"We celebrate jazz in all its facets!" 

The programme has been published! And at the same time, advance ticket sales for the most beautiful jazz festival in the world have started! Tickets are available at www.jazzbaltica.de and on the ticket hotline 0431-23 70 70. 

From 27 to 30 June 2024, Timmendorfer Strand will once again become a jazz metropolis. Visitors can look forward to 37 concerts on the grounds around the Strandpark, providing an impressive stage for stars and up-and-coming talent. The line-up includes big names such as Monty Alexander, Rigmor Gustafsson, Viktoria Tolstoy, Ulita Knaus, Markus Stockhausen, Wolfgang Haffner, Sebastian Studnitzky and Gwilym Simcock. In addition, ensembles such as the NDR Bigband, the Jacob Karlzon Trio and the Sarah Chaksad Large Ensemble. "From three major anniversaries to the most exciting newcomers - we are celebrating jazz in all its facets!" says Nils Landgren, artistic director of the festival. 

This summer, JazzBaltica will be focussing on three important anniversaries: in addition to the 30th anniversary of the Nils Landgren Funk Unit and the jazz rap band Jazzkantine, a special tribute concert will be dedicated to the Esbjörn Svensson Trio, which was founded in 1993. But there will also be exciting newcomers such as saxophonists Emma Rawicz and Fabia Mantwill, singer Selma Pinton and pianists Yessaï Karapetian and Tigran Tatevosyan.

Concerts on the Maritim MainStage

JazzBaltica starts with a milestone birthday: For three decades, Nils Landgren's "Funk Unit" has been providing the music scene with rousing grooves, danceable beats, crisp riffs, brilliant brass sections, cool vocals and lyrical soul. In the spirit of their current album title, "Funk Is My Religion", the band will also transform the birthday concert into an extravagant celebration of "Feel Good Music". Illustrious special guests such as Ray Parker jr. (guitar), Candy Dulfer (saxophone) and Sebastian Studnitzky (trumpet) have been invited to this funky celebration - a party that will delight the audience. The Wolfgang Haffner Trio (JB S) will play at the opening. The concert is already sold out. 

Late on Thursday evening, the upptakt begins at 11.30 pm in the JazzClub with the Swedish-Polish singer Vivian Buczek, who, together with her band, creates subtly lyrical moments reminiscent of the legendary Ella Fitzgerald. 

The festival programme begins on Friday with one of the best trumpet players in contemporary jazz: Markus Stockhausen. He describes his improvised music as "intuitive music". Beyond stylistic boundaries, in the field of tension between jazz, classical music, folklore, new music and electronic music, he is constantly searching for new sonic experiments. Accompanied by Dutch pianist Jeroen van Vliet, cellist Jörg Brinkmann and percussionist Christian Thomé, the trumpeter creates multi-layered music that stimulates the body and mind in equal measure. (JB 1)

The BBC Jazz Awards, the British Jazz Awards, the Parliamentary Jazz Awards - the Welsh pianist Gwilym Simcock, born in 1981, has them all and several more honours in his pocket. He is a star of the British jazz scene and has travelled the world musically. At JazzBaltica, his musical path crosses with 21-year-old saxophonist Emma Rawicz, a jazz prodigy from the United Kingdom. Together they create musical landscapes between chamber jazz and world music that fascinate with their richness of colour, plasticity and moments of surprise. (JB 1)

In the seemingly infinite world of jazz singers, few personalities stand out who combine natural expression and a keen sense of the musical environment as masterfully as the Swedes Rigmor Gustafsson and Viktoria Tolstoy and the German Torsten Goods. In the "Vocal JazzNight" they present a highly energetic mix of jazz standards, blues, funk, soul and pop. They are accompanied by their excellent ensembles, which provide the virtuoso instrumental backdrop. (JB 2)

The concert series on Saturday will open with a performance by Swedish pianist Jacob Karlzon, who has been playing in the premier league of European jazz since the 1990s. He became known to a wider audience as the accompanist to jazz singer Viktoria Tolstoy. However, he has also played in various big bands, played hard bop and even heavy metal-inspired jazz. However, the 53-year-old and his trio particularly enjoy focussing on more introspective music that organically combines US tradition and Scandinavian sound culture. He skilfully oscillates between virtuoso jazz expertise, refined pop harmonies and rock grooves. (JB 3)

The German saxophonist and Zurich resident Nicole Johänntgen is a bundle of energy: she has dedicated herself to a number of band projects, founded her own record label and initiated a network that provides further training and support for European female musicians. Her current project "Robin" brings together pianist Manon Mullener, bassist Sonja Bossart and percussionists David Stauffacher and Roberto Hacaturyan. Together they embark on a search for global jazz. (JB 3) 

The 30-year-old pianist and composer Yessaï Karapetian is a shooting star of the French jazz scene. In his work, he is a musical globetrotter who skilfully blends rich Armenian ornamentation, African-American traditions, French impressionist piano playing and contemporary classical music with masterful sensitivity and virtuosity. Together with his quintet, he unfolds a unique sound that brings folklore and jazz together in a way never heard before - a musical adventure that pushes the boundaries of the familiar and explores new horizons of jazz. (JB 4)

The music of the Lisbeth Quartet is a beguiling interplay of diverse motifs and sounds. The German quartet, led by New York-based saxophonist Charlotte Greve, has been known for years for its unexpected musical twists and turns. This is also evident on the current album "Release", which combines the different jazz perspectives of the band members. The result is dense, atmospheric music with wide-ranging arcs that tell of energy and letting go and convey the feeling of a deeply rooted balance. (JB 4)

Ulita Knaus is one of the most important female singers in Germany. On her eight albums to date, she has collected a wide repertoire ranging from swinging scat singing to tasteful songs suitable for the charts. The Hamburg native is characterised by her enormous stylistic versatility, virtuosity and ease, which is also impressively manifested in her latest work "Old love and new". Inspired by the lyrics of American poets of the 19th and 20th centuries, she presents a multi-faceted album that oscillates perfectly between swing, soul and pop. (JB 5)

The Jazzkantine has been cooking up a storm since 1993, adding a good portion of jazz, plenty of rap, reggae and soul and occasionally even folk music to the pot. With this unique mixture, the formation from Braunschweig is celebrating huge successes and is present in the charts with its albums. Even after 30 years, the band led by composer and bassist Christian Eitner is not thinking of retiring as musicians and is determined to continue trying out creative jazz recipes. Their latest release "Discotheque", on which disco, funk and soul become a spirited, danceable sound, is proof of this. (JB 5)

"Jazz and flamenco are like siblings," says Basque bassist and composer Pablo Martín Caminero. Both genres are about creative freedom and personal expression. He has been proving this for years in various constellations with his sparkling compositions. Now he has found the ideal partners for his ingenious ideas in the NDR Big Band and its chief conductor Geir Lysne. After all, the Hamburg ensemble is able to realise complex rhythms and Caminero's film music-like narratives in such a gripping way that you simply can't sit still to these Mediterranean-jazz sounds. (JB 6)

The saxophonist, singer and bandleader Fabia Mantwill cannot be pigeonholed. Her sound can be dark and velvety at times, then crisp and full of funk appeal. The 30-year-old Berliner playfully juggles opposites and sharp contrasts to create an organic unity. This is also reflected in the sound of her "Large Ensemble", where energetic wind instruments and a powerful rhythm section meet delicate strings and a lyrical harp. This is no coincidence, as Fabia Mantwill endeavours to combine American jazz, European classical music and African and Latin American rhythms into a harmonious blend. (JB 6)

Sarah Chaksad is a star of the Swiss jazz scene. The 40-year-old saxophonist, composer and big band leader has made a name for herself above all with the diverse sounds of her "Large Ensemble" (a different formation to Fabia Mantwill's ensemble of the same name), which is refreshingly different from the standard sounds of a typical big band. On the new album, Chaksad comes to terms with the death of her Iranian father and delves deep into the fascinating world of Persian music. The result is an intoxicating and meditative meeting of Orient and Occident that imaginatively redefines the lines of musical genres. (JB 7)

Monty Alexander is a jazz legend. His piano playing is unique - elegant, fast-paced and imbued with the finest nuances of swinging, blues-soaked jazz. But that is only one side of his music, because the 79-year-old Jamaican pianist, whose adopted home is the USA, also celebrates his Caribbean roots in his compositions with mento and reggae sounds. With his long-time companions, bassist Luke Sellick and drummer Jason Brown, Monty Alexander conjures up a rousing mix of swinging jazz and laid-back Jamaican rhythms that will bring a Caribbean breeze to the festival on Sunday evening. (JB 7)

In the 15 years of its existence, the Swedish Esbjörn Svensson Trio (e.s.t.) has not only strongly influenced international jazz, but has also raised the piano trio format to a whole new level. Tragically, pianist Esbjörn Svensson died in a diving accident in 2008. To honour the trio, which was founded in 1993, JazzBaltica is organising a brilliant tribute concert. The members of e.s.t., Dan Berglund (bass) and Magnus Öström (drums), will also be taking part. Together with outstanding instrumentalists such as Joel Lyssarides (piano), Ulf Wakenius (guitar), Magnus Lindgren (saxophone/flute) and Mathias Eick (trumpet), they revive the trio's classics - a tribute full of esprit and musical sophistication that transports the audience into the unforgettable sound world of the Esbjörn Svensson Trio. (JB 8)

Thank you

JazzBaltica would like to thank the main sponsor Investitionsbank Schleswig-Holstein (IB.SH) as well as sponsors and partners such as gradwerk, WATERKANT and Süverkrüp. The long-standing media partners NDR Kultur and Deutschlandfunk strengthen the popularity of the festival, and JazzBaltica also continues its co-operation with ZDF. Special thanks go to the state of Schleswig-Holstein for its support. This year, JazzBaltica is once again sponsored by the municipality of Timmendorfer Strand-Niendorf and the Ulbrich Foundation. The festival hotel is the Maritim Seehotel Timmendorfer Strand.