Deutsches Jazzfestival

The German Jazz Festival, which takes place in Frankfurt am Main since 1953, is the oldest German Jazz Festival. At the same time it is the oldest held in continuity jazz festival in the world.

The festival was first organized by the German Jazz Federation as an exhibition and should every year once some of the best that Germany has to offer in jazz present ( as Olaf Hudtwalcker at the opening of the first festival on May 3, 1953). In fact, there was no significant German musician, who has not played at the Frankfurt Festival. The festival was in the 1950s, the annual jazz event of the Republic; major impetus for the Jazz in Germany have started from here.

With the advent of other festivals in the sixties, the festival has on the one hand takes into account the international scene more; the rail project previously contained was further expanded. In particular, the most important German musicians productions have been away from the everyday routine, supporting both collaboration with prominent jazz musicians from Europe and non-European countries ( especially North America ) enabled. So here met Volker Kriegel on Alan Skidmore (1972 ), Heinz Sauer on George Adams (1978 ), Peter Giger on Archie Shepp (1980 ), Alfred Harth on David Murray ( 1995) or Eberhard Weber on Pharoah Sanders ( 1997). Caterina Valente, Theo Jörgensmann, Markus Stockhausen, Lauren Newton, Christof Lauer, Michael Sagmeister, Torsten de Winkel or Christopher Dell started from here as a " newcomer ".

In the course of its existence, the central organizational support have changed: The German Jazz Federation no longer belongs to the organizers; unlike in the first few decades it is no longer organized by Lippmann Rau. In 1984, the Hessischer Rundfunk, the 1953 concerts transferred, organizers of the festival; Since 1990, he has gained the city of Frankfurt as a solid partner. The festival will be transferred in full on the radio.

While the festival has been held every two years from the 1960s to the 1980s, it has been held since the early 1990s - as in the first decade of its existence - once a year.