"Ties & Loose Ends While reviewing files when I last cleaned out my computer hard drive, I found that between 1995 and 2012 I wrote roughly 200 compositions or arrangements for large jazz ensembles. I also found that most of this hadn‘t really been documented properly [loose ends] - something I usually take care of much earlier. There have been the off-and-on recordings with various radio and university big bands, but those have usually been done hastily and with limited expectations. In January 2012 I decided that this had to change. I wanted to assemble a band of young, energetic musicians [loose ends] mixed with a nice dose of reliable old friends [ties] and write some thrilling new music just for them. When adding up the figures in my head, though, I soon realized, that I couldn‘t shoulder this alone [loose ends]. Luckily I found great support from Harald Rehmann (Deutschlandfunk), who lent me the radio‘s beautiful recording room [ties], as well as from Kunststiftung NRW, Initiative Musik and GVL who partially funded this project. Well, I have to say it was an absolutely thrilling experience! The band played great, they treated me nicely, the splendid recording was done by an old friend of mine, Hrólfur Vagnsson, with whom I already recorded my very first album in 1998 [ties]. All in order! I hope we can pick it up from here [loose ends] and further explore many of the new musical relationships that emerged from this project [ties]. Thank you all!" Florian Ross, February 2013