| Variations of Name | James Last and His Orchestra |
| Biography | The James Last Orchestra was a German/multinational big-band orchestra. The orchestra was established in 1964 as a studio orchestra, led by jazz musician Hans Last. From 1965, Polydor Records named him 'James Last', as they thought the name 'James' would be more suitable for the international market.
Last initially used many of the musicians who, were based in Hamburg and were regularly employed by the Norddeutscher Rundfunk (North German Radio) big band. Over time, many of the NDR musicians could not always get time off to tour with the Last band, so Last used this chance to make the orchestra more international. Some of the top musicians who have played in the James Last orchestra include Canadian violinist Trudean Conrad, Welsh drummer Terry Jenkins, Belgian trombonist Georges Delagaye, Swedish trumpeter Leif Uvemark and a number of American trumpeters including Bob Lanese, Rick Kiefer and brothers Chuck Findley and Bob Findley. Another trumpeter, Derek Watkins from England, recorded with The Beatles, playing on "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Revolution 1". Some musicians are family: father-and-son violinists Dmiter Pintev and Stefan Pintev, and husband and wife Bob Coassin (trumpet, USA) and Anne-Louise Comerford (viola, Australia). About 20 different countries are represented in the membership of the orchestra.
James Last took much influence from the world of rock and pop when arranging music for his orchestra. His studio recordings do not always capture the energy unleashed at his live concerts where a combination of skilful arranging and talented musicians give some surprising performances. On April 17 2014, James Last celebrated his 85th birthday. At the same time, he presented a tour for his band in 2015 which he completed in the spring of 2015, just before he died on 9 June in Florida. |