Every epoch has had its group dances, and they have always been a source of inspiration to composers. In the inter-war period, the Blues and Charleston meant as much to composers as the Sarabande and Gigue did to Johann Sebastian Bach and the Polonaise and Mazurka to Frédéric Chopin.

The advent of American jazz and dance music in Europe was a gift from the gods for young composers hungry to find new paths and means of expression. Even though the word jazz meant little more than syncopated march and dance music based on ragtime, there was no stopping the rage.

Jazz represented a radical break with the traditional, old fashioned way of life of the nineteenth century, and made a wonderful match for the elated expectations that had replaced wartime suffering. Within just a few years, jazz fever swept across Europe. This CD bears witness.

The Ebony Band was founded in 1990 by Werner Herbers. Its core is made up of musicians from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra. The ensemble specializes in modern, adventurous music, primarily from the first half of the 20th century. Special attention is focused on the (frequently unjustly) forgotten music of lesser known composers, deemed to be worthy of revival. The goal of the group now is the registration of detailed information about the music of the interbellum.