Jazzfest Berlin started in 1964, and has announced the full programme for its “Jubiläumsausgabe” (Jubilee Edition).
As the release states: “The past, present and future also interact in the diverse concert programme of the anniversary edition, and over the four days of the festival, icons who have shaped the style of jazz history share the stage with current voices and projects from the global jazz community.”
There is a conference programme around the 60th edition, with a keynote address by George Lewis, Details of the Jazzfest Research Lab programme are HERE
The main musical focus of the festival is on the triple bills on Thursday, Friday (quadruple bill) , Saturday and Sunday on the main stage of the Haus der Festsspiele:
Thursday 31 October
*Vilhelm Bromander Unfolding Orchestra
*Marilyn Crispell solo
*Decoy with Joe McPhee, Alex Hawkins, John Edwards, Steve Noble
Friday 1 November
Goran Kajfeš Tropiques: “Tell Us”
Kris Davis: “Diatom Ribbons”
Joe Lovano Trio Tapestry
John Hollenbeck “The Drum Major Instinct (To mark the 60th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s legendary opening speech at the 1964 Berliner Festwochen)
Saturday 2 November
*Anna Högberg Extended Attack (AT, DK, SE)
*Joachim Kühn French Trio with Sylvain Darrifourcq and Thibault Cellier
*Sun Ra Arkestra (US)
Sunday 3 November
*Darius Jones’s fLuXkit Vancouver (it’s suite but sacred)
*Sylvie Courvoisier Poppy Seeds
*Otomo Yoshihide Special Big Band: “Stone Stone Stone”
There is a strong UK representation in Artistic Director Nadin Deventer’s programme – she has been director since the 2018 festival. Alexander Hawkins is in two different formations, and Kit Downes has a new trio with Andrew Lisle and Argentinian saxophonist Camila Nebbia.
In addition to the programme on the main stage of the Festspielhaus, there are events at Café Carla in Jazz Institut Berlin ( a collaboration with other European festivals (Weds), clubs such as Quasimodo and A-Trane, and the Friedrich-Wilhelm Memorial Church,
FURTHER COVERAGE: We will have a feature about the history and legacy of the festival by Hans-Jurgen Linke, and Tony Dudley-Evans will be providing review coverage. PP features are part of marketing packages
