What is Jazzwoche Berlin?
A truly jam-packed seven days (June 1-7), the 6th instalment of Jazzwoche (‘Jazz Week’) is taking over around 45 venues across the city to host some of the world’s most talented and innovative jazz musicians. This year’s theme is all about visibility: Who and what are most visible in the jazz scene? And how can the community tip the scales in order to bring diversity to the forefront? These are some of the many questions Jazzwoche, organised by IG Jazz since 2019, and its participants are trying to answer, or at least engage with over some sweet sounds. With 80 concerts in total, let’s take a look at a few unmissable acts from the lineup.
Opening event
Head to the Kuppelhalle at silent green to celebrate the opening of Jazzwoche. This free event will include musical performances by the festival headliner Mirna Bogdanović Group, Laura Robles, Bo-Sung Kim, Almut Kühne and Johannes Lauer, an intro speech from Culture Senator Joe Chialo and a panel discussion on the importance of spaces for improvisation in Berlin’s music scene.
- silent green, Gerichtstr. 35, Wedding, details.
- 31.05.24, 19:00
- Price: Free
Day 1 – Sat, 01.06
Now You See It, Now You Don’t
with Dr. Harald Kisiedu and Elias Stemeseder
To honour the theme of visibility, this English language conversation focuses on issues of historical exclusion experienced by musicians of colour, educational and political oversights, aesthetic considerations, and the current pushback against DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) efforts from different vantage points. Citing various global examples, the two panellists will question just exactly who and what controls visibility (and invisibility) in the jazz space, and why.
- silent green, Gerichtstr. 35, Wedding, details.
- 01.06.24, 15:00-16:30
- Price: Free
Recognizing Visibilities
with Ketan Bhatti, Maria Reich, Laura Robles and Johanna Schaffer, hosted by Pamela Owusu-Brenyah
At the second English language panel, four monumentally talented voices continue to take on more of today’s cultural and political issues. Ever wondered what are the current structural discriminatory practices and privileges in place in the jazz and improv scene? Who benefits and who doesn’t? Why is it that some groups of people are barely visible? And is visibility even the right word? Turn up for the talk to find out.
- silent green, Gerichtstr. 35, Wedding, details.
- 01.06.24, 17:00-18:30
- Price: Free
jazzexzess
with Fallen Crooner and Malstrom
A true exercise in deconstruction awaits you at this contemporary improv jazz concert. Two standout ensembles take over The House of Music to encourage musical debate, the untangling of identities, and through their mind-blowing improvisation, explore the endless possibilities of contemporary jazz. Be prepared to look within (and have some fun!)
- House of Music, Revaler Str. 99, Freidrichshain, details.
- 01.06.24, 21:00
- Price: €15 + booking fee pre-sale ticket, box office: €20
Day 2 – Sun 02.06
Jazzy Berlin Jam Session
with Avi Albers Ben Chamo, his Bandstand and DJ Vai
The Jazzy Berlin Jam Session has been housed at the Klunkerkranich since 2015. On the first Sunday of the month, audiophiles can fight off that Monday dread with a laid-back night of music and rooftop views of Berlin. Avi Albers Ben Chamo, visual artist, composer, and founder of Jazzy Berlin Community, brought jazz to the techno club Kater Holzig and the Neue Heimat. At the Kranich, he now takes over Wohnzimmer with selected music to set the mood from 16:00 and jam session at 19:00.
- Klunkerkranich in der Wohnzimmer, Karl-Marx-Str. 66, Neukölln, details.
- 02.06.24, 16:00 – 00:00
- Price: €5-8
Day 3 – Mon 03.06
Bird’s Free Funk at Cafe Engles
with Charlotte Joerges, Till Schomburg and Johannes Metzger
Blue Moonday Jazz Sessions are back at Cafe Engles in Neukölln. Every Monday, host Charlotte Jeorges, saxophonist and composer extraordinaire, brings something special to the space, and on June 3rd, her trio Bird’s Free Funk will perform soft melodies followed by groovy beats in their own compositions. Intense and gripping, the trio draws from bebop, Latin jazz, modern compositions, and everything in between to show off the synchronous relationship between three young musicians from Hanover and Berlin.
- Cafe Engles, Herrfurthstr. 21, Neukölln, details.
- 03.06.24, 20:00
- Price: Donation based
Omniversal Earkestra in the Sonnenraum
The Omniversal Earkestra has played every Monday in its home town of Berlin since its founding in 2011. Following their influential trip to Mali in 2019, the big band is bringing the sounds of West Africa back to The Sun Room in celebration of the release of their new music documentary LE MALI 70.
- Sonneraum, Eichenstr. 4a, Arena Market Berlin, details.
- 03.06.24, 21:00
- Price: Donation based
Day 4 – Tues 04.06
Cuareim Quartet A JAZZ STORY – CD Release
with Rodrigo Bazuá, Federico Nathan, Olivier Samouillan and Guillaume Latil
The musicians of the Cuareim Quartet have given us a beautiful nostalgic trip through the world of music as we know and love it. The new album is a true love letter to jazz and an auditory journey through time, taking a look at the history of the genre from the POV of a string quartet.
- b-flat, Dircksenst. 40, near Hackescher Markt, details
- 04.06.24, 21:00
- Price: €15-20
Jam Session on the Spree
with Uri Gincel, Paul Kleber, and Tobias Backhaus
From May 31st to August 25th, ZigZag-Jazz Club moves into its summer location directly on the Spree! Enjoy some of the best national and international jazz musicians, brought together by piano master Uri Gincel, with a tasty cocktail and a sunset view of Oberbaum Bridge.
- AHF Arts Summer Lounge, Mühlenstr.63, Friedrichshain, details.
- 04.06.24, 20:30
- Price: €16 artist support fee includes 2 free drinks
Day 5 – Wed 05.06
A-Trane Presents “Butterfly Effect” CD & Vinyl release concert
with Magnus Lindgren and John Beasley
Small impulse, big impact. That’s the story of this new project by the Grammy-winning duo, saxophonist, flautist and clarinettist Magnus Lindgren and pianist John Beasley. The starting point of this chain of events is their intimate musical pairing, a stark contrast from the large orchestras and big bands they typically work with. The album consists of eleven original compositions, plus an arrangement of the Beatles classic Come Together.
- A-Trane, Ecke Pestalozzistrasse am Savigny-Platzz, Bleibtreustr. 1, Charlottenburg, details.
- 05.06.24, 20:30
- Price: €35, €25 with student ID
Quique Sinesi Quartet
with Quique Sinesi, Nana Tarui, Franzi Aller and Steve Nanda
Head to Zig-Zag’s outdoor summer location on the Spree once again to catch this all-star Latin Grammy Award-winning guitarist and composer. Sinesi, one of the most renowned and prestigious Argentine guitarists of all time, brings his newly founded quartet to Berlin to walk the line between jazz and Latin American folk.
- AHF Arts Summer Lounge, Mühlenstr. 63, Friedrichshain, details.
- 05.06.24, 20:30 – 23-30
- Price: €20
Day 6 – Thurs 06.06
Dornbusch / Herzog / Parzhuber at DONAU115
Tonight, three unique and well-known personalities of the young German jazz scene come together, each having already made a name for themselves as both bandleaders and sidemen in several other notable projects. Featuring Phillip Dornbusch on tenor saxophone, Florian Herzog on double bass, and Alexander Parzhuber on drums, the band will play all original compositions.
- DONAU115, Donaustr. 115, Neukölln, details.
- 06.06.24, 20:00 – 00:00
- Price: Donation based
16th Festival Jazzdor Berlin
with the Marie Krüttli Trio, Axiom Dejan Terzic and Bonbon Flamme
Head to Kulturbrauerei, Kollwitzkietz’s brewery turned-culture centre, for the 16th edition of Jazzdor. This year’s focus is on the German-French jazz scene, but the three acts hail from all over the world to bring you a night of international sonic bliss.
- KesselHaus in der Kulturbrauerei, Schönhauser Allee 36, Prenzlauer Berg, details.
- 06.06.24, 20:00 – 00:00
- Price: €25
Day 7 – Fri 07.06
Kenoma Project at Peppi Guggenheim
with Marco Papa, Paul Engelmann and Emanuele Calì
The trio consists of guitar, alto sax and drums, and has a sound that’s been described as “stoner music and the search for harmony, melody and rhythm.” Their first release ‘Self Portrait’ (2022) revealed a clear and decisive expression amidst the smoky haze that incorporates free jazz improv with genre-bending flair. No reservation needed, just come early to secure a spot at the intimate Neukölln dive.
- Peppi Guggenheim, Weichselstr. 7, Neukölln, details.
- 07.06.24, 20:00 – 23:00
- Price: Donation based (18+)
Martina Barta & David Friedman “You Taught My Heart To Sing”
Prepare to be moved by the angelic vocals of Czech Jazz singer Martina Barta and the legendary vibraphonist and composer David Friedman. On the outside the two appear to be complete opposites, but their unusual and harmonious duo mixes niche songs with beautiful classic ballads that will light up the studio session.
- Greve Studio, Hofgebäude, Berlepschstr. 34, Zehlendorf, details.
- 07.06.24, 20:00
- Price: €15, reduced €10
Find out more about this year’s edition of Jazzwoche on their website.
