranged for her and the WDR Big Band. Although she had never sung in Dutch before, she loved the idea!

Fay was very happy that she could ask some of her favorite arrangers from the Netherlands, such as Rob Horsting, Ilja Reijngoud, Joan Reinders and Henk Meutgeert, to arrange the songs, but also Torsten Maass and legendary arranger Michael Abene made their fantastic contributions.

This project is recorded live at the ”Jazz-Schmiede“, Düsseldorf on November 28th 2015.