Earth, Wind & Fire - Let's Groove is the theme of the concert that the Radio Big Band will perform on Thursday, November 20, at 7 p.m. The orchestra conducted by Simona Strungaru will perform the music of the famous Earth, Wind & Fire band in special arrangements for jazz big band.

This concert dedicated to the music of Earth, Wind & Fire is both a surprise and not a surprise. You've already had a concert called The Magic of Funk. Now you're tackling this band's repertoire. How did the concert that will take place on Thursday evening came together?

This band is emblematic for music as a whole, and fortunately we have some very good big band arrangements of Earth, Wind & Fire's music, so I thought, why not, this is the moment, especially since so far this season we have tackled classical repertoires with a lot of emotional charge. Wayne Shorter, Miles Davis, Romeo Cosma, and now we are in a different register, one of joy and celebration, indeed.

I would like to talk a little about arrangements, since you mentioned this. Earth, Wind & Fire's music is known for its multiple vocal harmonies. What will the versions you perform be like?

In our case, vocal management is transposed into instrumental management, and of course, there will be a difference in that the big band members will perform solos in Earth, Wind & Fire songs. So, this will be a personal and original addition.

Basically, the vocal melodies will be played by wind instruments.

Yes. We don't have voices in this concert, and that's a challenge, and it's another variation of this music.

Where do the orchestrations come from?

The orchestrations are purchased and signed by well-known orchestrators.

I wanted to talk a little more about Earth, Wind & Fire's music. They're in and out of jazz territory. I see their funk, disco, and soul style from the '70s as a repeat of what jazz big bands did in the '30s and '40s. Basically, they were doing the same thing, but in a different form. Swing bands enlivened the old dance halls. In the '70s, the landscape had changed a bit; there were discos. How do you see the connection with jazz in Earth, Wind & Fire's music?

I think it has a lot to do with the dance aspect and the harmonic structure they adopt. And if they were inspired by jazz, then of course we, who are mainly involved in jazz, are inspired by them, so there is a kind of cyclicality, and I think it's very rewarding in terms of improvisation.

And finally, let's say that Thursday night's show will also have a visual component, basically in terms of fashion. You will be dressed in a certain way, and we encourage the audience to do the same.

Yes, it is a break from the norm because music invites you to take a freer approach, and we were also inspired by the poster illustration for this concert, which was created by Ilinca Strungaru, my sister, and then arranged in the established formats by Ioana Halunga. And it is also a celebration in terms of clothing. We are all curious to see each other and to shine, both us on stage and the audience in the hall.