Home » Jazz Articles » Live Review » Enjoy Jazz Festival: Heidelberg / Mannheim / Ludwigshafe...

Enjoy Jazz Festival: Heidelberg / Mannheim / Ludwigshafen, Germany, October 30-November 7, 2012

By John Kelman
November 26, 2012
View read count

Festival Wrap-Up

Getting ready to catch a plane to Oslo, for Norwegian singer Sidsel Endresen's 60th Birthday bash at Nasjonal Jazzscene Victoria, it was unfortunate to have to miss Enjoy Jazz's first symposium on the state of jazz today. Organized by German scholar Dr. Christian Broecking, Lost in Diversity was sure to feature some intriguing lectures and group discussions, with invited participants including musicians including saxophonist Archie Shepp, pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach and reed multi-instrumentalist Yusef Lateef, along with jazz critics like Howard Mandel and Ted Panken. Thelonious Monk Institute president Tom Carter, Jazzinstitute Darmstadt director Wolfram Knauer, University of California's Eric Porter, Copenhagen Jazz Festival's Christian Dalhas and others.

Herbie Hancock, 2012 Enjoy Jazz Festival—© 2012 John Kelman

But with a truly exciting two days lined up for Oslo—including a new improvising ensemble led by Endresen, and an evening of music dedicated to Endresen by friends flying in from many locations—it was a one-time event not to be missed. Still, it's always difficult to leave Heidelberg, and this year was no different. After a week of largely outstanding music, great food, terrific care from the Enjoy Jazz staff and the Hollander Hof hotel, the only thing that will be better will be a guaranteed invite to return to Germany in 2013, when Enjoy Jazz turns fifteen.

Photo Credit

All Photos: John Kelman

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Trevor Rabin: All Colors Considered
< Previous

three into wonderfull
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.