It is "unheard of!"

10 days, 25 concerts, 90 musicians - the Zurich jazz festival "unerhört!" will delight audiences from 22 November to 1 December with bold jazz between tradition and experimentation.

The renowned festival format celebrates jazz as a multiplier of itself. Above all, it surprises connoisseurs and the brave alike with what the dynamics of a genre considered dusty can offer, namely a tasty concoction of electro, punk, indie, soul and spiritual. Or to put it another way: "Between continuity and renewal, "unerhört!" seeks the pulse of the times and looks to the future with a rich tradition." This is what the programme announcement says, and it delivers what it promises.

The Mayfield

The band is named after the Mayfield Depot, a disused railway station in Manchester. The current piece "What happened would happen" was created in its raw atmosphere. Connoisseurs say that the breathtaking improvised sound cannot be compared to anything currently being heard in the genre of contemporary music. If you want to hear more, visit the gig at the Theater am Gleis in Winterthur.

The Mayfield

Theater am Gleis

The Mayfield

The project by pianist, orchestra leader and theatre director Heiner Goebbels is named after the Mayfield Depot, a huge disused railway station in ...

Nite Bjuti

The Rote Fabrik has always been the festival's stronghold. This is where the scene mixes with the venue's regular audience and music enthusiasts over two evenings and six concerts. And this is also where Grammy-nominated sound chemist Val Jeanty does the honours, embedded in the sound of the trio "Nite Bjuti" with singer Candice Hoyes and Mimi Jones on bass. Improvising and experimental throughout, the three musicians stimulate the senses with their Afro-Caribbean signature.

Another highlight at the Rote Fabrik will be provided by living legend Joëlle Léandre and the "Atlantic Ave. Septet" in a prominent line-up with some of the most important musicians on the Brooklyn scene.

Stemseder kittens

(A good footballer can) play left as well as right: if you want to indulge in the facets of the duo "Stemeseder Lillinger" in different features, go to Rank on two consecutive evenings. On Tuesday, Elias Stemeseder on piano and Christian Lillinger on drums will be joining forces with Swiss accordionist Tizia Zimmermann for an electronic rendezvous that is sometimes light-footed, sometimes brute.

Wednesday at Rank will be a completely different event, dedicated exclusively to acoustic music. The New York trumpeter and sound researcher Peter Evans and Joe Sanders on bass promise musical fireworks together with "Stemeseder Lillinger".

Tuesday, 26 November, 21:30 & Wednesday, 27 November, 21:30,

Rank

It is the mission of "unerhört!" to remain dynamic on the basis of its alma mater - jazz - and to conquer new musicians and venues that are harmonised with one another. Space and sound are in a mutually enriching liaison at every concert. And the event spots always impress with their manageable size, which allows the sparks to fly between the audience and musicians.

unheard! festival

unerhört! Festival

unheard! festival

10 days, 25 concerts, 90 musicians, 13 venues - join us from Friday, 22 November to Sunday, 1 December for a ten-day celebration of contemporary jazz in all ...

Published from Nicole Seipp-Isele on November 14, 2024.

More from our scouts

31 Questions for the Literaturhaus Zürich
15.10.2026

31 Questions for the Literaturhaus Zürich

The Musikfestwochen are worried about your first crush; they don’t want to compromise their principles, but instead aim to establish passion as their currency and face our questioning.

Kulturzüri
Kulturzüri
‘The second time round, the audience hears the piece with fresh ears’
18.12.2025

‘The second time round, the audience hears the piece with fresh ears’

In its new concert series at the Cabaret Voltaire, the Collegium Novum performs the same piece twice at each concert. Why? We asked the co-artistic director.

Talisa Walser
Talisa Walser
My first time... on the social city tour
10.10.2024

My first time... on the social city tour

Surprise, a name familiar from the street magazine, organises nine different city tours with a unique twist. A former homeless person leads a two-hour tour through the city of Zurich. ...

Nadja Heinsius
Nadja Heinsius

More from your scouts

Ron Orp
Ron Orp
Kyros Kikos
Kyros Kikos
David Suivez
David Suivez
Katharina Nill
Katharina Nill
Nadja Heinsius
Nadja Heinsius
Pascale Diggelmann
Pascale Diggelmann
All scouts