About
Also known as: bjo
Founded in Brussels in 1993 by saxophonist Frank Vaganée and three fellow musicians, the Brussels Jazz Orchestra has grown into one of Europe's most ambitious big bands, equally at home on the stages of Jazz at Lincoln Center and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam as at local Belgian festivals. Their sound is rooted in jazz but they thrive on collaboration, having worked with an extraordinary range of guests including Joe Lovano, McCoy Tyner, Lee Konitz, Toots Thielemans, Maria Schneider and Kenny Werner, among many others. Their discography reflects serious artistic range: from the Grammy nominated Wild Beauty with Joe Lovano to an Edison Award winning tribute to Jacques Brel with David Linx. The BJO also performed the big band music on the soundtrack for the film The Artist, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Score. Supported by the Flemish government since 1999, the orchestra has built a reputation that stretches well beyond Belgium.
