BERLIN JAZZ: Like most cities, yet unlike any other city, Berlin bubbles along, continuing on its ambitious and evolutionary path. It oscillates between the old east and west and historic and contemporary aspects. Then, suddenly the city is in prime time and in the world news cycle's sights again with last week's celebration of the 20th anniversary of the “fall of the Wall." On the night before the official November 9 anniversary, I was munching on categorically delicious custom-recipe chicken at a vibey hundred-year-old place in Kreuzberg--on the Wall-hugging western fringe of Soviet-era Berlin--called Henne (meaning “chicken"), enjoying some Bavarian landbier, and pondering the very different Berlin that was in this spot just more than two decades ago.

History can make you dizzy in this city, in myriad ways. Leading up to the much-adoed reunification celebration, based around the fireworked-up Brandenburg Gate, next to the Reichstag, was the now 45-year-old JazzFest Berlin, one of the boldest “off-season" Euro-jazz fests. Its five-day spread was denser than usual, with material and inspirations to the left and right.