Led by saxophonist Bruno Vansina, this Belgian large ensemble premiered at Rataplan in Antwerp during December of 2013. The Bruno Vansina Orchestra was built on a foundation of Vansina's working quintet -- originally formed in 2010 as a quartet to perform and record the saxophonist's compositions -- supplemented by an 11-piece horn and reed section arranged by Dree Peremans, a trombonist and composer who leads the Rebirth::Collective, an octet featuring Vansina as a member. Vansina was already established on the Flemish/Belgian jazz scene, including membership in Peter Vermeersch's sometimes Zappa-esque avant big band Flat Earth Society, but as inspiration for his own large ensemble he would look toward such colorful and atmospheric antecedents as Gil Evans and Charles Mingus; the saxophonist also cited Wayne Shorter, Steve Coleman, and the modal music of John Coltrane as influences.

In late January 2014 the Bruno Vansina Orchestra entered Brussels' Studio Toots with engineer Walter De Niel to record the album Morning Forest aka Nose Up Bottom Down. Released by the Rat label in June of that year, the album featured Vansina on alto, drummer Teun Verbruggen, pianist Christian Mendozza, guitarist Bert Cools, and bassist Stefan Lievestro playing as an unaccompanied quintet on two tracks, with five tracks -- all exceeding ten minutes in length -- featuring the five-piece along with the horn and reed section as premiered at Rataplan. Among the section players on the recording were clarinetist/tenor saxophonist John Ruocco, who had taught Vansina at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague, Netherlands, and Côte d'Ivoire-born, Guadeloupe-raised, France-based flutist/vocalist Malik Mezzadri (aka Magic Malik), leader of the Magic Malik Orchestra and guest contributor to two Rat-released albums by the collaborative Vansina-Verbruggen-Gudmundsson Trio, In Orbit (2005) and Tokio Quantize (2007).

Also featured among the album's horns and reeds were oboist Kristien Cueppens, bassoonist Kensuka Taira, French horn player Bart Indevuyst, tenor saxophonist Steven Dellanoy, clarinetist/tenor saxophonist Wietse Meys, trumpeter Carlo Nardozza, trumpeter/flügelhornist Jeroen Van Malderen, trombonist Frederik Heirman, and trombonist/euphoniumist Tom Verschoren, with percussionist Kobe Proesmans added on three tracks. Three of Morning Forest's large-ensemble compositions ("Dark Night," "Groove Along," "Bike Insprivation") were arranged by Peremans, with Vansina and Peremans co-arranging a fourth ("Fiesta Festivo") and Vansina taking on the arrangement of a fifth ("Ploink") himself. ~ Dave Lynch, Rovi