Rehersal leader 

Håkan Broström - Rehersal leader

In 2011, Håkan Broström not only the first alto and soprano saxophone in the orchestra, also has the title rehersal leader. And also has some responsibility in the artistic work of planning for next year. This makes him a very important link between the orchestra and guest artists.

- It is important that we put our own sign on cooperation with the great artists who visit us, for example through their own arrangements. But it is also important to be flexible and listen.

Håkans own composing have grown from songs for small bands with a standard format to large arrangements, both for the Norrbotten Big Band and his own New places orchestra. Last we heard music from Dee Dee Bridgewater's repertoire, repainted by Broström brush.

- The Big band format has an ocean of possibilities and the variety of tools available can provide opportunities for working with parts that does not fit in smaller bands. There is so much new to discover!

THe Mentor project with youth big band AYJO, Arctic Youth Jazz Orchestra, presented original music by some of the NBB's musicians at Swedish Jazz Celebration 2011, Håkan was one of the composers.

- It's a blast to work with young people. The material me, Karl-Martin Almqvist and Peter Cassidy had written for them will hopefully be released on cd, "says Håkan and concludes:
-That band beats all the other big bands in terms of attention and concentration!

Already in May 1992, Håkan started on a temporary position in the Norrbotten Big Band with very short notice. Since then he has spent several years in northern Sweden.
- It is crazy, really, that it´s been such a long time already, "he says. At this time the orchestra was led by Örjan Fahlström and I had played in his other groups.

In addition to his engagement with the Norrbotten Big Band, you can also hear Håkan Broström in his own New places orchestra, this spring together with swedish singer Tommy Körberg. And in the magazine Orkesterjournalen´s vote on last year's best record releases Broström's quartet with pianist Joey Calderazzo and the album Refraction was voted fourth place.

When he was sixteen years old Håkan Broström performed his first real gig in the Motala big band. In 2011, he leads one of the world's leading orchestras, Norrbotten Big Band.

"I got to be the soloist even then at the age of sixteen, on baritone sax. Although I have mostly listened to music with smaller bands since then, big band music is a base for me as a musician, "says Håkan. He has played with most Swedish big bands and says that it in no way there is an equal sign between big bands and a particular form of music.

Previous Artistic Director

artistic director/trumpet

Tim Hagans

 

Composer and Trumpeter Tim Hagans is considered by many to be one of the most unique and influential modern voices on trumpet. His distinct tone was described by the Village Voice as “powerfully expressive” and Gary Giddins professed him to be a “swarming, spirited tour de force.” Recent CD releases include Alone Together (Pirouet 2008), featuring pianist Marc Copland, and Worth the Wait (Fuzzy Music 2008) featuring Peter Erskine. In May 2009 he will record with Erskine, Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Randy Brecker, and Rufus Reid a CD of his compositions for the Norrbotten Big Band (Fuzzy Music 2009).

 

Mr. Hagans performs and records with his own ensembles, including Tim Hagans Subversive Jazz, as well as with Joe Lovano, Blue Note All-Stars, Gary Peacock, Bob Mintzer, Marc Copland, Bob Belden and Maria Schneider. He was nominated for Grammy awards for Best Contemporary Jazz CD for his Animation*Imagination (1999 Blue Note) and Re: Animation (2000 Blue Note).

 

He has performed with Thad Jones, Ernie Wilkins, Dexter Gordon, Ed Thigpen, Kenny Drew, Danish Radio Big Band, White Orange, and Swedish Radio Jazz Group. For three years he was a member of the Stan Kenton Orchestra. He is the featured soloist on the soundtrack by Howard Shore for the movie The Score, starring Robert DeNiro and Marlon Brando. He has been the Artistic Director and composer/arranger for and the Norrbotten Big Band in Luleå, Sweden since 1996.

 

In 2001 he was the subject of an hour-long documentary made for Swedish television entitled Boogaloo Road. He was the recipient of the 2008 IAJE/ASCAP  Established Composer commission and was awarded a National Endowment for the Arts grant for music composition. He has been a guest soloist/composer with UMO Jazz Orchestra (Helsinki) and NDR Big Band (Hamburg). Other commissions include music for Christer Engberg’s play The Hostage, the Norrbotten Chamber Orchestra and Jazz Baltica.