Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ALL THAT JAZZ
Copenhagen's
Jazz Festival
is thebiggest entertainment event in the city's calendar, with
10 days of saxy tunes beginning on the first Friday in July. The festival energises the Dan-
ish capital like nothing else, bringing not just live music to its streets, canalsides and an
eclectic mix of venues, but creating a tangible buzz of excitement in the air.
There are usually over 1200 different concerts held in every available space, from cafes
and street corners to the Operaen (Opera House) and Tivoli's Koncertsal - in fact, the city
itself becomes one big sound stage. Amble through the city centre on a summer night
during the festival and the party mood is nothing short of infectious. Even if you have an
instinctive aversion to men in black turtlenecks, expect to be won over by the incredible
line-up each year. You'll even find special children's jazz events in Kongens Have, ready to
hook the next generation of sax and bass fiends early.
Copenhagen has been the jazz capital of Scandinavia since the 1920s, when the Mont-
martre Club was one of the most famous in Europe. Revived in 2010 after a long hiatus,
the new Jazzhus Montmartre is in good company, with top venues such as La Fontaine,
the city's most 'hard-core' jazz club, and Jazzhouse, the largest and most popular, ensur-
ing that legacy remains alive and kicking. The fact that the city is also home to a dispro-
portionately large population of both home-grown and international jazz musicians
doesn't hurt either.
Copenhagen's first jazz festival took place in 1978. Since then it has mushroomed into
one of Europe's leading jazz events. Over the years, performers have included such
renowned names as Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Oscar Peterson, Ray
Charles and Wynton Marsalis. Tony Bennett, Herbie Hancock and Keith Jarrett are regu-
lars, as are Denmark's own Cecilie Norby and David Sanborn.
It's a fun, slightly haphazard scene that brings everyone in the city out to party. Most of
the open-air events are free, but you have to buy tickets to the big names in big venues.
The music at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival is as varied as the venues. Traditional sounds
range from old-fashioned Dixieland jazz and Satchmo-style solo improvisation to the
WWII-era swing music that reigned in Duke Ellington and Benny Goodman's day - the
Danish free jazz scene also gets a look-in. There's plenty of modern jazz along the lines of
that inspired by legendary trumpeter Miles Davis, and you can also find lots of contem-
porary hybrid sounds: free-jazz, acid jazz, soul jazz, nu-jazz, jazz vocals and rhythm and
blues. The festival programme is usually published in May.
