It has been announced that DJANGO BATES has received a new commission from the HR (Frankfurt Radio) Big Band to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the recording of the Beatles album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The premiere will be in October.

To quote the press release: “Recorded in November 1966, the Sgt. Pepper album stands as an ‘unsurpassed adventure in concept, song-writing, cover art and studio technology.’ The challenge of deconstructing the album hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as the most significant rock album of all time, and to reconstruct it from a jazz perspective is being taken on by Django Bates. With his overflowing creative spirit, his anarchic sense of humour and his incredible level of musicality, Bates is the embodiment of a specific type of British artist, with traits in many ways reminiscent of the fab four. The HR Big Band and the audience will be going on an exciting journey with him.”

 The concert to be given in the Alte Oper in Frankfurt on the 26th of October will also present the Chucho Valdes / Joe Lovano Quintet.”

This concert forms the opening night of the 47th German Jazz Festival Frankfurt DETAILS 

Original German text: “Entstanden im November 1966, gilt das Sgt.-Pepper-Album bis heute als „unübertroffenes Abenteuer in Konzept, Songwriting, Cover Art und Studiotechnologie”. Die Herausforderung, das laut Rolling-Stone-Magazin wichtigste Rockalbum aller Zeiten fünfzig Jahre nach seiner Entstehung zu dekonstruieren und aus der Jazzperspektive wieder neu zusammenzusetzen, übernimmt Django Bates. Mit überbordender Kreativität, entschiedener Individualität, anarchischem Humor und unglaublicher Musikalität verkörpert er jenen „sehr britischen” Künstlertypus, den man auch den Fab Four nachsagt. Mit ihm wird dieses Projekt zu einem spannenden Trip für das Publikum und die hr-Bigband.”