# Europe in Concert: The EU Jazz & Blues Festival’s Autumn – Winter 2026 Journey։ Photos

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2026/10/22/575677/
- Published: 2026-10-22T03:00:58+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

### **A pan-European celebration of jazz, blues, improvisation and musical imagination!!!**

Across Europe, jazz and blues continue to create a remarkable meeting place for 
cultures, generations and artistic traditions. From Milan’s intimate jazz-club atmosphere
and Brussels’s orchestral sophistication to the historic concert halls of Copenhagen,
Barcelona’s architectural splendour and the soulful clubs of London, Vienna, Paris
and Madrid, the music speaks a language that crosses borders with extraordinary 
ease.

![](https://i0.wp.com/jazzblues.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Jazz-Blues-e1790582659167.
jpg?resize=750%2C500&ssl=1)

The EU Jazz and Blues Festival’s 2026 Autumn – Winter Jazz – Blues Season, directed
and organised by **Olivia Peevas**, brings together an inspiring range of internationally
recognised musicians, innovative ensembles, established masters and performers whose
artistic identities continue to expand the possibilities of contemporary jazz and
blues.

The concerts outlined below represent several complementary dimensions of this musical
landscape: the precision and freedom of jazz fusion, the expressive elegance of 
the trumpet, the open-ended conversations of modern improvisation, the enduring 
legacy of Miles Davis, the warmth of gospel-inflected vocals, and the direct, unvarnished
energy of the blues club.

## Jazz virtuosity and the art of musical conversation

### Charlie Hunter Trio — Blue Note Milano, Milan, Italy

![The Alluvion Jazz Series Presents: Charlie Hunter Trio — The Alluvion](https://
images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/FZoQK9gMoa0JZkeKUDXjnwZM1eJG1eghgYXB8GZLEUoCoq20T_ODYeuxStZyDXxaNlFiJ_pjqSD-
ulE5gIEShu4UeFCTfzZMwmmNykBrU3gGIiEZazAUORtI_JG9DdTrr949peze9WH33UrlrfQj5SNpL7QQHcS0whMp32wffYY?
purpose=inline)

Milan has long occupied an important place in Italy’s musical life, balancing an
international cultural outlook with a deep appreciation for intimate performance
spaces.

At Blue Note Milano, on Via Pietro Borsieri, 37, the club setting is particularly
suited to musicians who thrive on direct communication, rhythmic immediacy and the
spontaneous excitement of live improvisation.

Charlie Hunter is an exceptional figure in contemporary jazz guitar. His pioneering
use of extended-range instruments allows him to combine bass lines, chordal accompaniment
and melodic improvisation in a remarkably integrated musical language. Rather than
treating the guitar simply as a solo instrument, he approaches it as a compact, 
self-contained ensemble.

The artistic fascination of Hunter’s music lies in the way several musical functions
appear to coexist beneath a single pair of hands. A pulsing bass line establishes
the harmonic foundation, clipped chords provide rhythmic definition, and bright 
melodic phrases rise above the groove.

Funk, blues, soul and modern jazz become parts of the same conversation, while syncopation
and unexpected harmonic turns keep the music in constant motion. His approach has
been widely recognised for its unusual combination of technical ingenuity and natural
groove.

In a trio setting, that instrumental architecture creates an especially compelling
balance between independence and interaction. The music can move from tightly interlocking
rhythmic figures to open passages in which a simple motif becomes the starting point
for improvisational exploration. The best way to appreciate Hunter’s virtuosity 
is not merely to admire its complexity, but to hear how effortlessly that complexity
serves the music.

At Blue Note Milano, the programme belongs to the adventurous side of the festival:
contemporary, rhythmically alive, harmonically curious and rooted in the enduring
relationship between jazz and the blues.

### The Music of Bert Joris: The Next Chapter — BOZAR, Brussels, Belgium

![Brussels Jazz Orchestra - Brussels Jazz Orchestra](https://images.openai.com/static-
rsc-4/Uilade2AccCI0H4Wd1iwARvAKuhBjy1i7MelhCgyoMk8XOwJKjWQlj1N1wBA4KaHK9Zt9zI1sz-
SiCyQYz1W3RRzdG1TwP4oCuJQZ07xoSV8txkMEgtdsCYmuPoXzMduGsXz_ChNHDfGfZE_dLcD4ARyfdQ5YZVVSnCGdYnANBo?
purpose=inline)

Brussels offers a particularly meaningful setting for a concert celebrating Bert
Joris and his relationship with the Brussels Jazz Orchestra. The Belgian capital
is a crossroads of European languages, cultures and artistic traditions, while BOZAR,
at Rue Ravenstein 23, is one of its prominent cultural venues.

Joris, the distinguished Belgian trumpeter, composer and bandleader, has developed
a musical identity in which melodic elegance, harmonic sophistication and a profound
understanding of ensemble colour occupy equal positions. His collaboration with 
the Brussels Jazz Orchestra places these qualities within the expansive possibilities
of a large jazz ensemble.

The programme’s title, The Next Chapter, suggests a forward-looking celebration 
rather than a retrospective confined to familiar achievements. With Joris’s forthcoming
seventieth birthday providing the occasion, the concert also offers an opportunity
to reflect on the artistic continuity between generations of European jazz musicians.

The Brussels Jazz Orchestra is especially well suited to this music. A sophisticated
jazz orchestra can function as far more than a large accompaniment: saxophones, 
trumpets, trombones and rhythm section create an evolving palette of colours, from
transparent chamber-like passages to powerful, densely voiced climaxes. In the hands
of accomplished arrangers and players, a brass chord can feel almost architectural,
while a single trumpet line can emerge from the ensemble with extraordinary clarity.

Joris’s compositional sensibility makes the relationship between the individual 
voice and the collective sound particularly important. The trumpet can sing lyrically
above a carefully shaped orchestral texture, answer the reeds in a conversational
exchange or lead the ensemble into a more animated, rhythmically charged passage.

The special concert-recording dimension gives the occasion additional significance.
It frames the performance not only as a live meeting between composer and orchestra,
but also as a musical document intended to preserve a moment in an ongoing artistic
journey. The official Brussels Jazz Orchestra website provides a useful photographic
reference for the ensemble and its performances.

### Lucienne Renaudin Vary & Band — Schloss Elmau, Bavaria, Germany

![Lucienne Renaudin Vary okouzlila Rudolfinum | Prague Philharmonia](https://images.
openai.com/static-rsc-4/DKbZjit5kYss9jn6595eRUAkiMTPFRcCwkLAPpq7DUoITtiUx1Qkh838dFQw4vHH9utIWEcEjQgLFpBopJRrS0QR47o1eUWZusWPXNFMoPLYpIj5NwRxcswuO9E68e2fk517kVHJyTtqGXKdv-
c58vHeHZJtndNVqpA-qojeo4A?purpose=inline)

Nestled in the Bavarian Alps, Schloss Elmau offers a distinctive environment for
music: mountain scenery, an atmosphere of retreat and a cultural identity associated
with artistic discovery. Located in Krün, the venue provides a fitting backdrop 
for Lucienne Renaudin Vary, the French trumpeter whose work brings classical refinement
into dialogue with the freedom and rhythmic vitality of jazz.

Renaudin Vary has attracted international attention for her command of the trumpet
and her ability to move between musical traditions without losing the distinctive
character of either. Her artistry combines technical assurance with a lightness 
of expression that allows the instrument to sound lyrical, playful, brilliant or
introspective.

The trumpet is capable of extraordinary contrasts. It can project a clear, radiant
melody across a hall, articulate intricate passages with almost vocal precision 
or soften into a delicate, intimate tone. Renaudin Vary’s cross-genre approach opens
the way for these different qualities to coexist within a single programme.

In a band setting, the interplay between soloist and ensemble can reveal a different
side of her musicianship from a purely classical performance. Jazz phrasing encourages
flexible timing, expressive inflection and responsiveness to the rhythmic character
of the accompaniment. Melodies can be ornamented, reshaped and approached from unexpected
directions, allowing familiar musical ideas to acquire a sense of discovery.

Schloss Elmau’s surroundings reinforce the appeal of such a programme. The natural
stillness of the mountains provides an imaginative counterpoint to the trumpet’s
brilliance, while the intimacy of the setting invites listeners to concentrate on
tone, phrasing and the subtleties of ensemble communication. The festival’s presentation
of Renaudin Vary celebrates a generation of musicians who regard stylistic boundaries
not as barriers, but as opportunities for conversation.

### Bill Frisell Trio — European tour with Luke Bergman and Tim Angulo

![NUEJAZZ/ Bill Frisell Trio](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/JdQPRCLvQRdw6vR7oDhPifUX8BQXxD1P_5wGsltkRsOUZ7hYHiBO5ljgl7xVRIqhzcpI5wKMpOGfN161e8ALzi5vhBmqnw334SkjUYjx9fnDpbKctAqvr_UeTANs5bKHUnKT478qo8BBp9BfiLHD_1AfeUjjKfep8iYdqfdM8Lg?
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Few contemporary guitarists have developed a musical vocabulary as individual as
Bill Frisell’s. Across decades of performances and recordings, the American musician
has explored the meeting points of jazz, folk, blues, country, experimental music
and the traditions of American popular song.

His 2026 European tour with Luke Bergman and Tim Angulo places this distinctive 
musical personality in a trio context, where space, timbre and attentive listening
can be as important as virtuoso display.

Frisell’s playing often begins with deceptively simple material: a few notes, a 
fragment of melody, an open chord or a phrase that seems to hover between familiarity
and abstraction. Through subtle changes in articulation, harmony and tone, he can
transform that material into something mysterious and emotionally resonant.

His guitar sound is particularly expressive. Sustained notes may bloom into atmospheric
textures; a blues inflection may evoke the grain of an old American song; and a 
spare melodic statement may carry the emotional weight of an entire composition.
Silence is not an absence in this music. It is an active part of the arrangement,
allowing a phrase to settle before the next musical idea emerges.

![Bill Frisell with Tim Angulo and Luke Bergman — PDX Jazz](https://images.openai.
com/static-rsc-4/wSXHXO7KDDq2NzZHjNj-xI4Rf9ndd25qPz9cGxQTsp6CdabaGqafBpP1KgcFKQ-
wiLujVW9k4pPP5AqQegajlIRTZHyAehFEdZrSY09sP2pG25FJYkBO0k5NcOxVGw3LT-IbK4a3u6nJDHvm1PsYGabO5JB4LU_hIuBk1kE9FhM?
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Bergman’s bass provides the possibility of both grounding and harmonic mobility,
while Angulo’s drums can shape the music’s pulse without imposing an inflexible 
framework. The trio format encourages a fluid exchange between melody, rhythm and
texture, allowing compositions to breathe and evolve organically.

### Blues across Europe: Clubs, communities and the living tradition

The festival’s blues programme brings the music back to places where it has always
flourished: small clubs, intimate bars and local venues in which musicians and audiences
share the same physical space. These performances represent a different but equally
essential dimension of the season.

The blues is a tradition of storytelling, repetition, tension and release. A bent
guitar note, a vocal phrase delivered with conviction, or a rhythm section settling
into a deep groove can communicate as powerfully as a much larger production. The
club is not merely a smaller concert hall; it is an environment in which spontaneity,
personality and audience response help shape the evening.

### Miguel Montalban & Southern Vultures — Reigen Live Blues Club, Vienna, Austria

![Energiegeladener Sound: Miguel Montalban beim Helmbrechtser Kulturfrühling - Münchberg-
Frankenpost](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/wvu-wRvZM7FTbUa9c4ZunT1NJOsn2VwjLAdHEf9hk_ryew-
ev4K_-PGrQlWqM3T5r2j7Mvhn9prXVPE9Vg1cwgr1kxcuDvAEwNCsTUhyC5X_p9e6YxjYm53ryEQj35BjTLMoR4ijOnPdvW2IYjUTdmBC2028nF-
jJWY6Fgo3Pu4?purpose=inline)

Vienna is internationally associated with classical music, yet its contemporary 
musical identity also embraces rock, jazz, blues and independent performance culture.

Reigen Live Blues Club offers a setting in which guitar-led music can be appreciated
at close range, with the audience able to experience the physical energy of the 
performance as well as its musical detail.

Miguel Montalban and his band, Southern Vultures, bring a guitar-centred approach
to the programme, drawing on the expressive vocabulary of blues and the expansive
energy of blues-rock.

The electric guitar has a particularly direct relationship with the blues. Its expressive
language depends not only on notes and chords, but on how those notes are produced:
bends that stretch a melody, vibrato that gives a sustained tone a human quality,
and rhythmic accents that make a riff feel almost conversational.

In a blues-rock setting, these elements can be expanded through greater volume, 
heavier rhythmic patterns and more forceful ensemble interplay. The rhythm section
creates the momentum, while the guitar moves between riff-based passages, melodic
responses and improvisation. The result can be muscular without abandoning the blues
tradition’s essential emphasis on phrasing and emotional communication.

For the festival, the Vienna appearance represents the strength of regional and 
club-based music. Such performances help maintain the connection between international
touring artists and the local communities that sustain live music throughout the
year.

### Lord Bishop Rocks — Meisenfrei Blues Club, Bremen, Germany

![“Vou continuar voltando até que eu morra”, diz Lord Bishop Rocks, em quarta turnê
no Brasil – Vírgula](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/CNgvnCpCscR3UfXv_LWU7iKmKIhABvM1pZANwlAMPR_8Kg0JLE_eKaBz6TS1qL3lMqWClqRUHCGD_Ck7zyKhMHQ_ZL3u4TLHOWdTNSm-
R3iUc2oR61omSkmRzkrWj5IPHYkmAmDLlgTrIWAw4_Fy8DKBv8PUQ9jeIJYykEF2mfA?purpose=inline)

In Bremen, the Meisenfrei Blues Club provides a natural home for music that draws
on the blues while embracing the force of heavy rock. Lord Bishop Rocks belongs 
to a performance tradition in which blues-derived riffs, assertive guitar work and
a powerful rhythmic foundation are central to the experience.

Bremen’s place in northern Germany’s musical landscape makes the club setting an
important part of this appearance. Here, the music’s impact comes not from orchestral
scale or elaborate staging, but from the immediacy of the band.

Heavy blues-rock amplifies some of the blues’s most recognisable characteristics.
Repeating riffs establish a hypnotic framework, the drums create forward motion,
and the guitar uses distortion, sustain and bends to intensify the emotional contours
of the music. Yet the blues remains present beneath the volume: in the phrasing,
in the rhythmic placement of the notes and in the call-and-response relationship
between musical lines.

The distinction between a technically impressive performance and a convincing blues-
rock performance often lies in the strength of the groove. A riff must feel inevitable;
a pause must carry tension; and a climactic passage must emerge from the musical
argument rather than simply becoming louder.

Meisenfrei’s club atmosphere is well suited to that kind of direct, physical music.
The performance also illustrates how blues remains a living influence on contemporary
rock, continually reinterpreted by musicians who value its expressive freedom and
its capacity to connect with audiences.

### Mazza — Nightjar Cocktail Bar, London, United Kingdom

![MAZZA | Nightjar](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/SkfqwYJKNzH9jTyq3dwfX6f0J76U--
c3TWWdNoBqaljm9yHeugOnH8ZrqIBeQc2pfoNLKDWEP-Zopr6vPkMWcCv_ByBolyI8WvXYkcUbD5rALv_PFsfP6U5HwkVMWP6qVKbSkoQVulLf7qDcaA_Sblw4C9Nlyt31V5YJzOZPVKQ?
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London’s musical identity has been shaped by generations of blues musicians, from
the British blues revival to contemporary artists who combine traditional influences
with modern production and performance styles.

Nightjar, known for its intimate cocktail-bar environment and live music programming,
offers an especially interesting contrast to the larger concert venues of the festival.

Mazza’s electro-acoustic solo blues set places the individual musician at the centre
of the experience. Without a full band to provide a continuous rhythmic and harmonic
framework, the performer must create a sense of movement through guitar technique,
phrasing, dynamics and arrangement.

Solo blues is an art of suggestion. A few low notes can establish a bass movement;
a chord can imply the rhythm section; and a melodic phrase can become a vocal-like
statement even when the instrument is carrying the principal expressive role. Electro-
acoustic amplification adds another dimension, allowing the natural resonance of
the instrument to coexist with a more immediate, modern sound.

The absence of a large ensemble makes every detail more noticeable. A change in 
tempo, a pause between phrases or a shift from delicate fingerwork to a sharper 
rhythmic attack can alter the entire emotional atmosphere.

Mazza’s programme also highlights the blues’s adaptability. The music can retain
its traditional expressive foundations while finding a place in contemporary urban
nightlife, where listeners may encounter it in a setting that encourages close attention
rather than arena-sized spectacle.

### Tonky de la Peña — Traditional blues jam, Moe Bar, Madrid, Spain

![El padre del blues en España, Tonky de la Peña, estará en la nueva edición del
Santa Blues](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/V08QQafcofghjV8VkbOCkZdh80OnP8jfuTLhC34jdu6EqUPOw4GkvzfNtHupIWMS3zlUAhAePjt5CyWnOEXfuazzIwRL1zm_QlNMRkzvS6PELL3hxtCsYaD72M-
B8gtPq_wJqHLgfi_2eqb8GF-ydC_-s4tjewh6tDzaik9J2CA?purpose=inline)

Madrid’s blues community has its own distinctive character, shaped by local musicians,
intimate venues and the enduring appeal of American blues traditions. The weekly
jam session at Moe Bar, led by Tonky de la Peña, belongs to this grassroots culture.

Unlike a concert built around a fixed repertoire and a carefully determined sequence,
a jam session creates room for spontaneous encounters. Musicians meet through shared
musical vocabulary, familiar chord progressions and the collective understanding
of how a blues performance unfolds.

The traditional blues jam is a form of living musical exchange. A guitarist may 
introduce a twelve-bar progression; a singer may shape the emotional direction of
a song; another instrumentalist may respond with a phrase that changes the momentum
of the performance. The musicians negotiate dynamics and timing in real time, learning
to recognise when to step forward and when to leave space for someone else.

This format requires more than instrumental proficiency. It depends on listening,
generosity, rhythmic confidence and an awareness of the ensemble as a whole. The
blues progression provides a familiar framework, but each interpretation can be 
different because each player brings an individual touch, tone and emotional perspective.

Tonky de la Peña’s role as the session leader makes the gathering particularly valuable
to the local scene. A regular jam can serve as a meeting place for experienced performers,
emerging musicians and audiences interested in discovering the tradition from within.

For the EU Jazz and Blues Festival, this Madrid event is an important reminder that
the life of a musical culture cannot be measured solely by prestigious bookings.
It also depends on the recurring nights when musicians gather, share their knowledge
and keep the music moving forward.

### Les mardis blues — Le Piano Vache, Paris, France

![12 of the Best Paris Jazz Clubs and Venues](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-
4/ecMo_Aj3xVeSlhoea46VgsZM7b6coowPnTHwHYDKJslkzbNrcaERwIJfibET7PJpGpfE4DzUrqrjFjZDEZoZx1SoQpE_J0AgNYF8yZGKNP3_IOqhTi2D9p3FzL_6L3Ljlg0FhfVT-
w7ojc5KAV8jtQUCnb32-RUOaTkJQ-x3jsw?purpose=inline)

Paris has a long relationship with jazz and blues, from the international musicians
who found an audience in the city to the local clubs that continue to support small-
scale live performance.

At Le Piano Vache, the weekly Les mardis blues evenings offer a setting for traditional,
soulful blues and a welcoming meeting between music and community.

The free-admission format described in the programme makes the event especially 
significant: it allows people to encounter live blues without the financial commitment
associated with many major concerts.

Traditional blues depends on a special kind of expressive economy. A singer does
not need to fill every moment with sound; an instrumentalist does not need to demonstrate
every technical possibility. The music gains its power through the relationship 
between a phrase and its response, between the rhythm’s steady foundation and the
freedom of an individual voice.

The atmosphere of a regular blues night can also change the relationship between
performer and listener. Familiar songs become shared experiences, while spontaneous
interpretations bring a sense of discovery. The audience is not simply observing
a finished work: it is participating in a continuing tradition.

Paris’s historic role as a meeting point for musicians from different countries 
makes such evenings especially appropriate within a pan-European programme. The 
blues may have roots in particular historical and geographical experiences, but 
its emotional language has travelled widely, finding new meanings wherever musicians
make it their own.

Les mardis blues therefore represents the festival’s commitment to musical accessibility,
continuity and the local venues that keep blues culture alive beyond the spotlight
of major stages.

### International jazz encounters: Brazil, Denmark and South Africa

### Chico Pinheiro Quartet — Le Duc des Lombards, Paris, France

![(from left) International Jazz Day Musical Director John Beasley performs with
guitarist Chico Pinheiro and drummer Brian Blade during the 2019 All-Star Global
Concert in Melbourne, Australia. - Hancock Institute of Jazz](https://images.openai.
com/static-rsc-4/8rdTxGpf3Ce_alfZyvM5_K2F4BVukgrUcvN1PQeRvKVFocdN3YtWl8rpcI343SVjKLuwXWTur0_IXP-
sVbpntho6GVMRG--jcHcC26XJCV66IW5AO-B9wL2i___o8VZLZKNFhPQFmAmjrPOHj7zhOg3OKl9fX2K_GzPL9r4xbJM?
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Le Duc des Lombards, at 42 Rue des Lombards in central Paris, is an intimate venue
where the proximity between musicians and audience makes every instrumental exchange
particularly vivid. Chico Pinheiro’s appearance with his quartet brings the refined
language of Brazilian instrumental music into this setting.

The São Paulo-born guitarist and composer is known for combining Brazilian musical
traditions with jazz harmony and influences from classical music. For the Paris 
performance listed in the programme, his quartet features pianist Helio Alves, bassist
Mathias Allamane and drummer Rogério Pitomba. The venue’s published listing confirms
this line-up and the concert’s place in the Jazz sur Seine 2026 programme.

Pinheiro’s musical world is shaped by the dialogue between rhythm and melody. Brazilian
traditions such as samba and bossa nova provide rich rhythmic possibilities, while
modern jazz opens up a broader harmonic landscape in which melodies can be reharmonised,
expanded and transformed through improvisation.

His guitar playing can be appreciated for its clarity of articulation and its sensitivity
to the architecture of a composition. Rather than treating virtuosity as an end 
in itself, this musical approach places each phrase within a wider expressive structure.
A delicate melodic line may be supported by sophisticated chords; a rhythmic figure
may suggest the movement of Brazilian popular music; and a solo may gradually unfold
into a more exploratory harmonic journey.

Helio Alves’s piano is an especially valuable partner in this musical language. 
Piano and guitar can exchange harmonic ideas, overlap in rhythmic patterns or create
a layered texture in which each instrument retains its own identity. Allamane’s 
bass establishes the foundation, while Pitomba’s drumming can connect Brazilian 
rhythmic sensibilities with the flexibility of contemporary jazz.

The quartet’s appearance in Paris illustrates the international character of the
festival. Brazilian musical traditions, European concert culture and the shared 
language of jazz improvisation meet in a setting where subtlety can be as compelling
as virtuosity.

### Randy Brecker and Tivoli Big Band — Glass Hall, Tivoli, Copenhagen, Denmark

![100 Years of Miles Davis med Randy Brecker & Tivoli Big Band](https://images.openai.
com/static-rsc-4/Qxmkvq9tljG8Apjkpj9cX44gsBLucMFutld6U44ppoJ3EYUdlDx4cJDxShqwEBrKhQm-
VB1mHL512RM7lb34b-TtJknMioyOK0OyKp2JxjmjoBsTRvhZb_KeWQST7BHY9aztud04Z4fWj45Oz9C6jDZXB-
OKq8m8wJexa2zLl8w?purpose=inline)

Copenhagen’s Tivoli Gardens provide one of Denmark’s most recognisable cultural 
settings, combining historic surroundings with a continuing programme of live performance.
Within this environment, the Glass Hall becomes the setting for a major jazz celebration:
100 Years of Miles Davis, featuring American trumpeter Randy Brecker and the Tivoli
Big Band.

This is a particularly meaningful anniversary in jazz history. Miles Davis, born
in 1926, reshaped the music across several eras, from bebop and cool jazz to modal
improvisation, orchestral collaboration and electric jazz fusion. His centenary 
offers an opportunity not merely to revisit his repertoire, but to consider how 
profoundly his musical ideas continue to influence performers.

The published Tivoli programme confirms that the concert with Peter Jensen directing
the big band. The repertoire draws on landmarks including Kind of Blue, Sketches
of Spain and Davis’s collaborations with Gil Evans. The arrangements move between
the intimate sound of the rhythm section and the full presence of the nineteen-piece
orchestra.

Randy Brecker is an inspired choice for this tribute. Across a career spanning five
decades, he has established himself as a leading voice in modern jazz, fusion and
big-band performance. His work with the Brecker Brothers, as well as his associations
with major figures in jazz, reflects an artist comfortable with both tradition and
experimentation.

![Randy Brecker: Mám štěstí, že jsem se narodil do doby, kdy piano bylo opravdu 
piano a trubka byla trubka | Reflex.cz](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/KieZwz551yqQ_Uv8-
5ZywftfX4eZ-bizD9LXNtw4iP5RI1nqqbjELw1oBVmytiqEgXKkBPaGILsJb5P24X23Xjk4lYEGCbT_rkILMHwYlXh4fBZGDb629rSx4XKTCqFKV9HzIEsyzsX6xuRZ0Y8xO2ZXVyESk4lVc7f3J6LF8nk?
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Brecker’s trumpet brings a distinctive combination of precision, power and rhythmic
flexibility. In a tribute to Davis, however, the challenge is not simply to reproduce
the sound of a celebrated predecessor.

It is to honour the musical ideas behind that sound: the importance of space, the
expressive significance of tone, the ability to transform a familiar harmonic structure,
and the courage to take a composition in a new direction.

The Tivoli Big Band introduces a further dimension. Large-ensemble arrangements 
can reveal the orchestral depth of Davis’s work, particularly in the music associated
with Gil Evans, where instrumental colours are carefully layered and the brass and
reeds function as an integrated sonic landscape. More intimate configurations can
then bring the focus back to individual phrasing and improvisation.

This anniversary concert represents one of the season’s most historically resonant
programmes, uniting a living jazz master with an orchestra capable of illuminating
the many dimensions of Davis’s legacy.

### Marquis Hill and Nduduzo Makhathini — Maison de la Culture, Clermont-Ferrand, France

![A beautiful night for jazz and Juneteenth – UW–Madison News](https://images.openai.
com/static-rsc-4/VrNTbr1ymbvX-Ew-ZeS_WQIXV65iIj3t5HQZvWo0Gwjxz9PKMAqZ2kMXDbZeoFXWhOA-
t4a-fN_dbQS7wz3rZn9_2wcVpXMTAPTzFbF-2Ao6mk-0jcpxVM8cVoA6v2YNCD3PyqGF1OS9qiBg6owSYUZfsxg9gNYcY6h4wKMSDaA?
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Clermont-Ferrand, set against the volcanic landscapes of France’s Auvergne region,
has built an important place for itself on the international jazz circuit through
the long-running EU Jazz Blues festival. The Maison de la Culture is central to 
this autumn meeting, which brings established international musicians and adventurous
contemporary artists together.

The collaboration between Chicago trumpeter Marquis Hill and South African pianist
Nduduzo Makhathini offers an especially intriguing encounter between two distinct
musical personalities. Their shared programme places improvisation at the centre,
inviting listeners to consider how different cultural backgrounds and musical experiences
can meet in a common creative space.

Hill’s trumpet playing is grounded in the history of modern jazz while maintaining
an individual contemporary voice. His musical language can encompass the articulation
and swing of the jazz tradition, more modern harmonic ideas and rhythmic patterns
that connect acoustic jazz with wider musical influences.

Makhathini brings a different but complementary perspective. His piano work is closely
associated with the musical traditions and contemporary jazz culture of South Africa,
with particular attention to the relationship between rhythm, spirituality, repetition
and improvisational development. His approach often treats musical ideas as processes
that can evolve over time, rather than as fixed statements requiring immediate resolution.

The encounter between trumpet and piano creates numerous possibilities. A melodic
phrase can be answered by a harmonic suggestion; a repeated rhythmic pattern can
gradually acquire new intensity; and a passage of apparent simplicity can open into
a complex conversation between the performers. In improvisational music, the most
compelling moments often arise when musicians respond to one another rather than
simply execute predetermined ideas.

For the festival, this meeting represents the international spirit of contemporary
jazz: a conversation in which American modern jazz and South African musical thought
are not placed in opposition, but allowed to enrich one another.

## Voice, melody and the meeting of musical traditions

### Andrea Motis — Palau de la Música Catalana, Barcelona, Spain

![Andrea Motis en el Cartagena Jazz Festival | Ayuntamiento de Cartagena](https://
images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/L-_-ojgk64gVEgdsA8GcR6Jdl1dlxChFxzdvSQA4VKMnB3IuinCNDBduOAGEaE0rBPGIv9rdxPYjV-
F3xyAranJ5ukZuDNZAxT13NpnoZmAClRtW7JBManpmuHU0Jh47LcDgt_QpmG3q3UB1D0aORlw9_181MrRxhUyH9HFR8ck?
purpose=inline)

Barcelona’s Palau de la Música Catalana is one of Europe’s most extraordinary concert
spaces. Designed by architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner and opened in 1908, this
celebrated Modernisme building is renowned for its elaborate ornamentation, sculptural
forms and luminous stained-glass skylight.

Bringing Andrea Motis to such a venue creates a compelling meeting between architectural
splendour and musical intimacy. The Spanish trumpeter, saxophonist and singer has
developed a distinctive place in contemporary jazz through her ability to move between
instrumental performance and song.

Motis’s artistic identity is particularly suited to a programme that draws on several
languages and musical traditions. The human voice introduces an immediate narrative
dimension, allowing a song’s emotional meaning to emerge through diction, phrasing
and the subtle relationship between words and melody. Her trumpet and saxophone 
provide alternative ways of exploring the same expressive territory, translating
melodic ideas into instrumental statements.

A multilingual jazz programme can also illuminate the relationship between language
and musical phrasing. Different languages carry different patterns of emphasis, 
vowel colour and rhythmic flow. When these qualities are handled sensitively, the
voice becomes part of the arrangement rather than simply a vehicle for the lyrics.

The trumpet adds another layer. Its sound can be bright and direct, but it can also
be soft, intimate and almost vocal in character. A melody first heard in the voice
may acquire a new perspective when revisited instrumentally, while the interplay
between singing and improvisation can create a sense of continuity across the programme.

The Palau’s exceptional architecture adds a visual dimension to this musical experience.
The concert hall’s ornamentation and carefully considered acoustical design make
it a fitting setting for a performance in which tone, melody and expressive detail
deserve close attention.

Andrea Motis’s appearance represents the festival’s celebration of musical versatility:
an artist whose work moves naturally between voice and instrument, popular song 
and jazz improvisation, and personal expression and shared tradition.

### Lizz Wright — Kulturetage, Oldenburg, Germany

![LIZZ WRIGHT | Jazz in Marciac](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/puNmwCIsy82RNEXpObxs8ds6erLbuu6O-
t67E4TWmbkbc9lp_Blj4N_eEBc1hzYKNhmEL3Wul3UHGW4MCCmTjb66fYRqW2Ws066xjPaH1yGDyQmYhQ8WWPeS6O4MMxxC83C-
2kpUIRAaOiYqioOf1rRUAcxgTb6zj7s55u2Zbdc?purpose=inline)

Oldenburg, in northwestern Germany, provides a fitting destination for Lizz Wright’s
European tour. At Kulturetage, a venue associated with contemporary cultural programming,
the celebrated American singer’s distinctive voice takes centre stage.

Wright’s artistry draws on jazz, gospel, soul, blues and the traditions of American
song. Her performances are characterised by a rich vocal tone, a measured sense 
of phrasing and an ability to convey emotional meaning without relying on unnecessary
theatricality.

One of Wright’s greatest strengths is the depth of her vocal colour. Her voice can
possess the warmth and resonance associated with gospel, the conversational intimacy
of jazz and the emotional directness of blues. These qualities allow her to approach
a song as a personal narrative, giving weight to individual words and allowing the
spaces between phrases to contribute to the overall expression.

Her relationship with rhythm is equally important. Rather than treating the beat
as a rigid structure, she can place a phrase slightly behind the pulse, extend a
syllable or allow a melodic line to settle into the accompaniment. This creates 
an expressive freedom that depends on attentive musical partners.

The contemporary jazz setting gives such a voice room to move. Subtle harmonic changes
can alter the emotional meaning of a familiar melody, while restrained accompaniment
can make the vocal performance feel even more immediate. When the ensemble builds
in intensity, the result can be powerful without sacrificing the intimacy that defines
Wright’s musical character.

![Andrea Motis actúa mañana en Escenario Santander | Musica | Ocio y cultura | Cadena
SER](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/Gtz-OVqzPChixxh3nbCkQWxW-BkDivNaKJP63rO4DqW4DtyZm7QG6Ee_gEhPMd67PqrSnKv5hXE2pfW4jGttvWFTbZ5EOFDaS3Smnknjtn8hxxpWSHVfwgPChdZ6zoz2xvozx5LlRLL53BxHkRcUx1TYjn3aPgc5EgHzASk0Q1PUNDThib4tnpbUhkY1IEId?
purpose=fullsize)

Her appearance in Oldenburg also reflects the continuing connection between jazz
and gospel. Both traditions place extraordinary importance on the expressive human
voice, but Wright’s music reaches beyond any single category, drawing on several
musical histories to create a personal artistic language.

For the EU Jazz and Blues Festival, this concert brings a warm and reflective dimension
to the Autumn – Winter programme. It celebrates the voice as an instrument of storytelling,
memory and emotional connection.

### Olivia Peevas — the vision behind the EU Jazz and Blues Festival

![Photos. L'immense Otis Taylor sur la scène du Faubourg du Blues](https://images.
openai.com/static-rsc-4/DRYTL0CzTse2_Pk_mvFm5QVj-Fay2Y4DsTw0cS8VH5YqqS6OrewLraNL-
Czi3EUDg7VjWeBa3SoTI4RMZNbOHzA9TV3IHXWD-CzGlRCfIet240acbhbXdugLM6mckkAAoErByc_5ZGPVsnLoLAxFCcME4fOikBYNUvvwAAaH2nw?
purpose=inline)

### A European musical journey built around artistic discovery

At the heart of the EU Jazz and Blues Festival’s 2026 Autumn – Winter Jazz – Blues
Season stands its director and organiser, **Olivia Peevas**, whose role in bringing
this programme together represents an important commitment to the international 
jazz and blues community.

A pan-European musical season requires a broad artistic perspective. It calls for
an appreciation of different musical traditions, an understanding of the relationship
between artists and venues, and the ability to imagine how individual performances
can contribute to a larger cultural narrative. The programme presented here reflects
those ambitions, connecting celebrated performers, distinctive concert spaces and
grassroots music communities across national borders.

The value of **Olivia Peevas**’s festival leadership can be understood through the
breadth of the season itself. Its musical landscape encompasses celebrated American
jazz innovators, outstanding European instrumentalists, Brazilian composers, South
African musical voices, influential vocalists and blues performers whose work keeps
the tradition alive in clubs and local communities.

![](https://i0.wp.com/jazzblues.eu/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/Olivia-Peevas-JazzBlues.
EU_-e1793819746792.jpg?resize=640%2C429&ssl=1)

This diversity is one of the programme’s most compelling characteristics. A season
that brings Charlie Hunter’s rhythmic invention into conversation with Bert Joris’s
orchestral writing, Bill Frisell’s genre-crossing imagination, Andrea Motis’s vocal
and instrumental versatility and Lizz Wright’s soulful artistry creates opportunities
for audiences to encounter jazz and blues from many different perspectives.

Equally important is the programme’s recognition that a thriving musical culture
needs more than headline appearances. The club performances in Vienna, Bremen, London,
Madrid and Paris give space to the intimate, community-oriented side of live music.
They acknowledge the significance of the smaller venues where musicians develop 
their craft, experiment with repertoire and meet audiences in direct and personal
ways.

The festival’s geographical range also offers a powerful image of European cultural
exchange. From the streets of Milan and the historic concert spaces of Brussels 
to the Bavarian landscape around Schloss Elmau, the artistic life of Copenhagen,
the architectural splendour of Barcelona and the cultural energy of Paris, each 
destination contributes its own atmosphere to the wider journey.

In this context, the role of a festival director and organiser extends beyond assembling
a list of performances. It involves giving individual concerts a shared identity,
maintaining a balance between established artistic achievements and contemporary
exploration, and creating a programme in which different generations and musical
cultures can coexist.

![](https://i0.wp.com/jazzblues.eu/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/cropped-Europe-Jazz-
Blues-Festivals-e1722000968346-1024x362.jpg?resize=640%2C226&ssl=1)

**Olivia Peevas** deserves recognition for the ambition represented by this international
vision. The festival’s emphasis on artistic diversity, European connections and 
the continuing vitality of jazz and blues gives the season a clear cultural purpose.

Its strongest message is that music can create meaningful connections between cities,
countries, musicians and audiences without diminishing the individuality of any 
of them.

The 2026 Autumn–Winter Jazz – Blues Season can therefore be presented as a celebration
not only of exceptional performers, but also of the people whose organisational 
work makes international artistic encounters possible. Through its varied programme,
the EU Jazz and Blues Festival affirms the importance of live performance as a shared
cultural experience.

![Chico Pinheiro Quartet - Ronnie Scott's](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-
4/FcrnRpYy5MFWMkmSk9OS3Q24kq3O5jgQy6O9VfChmYnOVrpGkM7hjrPaqXkQWyQO0mLxkUZ9j3v2o0FcVu_mkHBsFkZBiaigFuvfCXjLWUga2jmkYiBo25ZnftJt1jcOVgXedWZdHSP_bXZb8mKd-
AUPtmDqjyaSrdJsLiVjDpU?purpose=inline)

### Conclusion: A season united by the freedom of music

The EU Jazz and Blues Festival’s 2026 Autumn – Winter Jazz – Blues Season presents
a compelling picture of a musical culture that continues to reinvent itself. The
programme connects the intricate instrumental language of contemporary jazz with
the emotional directness of the blues, the grandeur of orchestral arrangements with
the intimacy of solo performance, and internationally celebrated artists with the
local venues that sustain live music.

Its diversity is its strength. Each concert offers a different way of listening:
to the intricate rhythmic design of Charlie Hunter, the orchestral imagination of
Bert Joris, the cross-genre trumpet artistry of Lucienne Renaudin Vary, the lyrical
world of Bill Frisell, the Brazilian sophistication of Chico Pinheiro, the historical
resonance of the Miles Davis centenary, and the soulful voices of Andrea Motis and
Lizz Wright.

The blues events provide an equally important counterpoint, reminding us that music’s
vitality depends on regular encounters in clubs and community spaces, where improvisation
remains immediate and personal.

Under the direction and organisation of **Olivia Peevas**, the season’s stated ambition
is to bring these different worlds into one European cultural conversation. It is
a vision that celebrates artistic excellence while recognising that the lasting 
value of a festival lies not only in the names on its programme, but in the connections
it helps create.

From the first trumpet phrase to the last guitar chord, the central message remains
clear: jazz and blues are living traditions, and Europe continues to offer them 
a stage on which to meet, evolve and inspire.

**By Lauren Wulff, Akrile Betrricean, Katrin Woods, Daniella Bushler**

![About — MAZA](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/DzXo_Cj3dNC8vva71zCCmoI6FrmLR3acGTDy75cxTkwZF6siVrGASLuzQHSAXF3Lq-
Po38Cq381SDvgBu9EcrgokGdSEZ0bqpe3EuFwN2NCkPYP_cWYd6aIY2Kxi5PRtKKU9sZaRlozl40hBAsAjAVu15FYnacwSdMifMQYK1PDjzlneIeACgcJeNEP4e-
SN?purpose=fullsize)

### _Related_