Po zasedbi in programu mlad in mladostniški The European Movement Jazz Orchestra (EMJO) je nastal na pobudo nemškega združenja Deutscher Musikrat ob začetku predsedovanja Nemčije Svetu EU. Gre za del projekta Evropska akademija za ansamble, predstavljenega tudi v Cankarjevem domu. EMJO, ki ga sestavljajo glasbeniki iz Nemčije, Portugalske in Slovenije, smo lani lahko slišali na turneji po Sloveniji in Avstriji; obsegala je premiero na festivalu Jazz Cerkno ter nastope v Kopru, Krškem, Mariboru, Velenju in vmes na Dunaju. Člani tega modernega jazz orkestra so se po koncu treh turnej (pred tem na Portugalskem in v Nemčiji) odločili, da nadaljujejo svoje delovanje v lastni režiji. Za letošnje koncerte so med svoje vrste spet povabili dirigenta Izidorja Leitingerja, s katerim so lani nastopali po Sloveniji.
Leitinger, ki zadnja leta živi in ustvarja v Parizu, je pri nas nemara najbolj znan po vodenju podobnega slovenskega big benda The Fool Cool Orchestra, ki je v izvedbi Leitingerove skladbe Suita Quasi Balcanica sodeloval tudi z znanima solistoma iz tujine, z italijanskim harmonikarjem Simonejem Zanchinijem in makedonskim kitaristom Vlatkom Stefanovskim. V EMJO igrajo mladi jazzovski glasbeniki iz treh omenjenih držav, ki imajo s svojimi avtorskimi projekti izredno pomembno vlogo tako na domači kakor tudi na mednarodni jazzovski sceni. Namen orkestra je predstavljati skladbe članov orkestra, ki jo ti pišejo posebej za orkester ter s posebnim poudarkom na posamičnih solistih. Tako početje orkestra, v katerem je poleg njega še šest slovenskih glasbenikov, opisuje Leitinger: »Orkester se žanrsko svobodno, a duhovito sprehaja med novodobnimi smernicami tako jazzovske, klasične, improvizirane in aktualne glasbe različnih delov sveta. Kompozicije so celovite zvočne zgodbe, ki spretno modulirajo med močnimi tutti, orkestrskimi in subtilnimi, improviziranimi deli. The European Movement Jazz Orchestra podaja sodobno in svežo jazzovsko glasbo, z veliko energije, drznosti, virtuoznosti in duhovitosti.«

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Young and youthful with regard to its age as well as repertoire, The European Movement Jazz Orchestra (EMJO) was conceived by the German Music Council (Deutscher Musikrat) on the occasion of the German EU Council Presidency. Existing within the scope of the European Ensemble Academy, which was also presented at Cankarjev dom, it incorporates musicians from Germany, Portugal and Slovenia. EMJO last year took a circuit of Slovenia and Austria where it gave a premiere at Jazz Cerkno and held concerts in Koper, Krško, Maribor, Velenje, with a detour through Vienna. After three tours (previously appearing in Portugal and Germany) members of this contemporary jazz orchestra, intended as a one-off project, decided to proceed together in their own right. This year, they will again be led by Izidor Leitinger, who was also their guest conductor on last year’s Slovenian tour.
Of Slovenian extraction, Leitinger, who has recently been working from Paris, his adopted city, is in Slovenia perhaps most famed as the leader of a similar, Slovenian big band, The Fool Cool Orchestra that invited two notable foreign soloists, Italian accordionist Simone Zanchini and Macedonian guitarist Vlatko Stefanovski, to participate in the rendition of Leitinger's Suita Quasi Balcanica. EMJO embraces young jazz musicians from the three said countries, who have with their original music exerted a profound influence on the national as well as international jazz scene. The orchestra has been established with the purpose of interpreting works of its members, written especially for the orchestra, with special emphasis on individual soloists. Leitinger’s thoughts on the ensemble, which includes six of his compatriots, are as follows: “Without taking heed of any genre, the orchestra wittily navigates between contemporary orientations, including jazz, classical, improvised and contemporaneous music from various parts of the world. Its compositions are integral soundscapes that skilfully modulate between intense tuttis, orchestral and subtle, improvised works. The European Movement Jazz Orchestra renders contemporary and fresh jazz music, profuse in energy, boldness, virtuosity and humour.”