Aalener Jazzfest
The Aalen Jazz Festival is one of the five biggest festivals in Germany, dedicated to the jazz and related musical genres. It takes place annually on the second weekend of November in Aalen place and expects about 13,000 visitors annually. Individual concerts in the spring and summer complement the musical offerings, in total there are about 25 concerts per year. From the beginning, the festival of stylistic openness was marked; thereby forming fusion jazz, classic hard bop, funk jazz, soul, African, jazz and world music, the core of the program.
The Aalen cultural initiative kunterbunt eV and volunteers organize the festival.
History
As Trägerverein 1989 Aalen cultural initiative was founded motley eV, which today has about 200 members. In addition to the main purpose, to hold a top-class jazz festival in a small town such as eels, the association wants above all to show that you can operate volunteer cultural work at a professional level. Artistic Director of the festival is Ingo Hug ( 2008).
The first Aalen Jazz Festival 1990 already provides a challenging program with musicians such as Heinz Sauer, Walter Wolfman Washington, Jasper van't Hof, Bob Malach and Eddie Harris. A year later, Miles Davis played his last European concert at the 2nd Aalen Jazz Festival.
Over the years, among others, the following bands performed on:
- Dave Brubeck
- Albert Mangelsdorff
- Jim Hall
- David Murray
- McCoy Tyner
- Mike Stern
- James Carter
- Jan Garbarek
- Mousse T.
- Take 6
- Dianne Reeves
- Archie Shepp
- Dieter Ilg
- The Crusaders
- Maceo Parker
- Joachim Kühn
- Hiram Bullock
- Jimi Tenor
- Esbjörn Svensson Trio
- Joo Kraus
- Kool & the Gang
- Steffen Schorn
- Marianne Faithfull
- Herbie Hancock
- Branford Marsalis
- Gary Moore
- Lizz Wright
- Bireli Lagrene
- Mario Bauza
- Peter Weniger
- Johnny Griffin
- Ron Carter
- Bugge Wesseltoft
- John Scofield
- Charlie Mariano
- Roy Ayers
- Chico Freeman
- Dr. John
- Al Jarreau
- B.B. King
- Ray Charles
- Fats Domino
- Roy Hargrove
- Jan Delay & Disko No..
The organizers gave to the different festivals out live CDs.
Venues
The main venue is the Aalen city hall, here the big concerts. Smaller platforms are the artists' hotel. the piano bar and, until its closure in 2010, the magazine.
Discoveries
The Aalen Jazz Festival always offers a stage for talent or for players who have disappeared long years out of the spotlight. As Lamont Dozier picks up his career by Motown songwriting team Holland- Dozier -Holland as a singer, he is its European premiere at the Aalen Jazz Festival. Little Jimmie Scott followed up in Aalen in his greatest days. Even artists like Raul Midon or Lizz Wright appeared in Aalen before they were discovered by the mega- festivals.
Mr. Jazz Fest
The late guitarist Hiram Bullock in July 2008, played more than ten times at the jazz festival. Bullock liked to play " open end" and extended the nights with spontaneous jam sessions at the piano bar. There they saw him and spontaneously boarded colleagues from other bands until dawn, sometimes even on the piano.
Supporters
Among the sponsors of the Aalen Jazz Festival include companies and institutions such as the city of Aalen, various newspapers and utilities.