Big Bend RTS and Dom omladine (The Youth Center) are closing the spring programme season with a concert named "Voyage" in Big Hall of Dom omladine on 13th June at 20:00. Journey in jazz rhythm through Belgrade continues in September and active summer season full of festival performances and concert tours. All compositions are premiered and they are carefully integrated into magic journey that presents soloists of Big Bend RTS and Simon Rigter as one of the leading jazz artists in Europe.
Simon Rigter is a soloist at the concert that represents another step in authenticity, originality and copyright creativity. He comes from a musical family and ever since he was a child, he has been in touch with musical instruments. Rigter enrolled in the Royal Conservatory in The Hague at the age of 16, where he was taught by the renowned saxophonist / clarinetist and great pedagogue John Ruocco. Then he studied at the Hilversum conservatory at Ferdinand Povel.
After graduation, his career notes the colaboration with renowned jazz artists: The Dutch Jazz Orchestra, The Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, The Rotterdam Jazz Orchestra, The Reeds, Curtis Fuller, Slide Hampton, John Marshall, Cees Slinger, George Coleman, Alvin Queen, Victor Kaihatu, Peter Beets, Ruud Breuls Erik Goalkeeper, and many others. The fact that Simon Rigter is a soloist on over 40 LP and CD editions and that he teaches at the Codarts Institute in Rotterdam and the Amsterdam Conservatory, make him one of the leading jazz artists of The Old Continent.
Big Bend RTS was founded in January 1948, under the name "Zabavni Orkestar Radio Beograda". At the very beginning it worked together with the strings but in 1954, the orchestra was separated from the strings and it became RTB Big Bend, having the form it has today. Throughout the years it was led by the most eminent conductors and composers-arrangers: Mladen "Bobi" Gutesa, Vojislav "Bubisa" Simic, Zvonimir Skerl, Milivoje "Mica" Markovic, Dusko Gojkovic and Stjepko Gut. Today, the orchestra is under the baton of Ivan Ilic.
The orchestra performed with the biggest names of jazz music: Clark Terry, Benny Golson, Johnny Griffin, Maynard Ferguson, Tony Scott, Jerome Richardson, Ernie Wilkins, Alvin Queen, Reggie Johnson, Eddie Henderson, Hank Mobley, Jon Hendricks, Roy Hargrove, Brad Leali, Diane Schuur, Don Menza, Steve Turre, Ronnie Cuber, Randy Brecker, Jon Faddis, Chuck Findley and many others. Ray Charles, Danny Kaye, Josephine Baker, Mireille Mathieu, Enrico Macias, Frida Lyngstad and other stars from show business performed together with Big Bend RTS.
During more than 50 years of its work, the band won numerous prizes, had concerts in almost all European countries and at many jazz festivals, it performed at several UNICEF concerts (in Belgrade, Paris and Geneva) and always had exceptional reviews. Ensemble won the first prize at Jazz Festival in Juan-les-Pins in 1960.
Studio albums that are part of discographic resume are: "Dzez orkestar Radio Beograda 1948-1978", "Muzika moje mladosti", Stjepko Gut & Big Bend RTS "Afro Balkanske skice", "Vili Johans i Big Bend Radio Beograda", "Big Bend Radio Beograda - 75 godina Radio Beograda", "Karavan", "It's time for jazz", "Sweet Love", Dusko Gojkovic & Big Bend RTS "Latin Haze" and Big Bend RTS "Balkan Soul".
Tickets are on sale at box offices of Eventim at price of 500 dinars.
