Erling Kroner NEW MUSIC ORCHESTRA was inaugurated in 2005, taking over from the defunct Beijbom Kroner Big Band as the main vehicle for my orchestral endeavors. A handful of ex-BKBB-ites were instrumental in convincing me to start a new band, this time under my baton and based on my music from Jazz to Latin to Tango, hence our slogan: TANGO and all that Jazz . . . from Denmark. The EKNMO had its world premiere at the Copenhagen JazzHouse on March 9, 2005. In March 2006 we went into the Berno Studio to record a program of music that conveys the multicolored aspects of the band, its music and soloists.

THELONELIEST holds many aspects of the music to follow. Underneath the jazzy surface lurks the dark continent of Mariano Mores’ tango UNO, strangely akin to Herbie Nicholl’s ode to Billie Holiday, LADY SINGS THE BLUES, and the twister is the end-of-phrase quote from Thelonious Monk’s classic ERONEL. Solos: Jan zum Vohrde as, Ed Epstein bs, Marie Louise Schmidt p, Mårten Lundgren tp, and Dennis Drud d.
MILONGA DEL ANGEL, one of Astor Piazzolla’s most moving compositions, introduces our guest-soloist Kurt Larsen on accordion as a free agent in this tightly-knit arrangement. Melodic interpreters are Pernille Bévort sop, Lundgren tp, zum Vohrde fl, Christina von Bülow as, while Larsen does solo over the last chords of the tag.
GOSSIP brings composer Niels Gerhardt to the front with his big tuba. After a free introduction by baritone and drums Epstein eventually states the theme, urged by the insistence of Gerhardt’s tuba, eventually followed by my trombone and the whole band. Ed solos, never tripping over the tricky 3/4 bar, eventually backed by the band, which segues into a tutti ensemble section, delivering me in a duet with Niels’ tuba, now on a regular 4/4 pattern so as to not trip me up. We are eventually joined by the rhythm section and ad hoc coaching by the horns until we land safely back at the theme. Confused? Who? Me? – Gossip!
TANGO JALOUSIE by Danish composer Jacob Gade, is based on the original orchestral version from 1926. It features Jan zum Vohrde on solo flute. Also heard from are Lea Nielsen on trombone and von Bülow on alto. The tag is a figment of my imagination, very ‘tanguero’, ending in an appropriate, ‘Pugliesian’ fashion.
OPEN LETTER TO JIMMY KNEPPER is an homage to my greatest inspiration and a dear friend to boot. I was writing a suite, commissioned by ToneArt, when the news of Jim’s passing broke, and Open Letter turned into becoming the 2^nd movement of the ToneArt Suite. I state the melody and solo. Pernille Bévort’s unique soprano-lead in the last half of the bridge is awesome. Epstein bs and Peter Marott tp also contribute.
SMOKIN’ HENRY is dedicated to two Henrys, bassist Henry Grimes, who popped up from out of nowhere in 2003 when we all thought he was long gone, and the cat who introduced me and other young would-be jazzers to the hip, out of the ordinary jazz in the early sixties, Henry Laursen aka Henry von And, a jazz-buff if ever there was one. The news of Grimes’ resurgence emerged at about the same time as the news of Knepper’s passing and hence Smokin’ Henry became the 1^st movement of the ToneArt Suite. It features Graig Earle b, Bévort sop, Jan Harbeck ts and Drud d.
ADIÓS NONINO, Astor Piazzolla’s homage to his father, is based on many different versions, from his classic quintets to his symphonic version, and features Kurt Larsen. The sound of his accordion is omnipresent in ensembles and improvised solos, but we also hear from von Bülow and Bévort, on alto and tenor respectively, in a vigorous saxophone exchange. Lundgren is heard in two spots, and Larsen concludes the elegy by soloing gently over the last, dying heartbeats until the elevation of the soul.
WALKING ON SOLID GROUNDS is a feature for young Peter Marott on hot plunger-trumpet with a great saxophone chorus interspersed. I step back and pick up my trombone to lead the bone section in this swingin’, Dukish Gerhardt original.
DANCE OF THE HIP HIPS was composed and arranged by Gerhardt especially for this recording to feature Calle Lindberg on trombone and Christina von Bülow on alto. The lovely theme is floating on top of a salsa-like bass line with the drums playing something else entirely, deliberately away from the salsa tradition, some kind of Latin hybrid. Once again I sit down and play lead bone while Gerhardt plays tuba and oversees the proceedings.
BACK-ALLEY SUE is set up by Marie Louise Schmidt at the piano. The melody is stated by unison saxes, lead by my plunger trombone. Epstein solos on baritone before we ease into a double-time feel for the shout-chorus lead by the saxes with some fierce brass-punctuations. Then it’s bass-solo followed by Harbeck on tenor before we recap the theme via a four bar interlude by Marie Louise.
PACHANGA ONETTI is built on the Candombe rhythms of Uruguay, dedicated to Uruguayan writer Juan Carlos Onetti who died in Madrid, bedridden for years because of medical malpractice, smoking 80 cigarettes a day. This is the 3^rd part of the ToneArt Suite. We take Onetti for a dance at a pachanga, a dance place. Graig Earle sets the dance-floor, joined by drums and piano and the dance commences. Solo-dancers: Lindberg tb, von Bülow sop, zum Vohrde fl, Schmidt p and Harbeck ts.
SUEÑO CON SILLA EN EL CIELO features the trumpets stating the unison jazzy theme that soon transforms itself into a very Mingusian south-of-the-border, Tijuana Moods feel with collective soli-excursions by von Bülow, Marott and me, before Christina is let loose in a hot, open solo. The theme reappears, this time in a tutti version that delivers Marott to fend for himself in the no-man’s land of the Latin border. A long seven slowly creeps in and the horns start riffing while Christina and I join him in another collective outing until we come to a screaming halt. Mingus? Oh Yeah!
Erling Kroner, Copenhagen, May 12, 2006