Jazzfest Berlin

27/05/2026

The American jazz saxophonist and composer Sonny Rollins has passed away at the age of 95. Rollins was widely regarded as one of the greatest tenor saxophonists in jazz history. For more than seven decades, he shaped modern jazz with his unmistakable tone and extraordinary improvisational skills. He performed at Jazzfest Berlin in 1965, 1966, and 1974.

Miles Davis feierte ihn als »größten Tenorsaxofonisten aller Zeiten«, Barack Obama ließ sich von seinem Mut inspirieren. Nun ist der Jazzmusiker Sonny Rollins mit 95 Jahren gestorben.

26/05/2026

The German vibraphonist, pianist, woodwind player and composer Gunter Hampel passed away at the age of 89.
A co-founder of free jazz in Europe, he was one of the most influential German jazz musicians of the post-war era and unafraid of new ideas or musical boundaries. He performed at the Jazzfest Berlin in 1966, 1971, 1972, 1978, 1983, and 2007. During the 2007 Jazzfest, he was awarded the German Jazz Prize (Albert Mangelsdorff Award) at Haus der Berliner Festspiele.

Er war ein Paradiesvogel des Jazz, einer, der durch viele Stile flügelte, mit US-Größen wie Thelonious Monk, Benny Goodman und Jimi Hendrix spielte. Am 19. Mai ist der Vibrafonist, Pianist, Holzbläser und Komponist Gunter Hampel im Alter von 89 Jahren verstorben.

28/04/2026

Congratulations!

“DREAM BABY DREAM” has won the Counterpoint Award at the Liminal Dance Film Festival in Washington, D.C.

The Film was realised as part of 2025, celebrated its world premiere as one of 70 selected films from 18 countries at the LIMINALDance Film Festival.

Take a look at the Trailer: https://mediathek.berlinerfestspiele.de/de/jazzfest-berlin/2025/trailer-dream-baby-dream

25/04/2026

The Deutscher Jazzpreis 2026 will be awarded today at the Hansesaal, Congress Centrum Bremen.
📺 Join the livestream at 19:30 👇🏽

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=GcR64a2hKeQ&pp=iggCQAE%3D&ra=m&fbclid=PAdGRleARZdYRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZA8xMjQwMjQ1NzQyODc0MTQAAae1Pff2qv5q5bIIUtnokK_cv3eqqfbxMxd5j116P1W72SIZKshJBkuQtsPipw_aem_PXfJRvo5r775gOTTTKnJtQ

1 like. "Preisverleihung – Deutscher Jazzpreis 2026"

24/04/2026

The experimental short film “Dream Baby Dream,” produced as part of the Jazzfest Community Film Lab, will have its premiere today at the Liminal Dance Film Festival in Washington, D.C.

Nadin Deventer, artistic director of the and initiator of the film project, is a guest on radio3 today and will be talking about the project.

Fri 24.04.2026 | 18:20
Listen here: https://www.radiodrei.de/programm/schema/sendungen/radio3_am_nachmittag/archiv/20260424_1600/radio3_aktuell_1820.html

Trailer | Dream Baby Dream
https://mediathek.berlinerfestspiele.de/de/jazzfest-berlin/2025/trailer-dream-baby-dream

Ein Gespräch mit Nadin Deventer, künstlerische Leiterin des Jazzfests Berlin

01/04/2026

The team of & the whole film team is excited to share the news that our experimental short film “DREAM BABY DREAM” got selected as one of 70 films from 18 countries for the Liminal Dance Film Festival 2026 and will celebrate its world premiere in Washington D.C!

The film was shaped and produced in the course of four months in autumn 2025 by a 10-person creative team and shot during the Jazzfest Community Week late October 2025 at the Gropius Bau , the former Tegel Airport and in Moabit.

60 Berlin community members including children, teenagers, adults and artists from various disciplines explore the inner and outer landscapes of music, movement, poetry, dreams and trauma through this 20min experimental film.

Premiering at the opening night on April 24 at the LIMINAL Dance Film Festival Washington, D.C.

The German premiere follows at the Tanzrauschen Festival “on move//move on” in Wuppertal on May 6.

More dates to be announced.

Thanks to:

Creative Team: Andrés Aguiló , Lina Ashour, Frederik Britzlmair, Nadin Deventer, Joel Grip, Andrés Hilarión, Chris Jonas, Nelly Thea Köster, Cal Ola, Ahmed Shah

Executive & Creative Producer: Nadin Deventer
Co-Producer: Chris Jonas
Production & Set Management: Jana Klimmek, Anuschka Beese, Leo Wölfel
Director of Photography: Cal Ola
Camera: Cal Ola, Andrés Aguiló, Andrés Hilarión
Music by Moabit Imaginarium: Joel Grip, Simon Sieger, Michael Griener, Assane Seck, Berno Jannis Lilge, Hyunjeong Park , Elsa M’bala, Hakam Wahbi
Music Coordinator: Joel Grip
Creative Coordinator Theater X: Lina Ashour

Workshop Lead Theater X: Mehdi Qurbani
Workshop Direction children of Jazzfest Impro Lab: Nelly Thea Köster
Costume: Frederik Britzlmair

Cast
Dancer: Milton Camilo
Performer: 30 children of Mullewapp e. V. of the Miriam-Makeba-Grundschule & afterschool care of the Theodor-Heuss-Gemeinschaftsschule SOS-Kinderdorf Berlin , Theater X / Platform Migration Matter, Moabit Imaginarium

Workshopleader Jazzfest Impro Lab: Cenk Arpa, Milton Camilo, Nelly Thea Köster, Yvonne Leppin

1st Assistant Camera: Lorenz Reimann
2nd Assistant Camera: Anuschka Beese
Gaffer: Volker Langholz
Best Boy: Dirk Hilbert
H&M: Liubov Dyvak
BTS Photographer: Amely Sommer
Media Management & BTS Video: Mariana Hoyos
Edit: Andrés Aguiló, Andrés Hilarión, Chris Jonas
Colour Grading: Cal Ola
Sound Recording, Music and Audio Mix & Master: Kris Limbach
Costume Assistance: Jäckie Rydz
Set Runner: Anna Lau

Special thanks to:
Colleagues of Berliner Festspiele / Gropius Bau
khisdapaze e. V.
ZK/U - Zentrum für Kunst und Urbanistik
Theaterkunst GmbH, Theaterkunst
Café Beba


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Credit: © Berliner Festspiele, Photo: Amely Sommer, Design: Nafi Mirzaii

27/02/2026

has been nominated for “Festival of the Year” as one of four festivals in Germany for the Deutscher Jazzpreis .


More Details: https://www.deutscher-jazzpreis.de/award-category/festival-des-jahres-3/___
Photo: Amely Sommer

17/02/2026

Listening tip for Nils Landgren's birthday!
We wish the Swedish trombonist a very happy birthday.
Nils Landgren had a significant impact on the Jazzfest Berlin as its artistic director – first in 2001 and then again from 2008 to 2011.

Celebration: der schwedische Posaunist Nils Landgren feiert seinen 70. Geburtstag. Bengt-Arne Wallin, Nils Landgren & NDR Bigband - Har Ni Set Her Kantarell +++ Nils Landgren & NDR Bigband - Red Horn +++ Nils Landgren & Esbjörn Svensson - Free Nils +++ Nils Landgren Funk Unit feat. Magnum Coltrane ...

19/12/2025

Now in our media library:

Artist Talk with Leo Smith at 2025.
With contributions by Paola Malavassi and Iyer.

As part of his final European tour, legendary trumpeter and composer Wadada Leo Smith is appearing at Jazzfest Berlin 2025. Along with music journalist Peter Margasak and Nadin Deventer, artistic director of Jazzfest Berlin, he will look back on more than half a century of “Creative Music”, talk about his experiences past and present as an American musician in Europe, and reflect on the importance of self-organised musicians’ associations like the AACM for the future. In addition to this artist talk, curator Paola Malavassi will present “Drawing Sounds, Listening to Symbols: Interpreting a Score by Wadada Leo Smith”, examining the notation method and visual language of Smith‘s composition “Louis Armstrong Counterpointing”.

Records

Im Rahmen seiner letzten Europa-Tournee ist der legendäre Trompeter und Komponist Wadada Leo Smith beim Jazzfest Berlin 2025 zu Gast. Mit Musikjournalist Peter Margasak und der Künstlerischen Leiterin des Jazzfest Berlin Nadin Deventer blickt er auf mehr als ein halbes Jahrhundert voller „Creati...

21/11/2025

This year’s recordings of the concerts are still available in the Berliner Festspiele Media Library until December 3, 2025. Don’t miss out and listen now!

Thanks to our cooperation partners ARD Radio Network and Deutschlandradio for making this possible.

https://mediathek.berlinerfestspiele.de/de/jazzfest-berlin/2025/ard-jazznacht-1
https://mediathek.berlinerfestspiele.de/de/jazzfest-berlin/2025/ard-jazznacht-2
https://mediathek.berlinerfestspiele.de/de/jazzfest-berlin/2025/ard-jazznacht-3
https://mediathek.berlinerfestspiele.de/de/jazzfest-berlin/2025/on-air-deutschlandfunk-kultur