Formed by bassist/composer Billy Eric, the New Amsterdam Orkest is a 13 piece contemporary jazz group. Like a sponge, Billy absorbed the musicality from the great composers and arrangers he worked with daily. The best of NYC's A list studio players also added to Billy's stylistic awareness. It was during this period when Billy's music and playing really began to take shape. In 1991 after performing a song from his first CD on a national TV show, Billy switched from bass to lead guitar, in order to "sing" his own songs, as he likes to say. Not having a singing voice, Billy naturally gravitated to instrumental music. Around 2010 Billy's music began taking a more progressive turn, as he experimented with an expanded color palette. The end result is the New Amsterdam Orkest, featuring an 8-piece horn section. For this group Billy switched back to the role of bass player, preferring to propel the band from behind. Melody, rhythm, harmony, and texture are the core elements built upon a foundation of contemporary jazz. The New Amsterdam Orkest.