The Festival was realised for the first time in 1964 with the name Berliner Jazztage by the Berliner Festspiele in West Berlin, and throughout the Sixties it was synonymous with presentation of important concerts. More recently it was strongly influenced by Joachim Ernst Berendt, also known as the Jazz Pope: this artist has contributed the meeting and mixing up on the stage of the festival between jazz musicians coming from all over the world, and the results of this engagement can be seen, or better heard, by everybody listening to his records Jazz meets the world.

Starting from this edition, and for the next 3 years, the successor of Peter Schulze (the responsible for the artistic direction of the past edition) will be Nils Landgren, who had already been in charge of this in 2001, when he organised a particularly successful edition. If we give consideration to his great experience and to the close network of acquaintances that he has succeeded in creating in these years, Landgren seems to be the right person to deal with this important event: the artist has a successful career as soloist (he performs with the name Mr Red Hoen) and as a member of the group Funk Unit, but in the same time he also takes part in other groups? projects and works as adviser for the NDR Big Band. A jazz expert has been designed to organise this event, which aims to document and support the new trends of this music genre, and to show the results that creativity in music can achieve.

The event will include a number of concerts of artists coming from all over the world who will perform in various venues all around the city, such as the Haus der Berliner Festspiele, one of the most outstanding modern theatres of the city. This building was realised by the Berlin architect Fritz Bornemann, who died in 2007 (he also realised the Deutsche Oper), and inaugurated in 1963 with the name Theater der Freien Volksb?hne. The theatre is made even more special by its location (a garden in Schaperstrasse) and by the fact that the stage can be equally well seen from any seat in the theatre. Every year it hosts the most important theatre productions, as well as concerts and discussions, and from 2001 it is the centre of the activities promoted by the Berlinerfestspiele, a cultural and artistic association that has dealt with the organisation of important events in the field of music, theatre, dance and literature since 1951, when it was founded, with the aim of showing the most recent developments of all of these forms of art. MaerzMusik, Theatertreffen, Musikfest Berlin, Internationales Literaturfestival Berlin, Spielzeit?Europa are the most important events organised by the Berliner Festspile, which is also the proud organiser of the Jazzfest, which always attracts thousands of visitors.

Berlin is a dynamic city in which new artistic and cultural developments are always given great importance, and the Jazzfest is a demonstration of this. Do not miss this event, and if you want to be sure to find a cheap accommodation, book now in one of the various hostels of the city.

Tickets: various prices

Date: 5th -9th November 2008

Location: Berlin