The album “Songs In The Key Of Life” shaped and formed my taste in music. The songs on the album were unlike anything I had heard before and ever since. It was on my wish list for Christmas 1980. I was fourteen years old. The album was already out for four years and it was…
The Enjoy Jazz Festival celebrates its 17th edition this year and is the most important in the metropolitan area of Mannheim, Ludwigshafen, and Heidelberg. Just a couple of days ago, the first artists were announced for this year’s programme: among them are David Murray and Saul Williams, Snarky Puppy, Vincent Peirani & Émile Parisien, Nils…
It was the final night of this year’s highly entertaining XJAZZ Festival – the area in Friedrichshain was run over by people visiting the Village Market, a weekly streetfood festival catering to all kinds of foodies, food junkies, and everyone else in between. But on the night before, artistic director Sebastian Studnitzky played his latest…
Singer Kenya has opened for Rachelle Ferrell, Lalah Hathaway, or Raul Midón. She has worked in gospel choirs, jazz ensembles, and musical theater, and has now released her debut album “My Own Skin”. Kenya, whose full name is Kenya McGuire Johnson, opens the album with the catchy title track, sounding a lot like Incognito at…
One of the nice things about the XJAZZ Festival is the fact that almost all participating clubs are in walking distance to each other and that most of the shows actually start on time (is that really a German habit?). The cozy FluxBau with direct access to the Spree was hosting young singer, pianist, and…
Sun slowly setting, trains of the U1 subway constantly moving into the Kottbusser Tor station, cold beer flowing, and some warm electronic, housey Jazz tracks coming from the stage of Kreuzberg’s Monarch club early Thursday evening where Samuel Rouanet opened his 50-minute set together with Anthony Malka. XJAZZ 2015 has arrived. Sam’s latest project is…
Chances are pretty good that you have a record or two in your collection where John Tropea plays guitar. Just to give you a small selection: he has played on the 1972 Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway album, on albums in the 70s by Lou Donaldson, Luiz Bonfá, Ashford & Simpson, Deodato, Jon Lucien, Blue…
Nils Wogram, the German trombonist with the many hats, offers a new chapter with his Nostalgia project. Together with Arno Krijger on Hammond Organ and Bass Pedals, and Dejan Terzic on Drums and Glockenspiel, his “Nature” album is accompanied by a short story from Tobias Premper, a writer from Berlin. Krijger is new to this…
For the sixth time, Hamburg harbour will be the stage for the ELBJAZZ Festival, taking place May 29th and May 30th with over 50 bands in various extraordinary locations. Festival organisers have made sure once again that there is something for everyone during those two days. Dee Dee Bridgewater will perform with the Finnish UMO…
It is only three days away: Germany’s newest and coolest and most relaxed festival will once again help make Kreuzberg in Berlin the most attractive neighborhood. The festival focuses again on the ever growing German Jazz scene with most of the bands (50 in total) coming from Germany. Also, like in the first edition last…