For hip traditionalists
Gypsy Swing, the only original European style of classical jazz that is inextricably linked to the name Django Reinhardt, has been booming in Munich for years. Musicians who are otherwise known from completely different places are busy getting involved here, for example this one LBT-Drummer Sebastian Wolfgruber or the SiEA-Bassist Julia Hornung. The driving force is the Gypsy Swing Munich association around the hot jazz musician Daniel Fischer: With “OskarMaria Swingt”, the jazz brunch in the Literaturhaus every Sunday, the “Hot Club” in the Fraunhofer once a month and the Gypsy Swing days, that is now also called the Django Reinhardt Festival.
The anniversary will be celebrated at the tenth edition from October 17th to 20th. It starts in the original Fraunhofer Theater. On Thursday with Duved & his three Musetteersthe band of guitarist Duved Dunayevsky celebrating the “debut du siecle” in Paris, and the trio of his award-winning young Munich colleague Elias Prinz, who is presenting his debut album here. And on Friday with two quintets: Julia Hornung and Giangiacomo Rosso close with theirs European Connection to the late Django Reinhardt, Duved’s Hot Five precisely adapt the hot club sound of Django and Stephane Grapelli’s heyday.
To celebrate the anniversary, the Saturday concert will take place Generation Django in the Silver Hall of the German Theater. The European band is a supergroup of gypsy swing with some of the genre’s hottest soloists such as guitarists Sébastien Giniaux and Fanou Torracinta and clarinetist Giacomo Smith. On Sunday the festival ends with a big jam session in the Literaturhaus. Gypsy Swing has become so popular that all concerts are already sold out except for remaining tickets.
Gypsy Jazz Days – Django Reinhardt Festival, Thursday to Sunday, October 17th to 20th, Theater im Fraunhofer, Deutsches Theater, Literaturhaus, www.gypsyjazztage.de

For strollers
There is no problem with sold-out concerts at the parallel “Jazz & The City” in Salzburg. If the festival city is already a popular day or weekend excursion destination for Munich residents, it is particularly worthwhile here: all 70 events are free to enter, there are no tickets.
Openness, experimentation and encounters are at the top of the agenda, especially since Anastasia Wolkenstein from Regensburg took over as director last year. “This is us!” is this year’s motto of the four-day concert series organized by the Salzburg Old Town Association with more than 100 national and international artists. Almost all of the 20 venues are within walking distance of the old town. “Jazz & The City” is a festival for strollers like no other.
Jazz is the focus, but with the subtitle “Music unlimited” the organizer team makes it clear that the trend towards a mix of genres also applies here. What happened at the opening with that Andromeda Mega Express Orchestra What will be marveled at is Daniel Glatzel’s unique Berlin sound laboratory. Sound names from a wide variety of styles await you afterwards, including Joanna Duda, Linda Fredriksson, Miroca Paris, Nils Wogram (here with his lyrical quartet Muse), the European all-star quartet Crutches, Clara Haberkamp, Ganna, Angelica Niescier, the Insomnia Brass Band and finally the piano star Harold Lopez-Nussa in a duo with Gregoire Maret. There are also some Munich acts among them Wedding chapel via Philipp Schiepek to Simon Popp.
The performances of Kit Downes, perhaps Europe’s best jazz organist, on the church organ of the Kollegienkirche are already a Salzburg tradition. The blind dates “House of Impro” and “Hidden Tracks” are also tried and tested. The quartet is a first in our part of the world FORQ by keyboardist Henry Hey, the latest spin-off from Michael Leagues Snarky Puppy-Cosmos. And for the first time there will be a three-part Big Band Summit – with Christian Muthspiels Orjazztra Vienna as a crowning achievement. However, at many concerts you should wait in line early.
Jazz & The City, Thursday to Sunday, October 17th to 20th, Old Town Salzburg, www.salzburg-altstadt.at

For free spirits
“Parallel Universe” is what the “Offene Herzen eV” association has called the three-day festival with which it is celebrating its 20th anniversary from October 18th to 20th in the Schwer Reiter. This parallel world refers to free improvisation, to which the association founded and led by Hannes Schneider has always devoted its full attention. The program is intended to present seven “spectral lines” from the enormous range of this universe as examples. Each concert highlights a different aspect, from solo performances to large ensembles, from melody to noise, always interactive and cross-genre.
So illuminated at the start on Friday Espresso & Mud Extended the interaction of vocal, acoustic and electronic instruments. Then united GongGong255088 the three musical cultures from Korea, Argentina and Greece to noise and ambient le 7ème Continent – a sextet with, among others, Joachim Badenhorst, Pascal Niggenkemper and Mona Matbou Riahi, well-known in jazz – offers radical musical interpretations of socio-political topics.
The eight-person international and cross-genre music-dance improvisation project will follow on Saturday Tamuoo, a solo by the 83-year-old Japanese pianist Masahiko Satoh, a pioneer of jazz improvisation, emphasizing the melodic-harmonic-tonal side of free improvisation Windows & Mirrors Quintet. The big finale goes on Sunday with the prominent cast King Übü Örchestrü, which bows to the first generation of European improvisers as an alternative to American free jazz.
Parallel Universe – 20 years of Open Ears eV, Friday to Sunday, October 18th to 20th, Heavy Riders, www.geschereireiter.de

For local patriots
For the 35th time, the Munich Jazz Musicians’ Initiative (JIM) is organizing its jazz festival from October 24th to 27th. Still the only festival platform for your own scene. After a long journey through all possible venues, they have found a perfect constellation for the last three years to attract a younger audience: they are now in the Blitz Club for the first two days and in the Fat Cat for the last two days, or more precisely in the former Black Box of the old one Gasteig. There are three performances per evening, and on the opening evening on Thursday there will be a DJ after-show party with the Zenker Brothers from midnight.
The JIM team with Andy Lutter, Sunk Pöschl, Michael Wüst, Petra Windisch de Lates and Miko Rein has collected many interesting programs, mostly premieres. From veterans of the scene such as the stride pianist Bernd Lhotzky (who is playing his “Rag Bag” solo program, which reboots ragtime, for the first time in Munich), the singer Adriano Prestel (with the new, psychedelic-tinged trio Guvvy), the percussionist Biboul Darouiche (with his newly formed “La Descarga” Latin band) or the saxophonists Tom Reinbrecht and Till Martin.
But also young bands like Mr Vertigo or the duo of percussionist Simon Popp with singer and electronic artist Polygonia. With the trombonist Gerhard Gschlössl, who has been spinning in Berlin for 20 years, a Munich veteran is once again returning to his old homeland for a guest appearance. The Allgäu drummer Magnus Dauner dives with his quintet project portrait in rhythm delve deeper into the Munich scene. And the Greek-Macedonian multi-instrumentalist Dine Doneff, who has lived in Munich for ten years, performs a jazzy Balkan folk opera named after his home village of Rousilvo as a collage of live music, historical sound recordings and photos.
Two external acts round everything off. The duo of singer Kristin Lash and guitarist Jakob Gray are guests at the top of the Slovakian music scene. And the Berlin band gets to be the bouncer Time Rag Department with danceable old-time jazz.
35th Jazzfest Munich, Thursday to Sunday, October 24th to 27th, Blitz Club and Fat Cat, www.jazzfestmuenchen.de

For trendsetters
Representing the young, global jazz scene and presenting world-class jazz, avoiding the beaten path and scoring points with fresh, cross-genre acts – that is the declared goal of NueJazz creators Frank Wuppinger and Marco Kühnl, both jazz musicians themselves. They have it in writing, so to speak, that they have recently succeeded so well that the eleventh edition of the Nuremberg Jazz Festival from October 19th to 30th is also worth a visit for Munich residents: In April they received the German Jazz Prize for the best festival of the year 2023.
This year, performances include Grammy winner Brad Mehldau and his trio, the currently hot trumpeter Theo Crocker, the highly decorated saxophonist Melissa Aldana, Kurt Rosenwinkel’s formation The Next Step and the legendary one founded in Senegal in 1970 Orchestra Baobab to the highlights. As well as the British top acts Emma Ravicz, Alfa Mist and Nubiyan twist.
As always, embedded in a colorful supporting program, including the warm-up show EazzBand and ToyToy & Umberto Echo to the opening of the Faculty of Design and an exhibition dedicated to Ukraine. From the winners’ concert of the NueComer Jazz Awards to various jam sessions and the NueJazz for Kids education program to the Afterburner concert with the Moses Yoofee Trio.
NueJazz Festival, Saturday, October 19th to Wednesday, October 30th, E-Werk, cultural workshop on AEG and Z-Bau Nuremberg, www.nuejazz.de