Bill Laurance & WDR Big Band - Live at the Philharmonie, Cologne (2019)

Recorded in front of an enthusiastic audience at the Philharmonie concert hall in Cologne, Germany, and powered by the renowned 18-piece WDR Big Band under the direction of principal conductor Bob Mintzer (renowned tenor saxophonist, longtime member of the Yellowjackets) this adventurous outing finds Snarky Puppy pianist Bill Laurance re-imagining previously recorded works on a much grander scale.

"I always imagined these compositions to be played by an orchestra, and it's a rare opportunity to have your music realised with a large ensemble of this calibre," said Laurance. In some ways an extension of Snarky Puppy's orchestral collaboration with the Netherlands Metropole Orkest on 2015's Grammy-winning Sylva (Best Contemporary Instrumental Album).

Cinematic in nature with surprises around every turn of the page, 'Live at the Philharmonie', Cologne is easily Laurance's most adventurous outing to date. As Jazz Journal put it: "If jazz is to continue to appeal to future generations then it needs people like Bill Laurance to renew its relevance."