BILL BAKER AND HIS BIG BAND

Appreciation of big band music and the fact that dancing to big band music is once again popular is due to nostalgia for the great swing era. There may be many bands, but only one of them in the Netherlands can claim that in the last few years they accompanied Vera Lynn at a Liberation concert in Holland. Only one of them can claim that they played the opening and closing concert at the Glenn Miller Festival in Clarinda (Glenn Miller's birthplace), Iowa, USA. Only one of them can claim that they were touring Singapore and Indonesia with their music, invited to do so by the Dutch Embassy and the Dutch companies in these countries. In 1997 they performed a revival show of Glenn Miller's Army Airforce Band under the direction of Norman Leyden, former orchestrator for the Glenn Miller AAF orchestra.

Norman Leyden........................

Norman Leydem conducts the Bill Baker Big Band as it re-creates Glenn Miller's AAF Orchestrsa  in 1997 ................................................................................................................................ These are some of the highlights in the history of Bill Bakers Big Band from Rijswijk, in the Netherlands. They are a group of friends of Wim Zweekhorst who, after baking the daily bread for the people of Rijswijk, picks up his baritone saxophone and is transformed into Bill Baker, leader of the Bill Baker Big Band. What makes Bill Baker's Big Band different from other Big Bands is its thrive on performing and giving never ending pleasure when on stage. Musically the band is lead by their great conductor Egbert Kemner. The show however is lead by Bill Baker himself. As a professional MC he leads the evening with an amusing introduction to every song . It never takes long before the spirit of the band catches onto the public.

The papers write good critics about Bill Baker's Big Band. All over the world people love the band and the musical idea of baker/musician Wim Zweekhorst alias 'Bill Baker'. He knows the secret, "I bring emotion" he says. Those three words and the great devotion of the band are the secret of the success of the band. Be it at the 'Rijnmond Jazz Gala' in Rotterdam, at the Daley Plaza in the heart of Chicago, or at the numerous dance-nights in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. Eighteen men and two singers form the band. Amongst them are engineers, shop owners, students and retired people. They have in common that they devote a lot of their spare time to music and Bill Baker's Big Band, and it shows !!

Bill Baker and Paul Tanner

The repertoire of Bill Baker's Big Band is broad. All the great Big Band composers of the 20's 30's 40's and 50's can be found in the repertoire. Depending on the occasions the band plays in tuxedo for general occasions, in army outfit for the Glenn Miller AAF show (featuring all the great Glenn Miller Songs), or in night-club dress when the band turns to the music of Duke Ellington in a show called 'Dukes Place'.

Bill Baker's Big Band swings around the world !!

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