Cologne Jazzweek

55 concerts, 9,000 visitors – in 2024, the fourth edition of Cologne Jazzweek brought music enthusiasts of improvised music, known as jazz, together on 16 stages.

More than 250 musicians from 14 nations performed, showcasing to a curious audience what jazz around the world has to offer in terms of new listening experiences. We can thus remain excited to see what potential this relatively young festival will unleash in the coming years.

Jazz? Improvised development for all ears

Jazz has existed for more than 100 years. What once emerged as music from the southern United States has, over time, developed exponentially through its crossover with other traditions and musical genres. Many of today’s popular music genres would scarcely be imaginable without the possibilities offered by jazz.

Whether New Orleans jazz and Dixieland, bebop, or free jazz – extending to ethno-jazz, acid jazz, jazz-rap, smooth jazz, or pop-jazz, to name a few – jazz reconstitutes European tonal systems, melodies, harmonies, and musical forms into something new. Its fusion and reorientation processes are what make improvised music so lively, diverse, and, above all, interesting and original.

Venues – established jazz spots and other locations

Cologne Jazzweek acts as a programmatic arc spanning a multitude of concerts. Over several days, a wide variety of artists perform at diverse locations across the city: for instance, at Stadtgarten – whether as Stadtgarten Open Air, in the GREEN ROOM, the Stadtgarten Hall, or Jaki, the in-house jazz club, the legendary King George, the WDR Broadcasting Hall, or the Cologne Philharmonic Hall. Alongside these, more unconventional locations also open their doors, such as the Agnes Church, the Filmhaus Köln, or the MAAK – Museum of Applied Arts in Cologne. So you can always look forward to the new annual program.

Since 2021 – a festival in Cologne's music landscape

Cologne Jazzweek, in its current form, has only existed since 2021; however, it already holds its firm place within the orchestra of Cologne’s music scene. Behind the festival of this scale are sponsors such as the City of Cologne, the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia, as well as broadcasters WDR, Deutschlandfunk, and the Kölner Stadtanzeiger. In 2022, the festival already won the German Jazz Prize.

For the time in between – the participants’ Spotify profiles

Music is meant to be listened to – and listening is also the only way to experience it after the live performance is over. This is why Cologne Jazzweek offers playlists of the current program's participants on Spotify, under the profile "Cologne Jazzweek." Here, you’ll find public playlists featuring the artists’ music, allowing you to get an auditory impression anytime. Extensive listening – and letting yourself be inspired to explore more music from an artist – is encouraged. Give it a try.

More music for the happy few – and those who want to join their ranks

There is mainstream art – and then there’s everything else. What sells easily to the masses requires less donation and support. That’s likely to remain true. Jazz lovers are perhaps familiar with the old joke about the difference between a pop music troubadour and a jazz musician: The troubadour plays three chords to 300 spectators and earns 500 euros for the evening. The jazz musician plays 300 chords to three spectators and earns five euros in tips. For Cologne Jazzweek, this means: The Friends of Cologne Jazzweek e.V. gladly collects donations to fund and support the festival, enabling individual projects that are essential for the development and promotion of Cologne's internationally recognized jazz scene.

Cologne and Jazz

Cologne Jazzweek fits beautifully into the city’s tradition as an outstanding venue for jazz – with a history that stretches far back, making it a jazz city of international repute for improvised music.

Its beginnings trace back more than 60 years. For example, mention must be made of Campi’s ice cream parlor on Hohe Straße, which already became a mecca for all jazz fans in 1949, with Gigi Campi, journalist and son of Italian Gennarina Campi, eventually turning into a promoter of many jazz concerts and tours, as well as a record producer. Cologne became a city where jazz thrived. In the cult venue operated by Campi until 1980, guests included Dizzy Gillespie, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Juliette Greco.