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  • The "Jazz City Bilk" beckons at Whitsun

    When it was announced last October that there would be no Jazz Rally this year, there was great horror: no invigorating music at Whitsun, no cheerful shuttling from pub to pub, no lively jazz in the city. That sounded like a difficult idea to bear. All those who feared that the once renowned title of "Jazz City Düsseldorf" could be forgotten were not prepared to accept this. Resistance to the development promptly arose, and the horror of the moment developed into a small jazz quake, the seething epicentre of which was clearly located in Bilk. There, a few stalwarts stamped their feet and said "now more than ever", which is why there will now be three days of invigorating music again at Whitsun. You can now move from location to location from Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon after all - in the "Jazz City Bilk".

    There are already three places in Bilk (where the initiative for the new project originated) where jazz regularly sets the tone: on Thursdays and Fridays at the Pure Note bistro on Brunnenstraße, on Saturdays at Aachener Platz and throughout the week at the Jazz Schmiede, where there is also an information board commemorating the "Jazz City Düsseldorf" exhibition. Peter Weiss once helped design this exhibition. As a nationally renowned drummer, he is a permanent fixture in Germany's jazz scene and, on the board of the "Jazz in Düsseldorf" association, is responsible for top-class culture in Bilk and for the city.

    So it was only natural to entrust Peter Weiss with the artistic direction of "Jazz City Bilk" and thus ensure that the musical programme can be heard beyond the borders of Düsseldorf. "We want......", says Weiss.

    As soon as word of the plans for the new project got around the district, the list of venues grew longer and longer. The list now includes not only the Jazz-Schmiede, Aachener Platz and Pure Note, but also the Metropol cinema, the Bürgersaal Bilk, the Bilker Bunker and the Bürgersaal Salzmannbau.

    A lot of phone calls, emails and letters are now being sent in order to be able to present a complete programme as soon as possible. "We are working flat out to ensure that the programme not only satisfies jazz fans in the city, but perhaps also attracts one or two visitors from the surrounding area," says Pure Note Managing Director Marcel Clemens. The complete "Jazz City Bilk" programme should be ready by ??? at the latest.

    The energy of the initiators and the sense of community created in the neighbourhood and beyond have also convinced District Council 3, which was asked for help quickly and has now promised start-up funding for this year at lightning speed. "We were convinced that....", says district mayor Dietmar Wolf.

    The fact that so many people want to be part of the jazz party not only surprised the initiators, but also inspired them. The idea is already doing the rounds to present the small festival again next year and then perhaps make it a little bigger and possibly also include public spaces as venues. Further supporters and sponsors are sought and most welcome in the "Jazz City Bilk".

  • Bilk sings!
    How great was that? The Schmiede was full of people and everyone wanted to sing together. Thank you for being there, we'll continue in autumn. Feel free to write in the comments which song should not be missing then!

    #aboutlastnight #jazzschmiede #düsseldorf #bilk #bilksingt #chorcolores #chor #gemeinsamsingen

  • In this gripping live performance Re:Calamari play Pablo Held's composition "Don't crazy me". Musicians are Tineke Postma (sax, mellotron), Pablo Held (keys, synth), Oliver Lutz (el-b) and Peter Gall (dr)
    ・・・
    Re: Calamari
    Don't Crazy Me (P. Held)

    00:00 Intro
    01:19 Melody
    02:00 Bass Solo
    03:31 Sax Solo
    05:48 Keys Solo
    09:10 Melody

    Fr 10. 11. 2023
    Tineke Postma (sax), Pablo Held (keys, synth), Oliver Lutz (el-b), Peter Gall (dr)

    https://oliverlutz.bandcamp.com/album/re-calamari-2
    @olilutz

    Recorded live at Jazz-Schmiede Düsseldorf
    Recording&Video: Jazz-Schmiede Düsseldorf

  • #aboutlastnight – the @rokhsquartet last night at the Schmiede with Persian classical music and it just sounded so beautiful! Thank you for the music! WDR3 was there and recorded it, as soon as we have the broadcast date we will let you know here.
    This year we have already been on musical journeys with our globalklang series to the American Appalachians, Finland and Iran. Save the date: on April 10th the journey continues and goes to [checks notes] BAVARIA, we are looking forward to new folk music with @maxjoseph_music.

    #jazzschmiede #globalklang #worldmusic #klangkosmosnrw #soundjourneys #persianmusic #tar #oud #tombak #kamancheh

  • Bob Degen is a legend. Recently celebrating his 80th birthday, he graced the Schmiede with a musical celebration alongside some of his friends and musical companions. From that unforgettable night we present the performances of his two compositions 'In the Honour of Spring' and 'Parting'. Enjoy the beautiful music of Bob Degen (p), Matthias Nadolny (ts), Christian Ramond (b) and Peter Weiss (dr)

    ・・・

    Degen / Nadolny / Ramond / Weiss
    In the Honour of Spring (comp. B. Degen)
    Parting (comp. B. Degen)

    Fri 02. 02. 2024

    Bob Degen (p), Matthias Nadolny (ts), Christian Ramond (b), Peter Weiss (dr)

    00:00 In the Honour of Spring Piano Intro
    02:45 Sax joins in
    05:45 Parting Bass Solo / Intro
    07:36 Parting Theme
    08:40 Sax Solo
    11:40 Piano Solo
    13:51 Drums!
    15:11 Parting Last Theme

    Recorded live at Jazz-Schmiede Düsseldorf
    Recording&Video: Jazz-Schmiede Düsseldorf

  • Ben Miller Trio performing the Element of Crime tune "Am Ende denk ich immer nur an dich" live in Sept 2023. Musicians are Benedikt Müller (git), Marius Lamm (dr) and Moritz Götzen (b)

    ・・・

    Ben Miller Trio
    Am Ende denk ich immer nur an dich

    Sa 30. 09. 2023
    Benedikt Müller (git), Marius Lamm (dr), Moritz Götzen (b)

    https://www.instagram.com/benmiller.guitar

    Recorded live at Jazz-Schmiede Düsseldorf
    Recording&Video: Jazz-Schmiede Düsseldorf

  • For the 15th time, the Landesmusikrat NRW and the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia are awarding the Spielstättenprogrammprämie NRW to small and medium-sized stages in the independent music scene for their special commitment and their ambitious and dedicated live programme.
    The awards will be presented on Tuesday, 23 January 2024 at the Jazzclub Henkelmann in Iserlohn.

    We are delighted that the Jazz-Schmiede is once again one of this year's award-winning venues!
    With the zakk and the KIT Café, two other venues from Düsseldorf are also among the 16 award winners, and we congratulate our colleagues there!

    Minister Ina Brandes: "The number and diversity of our cultural events in North Rhine-Westphalia is unique in Europe. We also owe this to the many small and medium-sized stages in the independent music scene. With their outstanding programmes and excellent musicians, they whet our appetite for live music. This makes it possible to attract new audiences and at the same time inspire the regular audience. The stages thus make a valuable contribution to the rich cultural offering in our country."

    "Live music is an indispensable part of a vibrant culture. Providing small and medium-sized forums with a financial incentive for outstanding and experimental programming creates scope for innovation and promotes cultural diversity," says Prof. Dr. Christine Siegert, President of the Landesmusikrat NRW.

    The award-winning venues were selected by an expert jury consisting of Christina Lux (musician), Ulla Oster (musician), Tim Isfort (moers festival) and Thomas Baerens (Head of the Music Department, Ministry of Culture and Science).

  • Our homepage, as well as our ticket system, is now also available in english. We hope that all our international guests and all not native geman speakers will now find their way around easily.
    Please be patient with us and write us a short message if you should encounter any hicups here and there. Thank you!

  • The Big Christmas Session
    Sa 16. 12. 2023

    It's a wrap, thanks to everyone who joined our Christmas session: all the guests in the sold-out Schmiede and all the musicians of the evening:
    Nico Brandenburg (b), Peter Weiss (dr), Carlotta Ribbe (vib), Anna Karina Barthel (voc), Jörg Kaufmann (ts), Rainer Maassen (trb), Tom Lorenz (vib), Genevieve O’Driscoll (b), Michi Knippschild (dr), Axel Fischbacher (git), Philipp van Endert ( git), André Nendza (b), Christian Schröder (dr), Philip Wisser (git), Vincent Pinn (trp), Denis Gaebel (ts), Mathias Haus (vib), Sebastian Gahler (p), Inga Lühning (voc), Simon Busch (dr)