«At The Cutting Edge» Zurich Jazz Orchestra plays Walther K. Lang

Walther K. Lang is proof that it is never too late to pursue your passion. As a young musician, he dreamed of becoming a jazz composer, but – this sounds familiar to many – the obligations of his profession kept him from doing so. Until now. Now he has written a full-length big band program. His sources of inspiration are manifold. So, it can happen that passages with symphonic textures or tightly led canons suddenly appear in his compositions. But the blues, Latin American rhythms and the typical distinctive big band grooves don’t fall short either. Lang says the statement of Thomas More (1478 – 1535) is very close to his heart: “Tradition is not keeping the ashes, but passing on the flame”. He proves that he is serious about this with every note: he burns for the music, has never let the embers go out. Seen in this light, Walther K. Lang is a biographical inspiration for many people – musicians on stage and musicians in their hearts.

Walther K. Lang was born in 1957 in Ruswil in Lucerne and grew up in a rural area. At the age of 21 he completed his training as a primary school teacher. Shortly after, he studied trombone and wind band conducting in Lucerne and studied jazz at the Swiss Jazz School in Bern. During these years he played in a wide variety of formations: Wind Ensembles, Jazz Combos (Dixieland, Swing), Wind/Symphony Orchestras and Big Bands, in addition he taught trombone and was active as a conductor. In 1991 he moved to Basel and started as a school musician. Until his retirement in 2022 he practiced this profession full-time. Since 2022 his focus is now on the composition of music for jazz orchestra and thus his childhood dream.