Jazz Articles

The Summit Jazz Orchestra & Clark Terry: Clark

by Jack Bowers
February 13, 2004

In April 2000 the not yet five year old Summit Jazz Orchestra, which makes its home in Regensburg, Germany, welcomed 79 year-old jazz legend Clark Terry for a twelve-day tour and recording session that music director/bass trombonist Christian Sommerer describes as “a lifetime experience for every single musician” in the SJO, whose members come from all over the country and whose ages range from 21 to 30.

If the tour was anything like the album, audiences must have been blown ...

The Summit Jazz Orchestra: Moods of a Cat

by Jack Bowers
July 1, 2000

After listening to more than a thousand big bands from all parts of the world over the past decade or so, one can generally ascertain after the first few measures have been played where a particular ensemble belongs in the hierarchy. The Summit Jazz Orchestra, a relatively young band from Regensburg, Germany, belongs precisely where its name indicates it should — at the summit. Don’t ask me how, but director and bass trombonist Christian Sommerer has managed in three short ...

Summit Jazz Orchestra: Moods Of A Cat

by John Sharpe
June 1, 2000

I had never heard of the Summit Jazz Orchestra from Germany until I stumbled upon them while surfing the Net. Not surprising, considering that the American media would have you believe great jazz exists only in that country and often ignores talent outside its borders. Well, it doesn’t and it does! The 17-piece Summit Jazz Orchestra was formed in 1997 by bass trombonist Christian Sommerer. Originally, the band met once a month to play in a German club but as ...