In a telephone conversation, early 1993, reminiscing their latest joint effort, (this time a concert / recording project by Erling Kroner for Norddeutscher Rundfunk's Studio Big Band with music by Astor Piazzolla and Erling Kroner, all arranged and conducted by Kroner and with himself as featured trombone soloist, Argentine bandoneonist Gustavo Toker, also featured soloist, and Lars Beijbom at the drums) the question arose:
After playing together for so many years in each others bands and in each others projects, wasn't it about time to do something together, a joint venture? The Beijbom - Kroner alliance had been a mutual admiration society for years, each one thriving on the others music.
Said Beijbom: Why don't we combine our efforts and get a big band together? -Now, starting a big band is about the most absurd venture one could possibly dream up. Economically a sure-fire disaster, but then they loved playing each others music, so if anybody should put together a big band, they should do it, and then, at least -we are two, we are not alone so . . .
Over a period of time the idea matured and the visions about how and why got focused. Nobody had ever put together a band from the two sides of the Oresund, the sound dividing the Copenhagen, Denmark area from the Malmo/Lund southern part of Sweden, known as Skaane, area. The idea was exciting. The vision of bringing musicians from the two different countries together, what with mutual cultural roots, yet very differing national mentalities, were sure to ignite a very special energy, not Danish nor Swedish, a different chemistry.
The musical input was to be divided equally between the two leaders distinctly different books. It was decided to stick to the classic instrumentation of big band, the symphony orchestra of jazz, with 5 saxes, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, guitar, piano, bass and drums. It was soon decided to expand the band with a 'flute section' simply because there was a fantastic flute player in the area, playing everything from piccolo to bass flute. Neither Beijbom nor Kroner were interested in fronting the band on stage, to them it was more exciting to play as part of the band, shooting cues and directions from their seats.
So the search for just the right musicians started in both regions. They had to be jazz musicians first, ensemble musicians second. Which brings us to the

The BEIJBOM KRONER BIG BAND was inaugurated in the Fall of 1993. Beijbom and Kroner supplied the music and hand-picked the 15 musicians among the finest and most dedicated jazz musicians in the Copenhagen / Southern Sweden area, their respective home turfs. Weekly rehearsals started at Malmo's Slagthuset  in September.

In February the BKBB started a series of open rehearsals at Slagthuset. In May they moved to Malmo's Teaterrestaurangen, where they stayed on, every Tuesday, until December when the open rehearsal - series were discontinued because the band wanted to move from one phase, which was essentially a rehearsal band like role models Thad Jones / Mel Lewis, Bill Holman Band etc., into a new phase as a giggin' band. The band also appeared at the Malmo Festival, the Jazz Festival in Kristianstad - Aahus, Dansk Dagarna  in Lund and various other sites in the area.

In July, after restructuring, the BKBB appeared at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival and were recorded by the Danish Radio for subsequent broadcast. In August they played the Malmo Festival for the second time and went into the Copenhagen JazzHouse to record a live CD, co-produced by the Swedish Radio and Swedish record company Four Leaf Clover Records. In September they appeared at Storbandfestivalen - Sandvika, Norway and October at Jazz in Helsingborg - Sweden.

The BEIJBOM KRONER BIG BAND Live in Copenhagen - CD was released in January to great acclaim at a party at the Copenhagen JazzHouse. In March the band went on their first Spring Tour of Sweden and Denmark, sponsored by Statens Kulturraad, Sweden and Statens Musikraad, Denmark. They appeared at Stockholm's Fasching Jazz Club, played concerts at the Ingesund Music School in Arvika, Olofstrom Jazzclub and Jazzhus Dexter in Odense, Denmark. In July the band reappeared at the Jazz Festival in Kristianstad - Aahus and in September, as the first band to ever be invited back for two successive years, at  Storbandfestivalen in Sandvika. In October the BKBB went on their first extended tour of Sweden and Denmark, the Fall Tour 1996. The band visited Hassleholm Jazzclub, Mejeriet in Lund, jazz clubs in Uppsala, O-vik, Ostersund, Gavle, Skaraborg, Village in Vesteras and the Umea International Jazz Festival where they were recorded by Swedish TV. The band also visited Dexter, Odense and the Copenhagen JazzHouse at this tour.

In February the BEIJBOM KRONER BIG BAND Live in Copenhagen - CD won the Critics' Choice as Best Danish Jazz-CD Release 1996 by Danish jazzmag Jazz Special. March found the band at its second Spring Tour, this time bringing them to: Jazzhus Dexter - Odense, Nefertiti - Gothenburg, Oskarshamn Jazzclub, Jazz in Vexjo, Jonkoping Jazzclub, Fredman - Malmo, Karlskrona Jazzclub. In August the BKBB went into the studios at the Danish Radio in Copenhagen to record their second CD, co-produced by P2 Jazzredaktionen and Lasse Samuelson's Four Leaf Clover Records to be released 1998. Also in August the BKBB played a concert in Malmo's Pildammsparken with vocal trio TRE DAMER (Anita Strandell, Mia Adolphsson and Diana Nuñez, Beijbom's wife) as guests. In October the band went on their second Fall Tour, appearing at: Lindesberg Jazzclub, Fasching in Stockholm,  Dexter in Odense, Eskilstuna Jazzclub, Jazz On in Nykoping, Jazz in Lusasken in Kristinehamn and Copenhagen JazzHouse.

Because of Kroner's involvement in the 1998 JAZZPAR Event, the annual Spring Tour was canceled. But the band did play Hoor Jazz in Sweden on May 15. The BKBB was elected to open the 20th Copenhagen Jazz Festival in July and the new CD BEIJBOM KRONER BIG BAND OPPOSITES ATTRACT was released in September in connection with the Fall Tour 98 bringing the band to Copenhagen JazzHouse, Boraas Jazzclub, Musik Gavleborg in Hudiksval, Fasching in Stockholm, Aneby Jazzclub and Jazz in Åhus. December 2, Lund.

Spring Tour 99 in March brought the band to Jazzhus Dexter, Odense, Musikhuset Esbjerg, Huset Hasserisgade, Ålborg in Denmark and Jazzligan, Fagersta, Jazz & Blues, Härnösand, Perdido, Örnskjöldsvik and SJR / Umeå in Sweden. Because of lack of funds from the Swedish government, the activity was curtailed for the rest of the year, except for a gig in Village, Vesterås, Sweden on October 9. A great effort is being made at this writing to find more sufficient fundings for the band on a more regular basis. It's kinda hush-hush at this point, but things might be looking up, it seems.

June 26 performing for the Danish Tourist Board and ARTE in London to celebrate the Birth of a Region / Øresundsbron, the bridge between Denmark and Sweden. July 22 at Skeppsholmen International Jazz Festival in Stockholm, Sweden. July 29 Havnsø Jazzparadis Festival in Denmark. August 18 Malmö Jazz Festival. Fall Tour 2000 September - October: JIVE-Jazz, Vejle - Plantagehuset, Thisted - Copenhagen JazzHouse - Mejeriet, Lund - Jazzhus Dexter, Odense - Pakhusscenen, Nykøbing Sjælland.

July 6 at Copenhagen Jazz Festival NEW MUSIC Concert at The Royal Library / Black Diamond presenting new music written for the band by six composers thru grants from Statens Kunstfond, Denmark and Rikskoncerter, Sweden. Danish composers Niels Gerhardt (Blue Rain), Niels Jørgen Steen (Happy Song), Lars Togeby (Bits and Pieces), Erling Kroner (Theloneliest) and Swedish composers Magnus Lindgren (Stations) and Lars Beijbom (Uptown Grind). Repeat performance July 10 at Hedmanska Gården, Malmö. NEW MUSIC (OLD) CONCERTS again at The Black Diamond November 10 and December 8 presenting three of the new pieces at each concert interspersed in a program of never before/rarely heard compositions from the bands book plus two new compositions by Kroner (Tangando) and Beijbom (Don't Lose Sight).