The Cologne Contemporary Jazz Orchestra is a freelance Big Band founded in 2002, based at Stadtgarten (European Center of Jazz and Contemporary Music) Cologne.
In the past almost 20 Years the Cologne Contemporary Jazz Orchestra recorded 4 CDs from Heavy Metal Slayer Cover to traditional Argentinian Music, worked with several Guest Arrangers from all over the World like Darcy James Argue, John Hollenbeck, Pedro Giraudo, Ryan Truesdell, Sylvia Versini and Lars Moeller and performed at Festivals like the North Sea Jazz Festival Rotterdam (NL), Moers Festival (D), Spot Festival Aarhus (DK) and the Big Band Festival Siauliai (LIT). Working as a project based Ensemble without a steady Bandleader and a Bandbook, the Cologne Contemporary Jazz Orchestra is – besides featuring the Arrangers in the Band (like Marko Lackner, Jürgen Friedrich, Niels Klein a.o.) – always looking for new collaborations with national and international Bands and Arrangers.