Jazz in Your Ears
An audio tour through Leipzig's jazz history.
Leipzig is a jazz city. For decades, jazz has been a constant presence in the city’s streets, clubs, and concert halls. To mark the 50th anniversary of the “ Leipziger Jazztage ,” the audio tour “Jazz im Ohr” invites you to rediscover the history of Leipzig’s jazz scene in a unique way. On this auditory journey featuring six listening stations, the past, present, and future of this vibrant musical history come together.
Starting at the Kongresshalle am Zoo—an important venue in the early days of the “ Leipziger Jazztage ”—the audio walk leads across the naTo to the University of Music and Theater, where the next generation is being trained. The route continues
to the site of the former Telegraph live club, to visions of the future for the “Haus der Festivals” at SKALA, and finally to the GeyserHaus outdoor stage, where children and teenagers have set their own perspectives on jazz to music in a radio play they developed themselves. Across six stops, this creates a multifaceted portrait of Leipzig’s jazz scene that interweaves past, present, and future perspectives. Historical voices, concert excerpts, and narratives come together to form a multifaceted picture of Leipzig’s jazz history, while experimental sounds point the way forward.
The six listening stations can be explored at any time, on your own and independently of one another—on foot, by bike, or however you like. Whether you’re a die-hard jazz fan or a first-time listener looking to explore—everyone is welcome. All you need are headphones and a smartphone or tablet with an internet connection. You can listen to the audio tracks for each station via the Explore Leipzig app or here on the website.
Geyserhaus Parking Garage
Kleiststraße 52, 04157 Leipzig:
Charlie Parker and the Search for the Missing Saxophone—a radio play about jazz, sardines, and lots of Paris
The year is 1949, and Charlie “Bird” Parker is about to perform his legendary concert at the International Jazz Festival in Paris—but then his saxophone suddenly disappears. In this adventurous radio play, children tell the story of the legendary jazz musician in their very own “
” version.
Music: Charlie Parker
CONVENTION CENTER at the Leipzig Zoo
31 Pfaffendorfer Str., 04105 Leipzig
How did Leipzig become the jazz hub of the GDR, and how did the “ Leipziger Jazztage ” become a gathering place for the international jazz scene? Audience members and event organizers share stories of major concerts, stubborn bureaucrats, and the courage to bring their own ideas to life—in the Kongresshalle and beyond.
Music: Friedhelm Schönfeld Trio, Berlin Improvisation Quartet, Emil Viklicky Trio, Karoly Binder feat. John Tchicai, Albert Mangelssdorff, Ernst-Ludwig Petrowsky, Borbetomagus
House of Festivals / SKALA
Gottschedstraße 16, 04109 Leipzig
The vision for a new jazz venue in Leipzig: After years of standing vacant, the Skala at Gottschedstraße 16 is set to be given a new lease on life—and the Leipzig “ Jazzclub ” will finally have its own venue there. What will it all look like? What still needs to be done? And what visions do the musicians have for the space?
Music: HYPNAGOGIA, Summer/Blache/Dornbusch/Kraft, “Schumann Disrupted”; Barnett/Burkert/Klesse/Bayer/Landfermann/Philipp, “Hearts on Hold”
"Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy" University of Music and Theater
Dittrichring 21, 04109 Leipzig
The HMT Leipzig: Between Craftsmanship and Freedom—What Makes for a Good Jazz Education? At the Leipzig University of Music and Theater, tradition, craftsmanship, and musical freedom come together. Ralf Schrabbe, Philip Frischkorn, and Emmanuel Walter talk about Richie Beirach, Michael Wollny, and the search for their own sound.
Music: Richy Beirach, Carl Wittig’s *Songs of Silver*, Narr/Jongayong/Martin/Stadtfeld, Bessie Smith
Former Telegraph Live Club
Matthäikirchhof, 04109 Leipzig
The Telegraph and Leipzig’s independent jazz scene: A dark basement, no equipment, and hardly any money—and yet, in 2010, the Telegraph live club emerged as a new hub of Leipzig’s jazz scene. The club’s history is marked by legendary sessions, sold-out concerts, and the effort to put Leipzig on the jazz map.
Music: Claudia Quintett, Bugge Wesseltoft, Philipp Gropper’s PHILM, Flowers&Fabini
"die naTo" Sociocultural Center
Karl-Liebknecht-Straße 46, 04275 Leipzig
The Leipzig Jazz Scene Through the Years: Few venues in Leipzig have shaped the city’s jazz history for as long as the naTo. Members of Leipjazzig e.V. and the Spielvereinigung Sued recount how the scene and one of its most important venues have changed over four decades.
Music: Hannes Zerbe Sextet, Das Quintett (Becker/Bauer/Petrowsky/Koch/Sommer), John Surman & Pierre Favre, Stephan König, Spielvereinigung Sued feat. Kalima and Munterfel
Imprint
The audio walk is a collaboration between GeyserHaus e.V. and the Leipzig Association for the Promotion of the Arts (Jazzclub Leipzig e.V.).
Project Leader: Caroline Behr
Speakers: Ruth Ander-Donath, Yannic Köhler, Caroline Behr
Script: Luca Glenzer, Yannic Köhler, Philip Frischkorn
; Audio Production/Sound Design: Philipp Rumsch, Philipp Ruoff
Interviews: Friederike Bartel, Simon Bodensiek, Annett Grundke, Sebastian Haas, Britta Herrmann, Stephan Kämmerer, Judith Kellner, Harald Krause, Stephan König, Antonio Lucaciu, Johannes Moritz, Steffen Pohle, Olga Reznichenko, Ralf Schrabbe, Annika Sautter, Gerhard Schulz, Maximilian Stadtfeld, Emmanuel Walther
GeyserHaus Participants – Station: Annika Amthor, Konrad Brzezinski, Emma Günther, Luca Höhmann (Leader), Judith Knick, Lily Peredo Heimhold, Ernesto Schütze, Janne Träger, Lore Träger, Wolf Träger, Fabian Trost, Ella Weinhold, Tilman Waldhier (Leader)
Illustration: Stefan Ibrahim
Design: Bureau.FM
Sponsored by:
