Gast Waltzing & Largo :
Gast Waltzing; trumpet & composer
David Laborier; guitar
Rom A. Heck; bass
Rainer Kind; drums
Gast Waltzing’s defining passion has always been music. Classically trained at Europe’s leading Conservatories, he was the founder of the conservatoire of Luxembourg’s Jazz Department, of which he is now head. In the course of his prestigious career he has released tens of albums, ranging from classical to jazz to dance and has composed the scores for over 160 TV movies and cinema releases (Maison Close for Canal +, Küstenwache, JCVD, George and the Dragon etc.) His Largo project is both informed by the wealth of his past experience and yet marks somewhat of a departure.
After years of film music composing, Gast Waltzing, a native Luxembourgian, wanted to create music that reflects what he felt, musically. He explains, “If musicians like Miles Davis were around today, this is what I think they would do. I’m so tired of all the backward looking that goes on in jazz right now. The original innovators were just that…innovators, and they took influences form everything that was around them, they didn’t try to sound exactly like anyone else. Jazz is a living music; it doesn’t belong in the past. It needs to move on.”
What makes Largo’s music unique is Gast Waltzing’s own personal vision and his highly individual take on jazz. “I am always a musician. It’s not like I wake up and decide when to schedule music in. It’s always present.”
Gast Waltzing's musical influences are wide. On the classical side he has a love of the music of Bach, Beethoven, Debussy and Ravel, then there are the Jazz luminaries: Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane and Miles Davis, moving on to the more contemporary figures of Tricky and DJ Logic.
Largo is a seamless blend of these disparate worlds, with each musical terrain supporting, informing and elevating the other. Smooth but never saccharine, innovative but never dry or calculating. The music is fresh and dynamic.
With 2 albums released on Warner Jazz, “Fables of Lost Time” (Warner Jazz 5050466-4082-2-8) released in 2003 and “Long Journey” (Warner Jazz 5046781322) released in 2005, the band released their third album “It’s All About As” in September 2009 on Gast Waltzing’s own label, WPR Jazz.
Gast Waltzing & Largo presented its new album at the Philharmonie in Luxembourg in May 2010. As special guests, the band invited Nils Landgren and Didier Lockwood.
Largo’s music is electric, a powerful collection of groove driven pieces infused with elements of various music influences, masterfully weaved into a gripping contemporary sound. One of Largo's tracks is called "MMMM", short for Miles Meets Marcus Miller, a title that perfectly captures the direction in which Largo feat. Gast Waltzing tempts it's audience. Having premiered the new set in May 2010 with special guests Nils Landgren and Didier Lockwood to an enthusiastic crowd at the sold out Philharmonie in Luxembourg, the band has already won critical acclaim from the jazz community and the wider audience.
The band has performed at many prestigious Festivals and venues such as the Clearwater Jazzfestival, Hildener Jazztage, Sibiu Jazzfestival, Blues & Jazz Rallye, European Jazzfestival in Athens, EU Music Festival in Hanoi etc.
Gast Waltzing & Largo represented Luxembourg at the World Exposition in Shanghai in October 2010.
In 2011 Largo toured though China performing at the prestigious National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing, the Beijing Ninegates Jazzfestival, the Concert Hall in Yangzhou, the JZ Club in Shanghai etc.
Gast Waltzing & Largo played for the first time in Japan in July 2012. They were invited at the Sapporo City Jazz and the famous Blue Note jazz club.
January 2013, the band went to New Orleans where they recorded their 4th ablum 'Jazzed Up in New Orleans' at the Music Shed studios. The Soul Rebels participated on 4 tracks of the album.
In April 2013, they were invited to perform in Harbin, China.
On the 8th of May 2013, Gast Waltzing & Largo organized their release album party at the Atelier in Luxembourg. For that special occasion, The Soul Rebels were invited to share the stage with them.
On Jan 14th, 2016 Largo performed live at the Theatre of Esch su Alzette, and this concert was recorded live. This because the final CD in the Largo Legacy. This is not the end though. Gast Waltzing will emerge with a new formation and new music that will continue his exploration of the possibilities of melding music gendres, and musicians from around the world.