Millennium Jazz Orchestra Tours w/ Fleurine arranging her original repertoire
October 23, 2025
In 2026 Fleurine’s repertoire as a composer will be arranged by Joan Reinders, arranger, conductor and band leader of the Millennium Jazz Orchestra. The tour will be a part of MJO’s water crusade- this time focussing on the ocean- with Fleurine as “The singing mermaid composes” smashing the traditional idea that the siren, the singer, la chanteuse is the role a vocalist inhabits in front of a Big Band. This time the Big Band will be focusing on the vocalists music.
Fleurine started composing as a young vocalist, encouraged by a chance encounter with fellow vocalist composer Abbey Lincoln, in -of all paces- a bra store in NYC. Lincoln and Fleurine are among the 5 lyricists with official permission from the Thelonious Monk estate who have released lyrics to Monk’s music. Abbey asked Fleurine if she also wrote music and told her Monk had inspired her to do so.
Fleurine’s first recorded compositions stem from half a century ago, “Made of Sand ‘ saw its debut on her duo outing with then boy-friend, now husband Brad Mehldau. Her most recent Edison Nominated Brazilian Dream album is comprised of almost all original compositions.
Joan Reinders selected 10 of her works from different albums and phases of her life ,to arrange for Big Band which will be premiered in January of 2026.
It is the first time in the history of Jazz in the Netherlands that a jazz orchestra has arranged the compositions of a Dutch female composer. There have been composition assignments( Corrie van Binsbergen arrranged 3 pieces for the versatile Metropole Orchestra in 2023 as did saxophonist Tineke Postma ( The Jubilee Album) and Marieke van Dijk arranges for her own NU Art Orchestra yet a full program of compositions by a Dutch Female Composer has been chosen to have her compositions as a center piece of a Big Band is a novelty in Dutch Jazz
Fleurine’s music is both rhythmically and melodically deeply rooted in Jazz, Latin and Brazilian spheres.Check out the Concerts page to find a date to hear Fleurine with the Millennium Jazz Orchestra.