# A Pan-European Celebration of Jazz, Blues, Soul and Musical Imagination at Autumn–Winter Jazz – Blues Season EU Jazz & Blues Festival 2026: Photos

- Link: https://jazzblues.eu/2026/11/05/3546544/
- Published: 2026-11-05T03:00:54+01:00
- Author: https://JazzBlues.EU

### EU Jazz and Blues Festival | September – December 2026!!!

The European autumn–winter concert season is a celebration of music without borders,
bringing together distinguished masters of jazz, extraordinary blues personalities,
contemporary innovators, soulful vocalists and adventurous instrumentalists.

Across Europe’s historic concert halls, legendary jazz clubs, magnificent theatres
and intimate cultural venues, this season creates a remarkable musical journey in
which tradition meets modernity and individual artistic voices become part of a 
much larger European cultural story.

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

The programme presented here is particularly fascinating because of its artistic
diversity. It moves from the sophisticated contemporary jazz language of Branford
Marsalis and Kurt Rosenwinkel to the emotional vocal artistry of Dianne Reeves and
Dee Dee Bridgewater; from the profound soul of Mario Biondi to the hypnotic desert
blues of Imarhan; from the Scandinavian atmospheric imagination of Arve Henriksen
and Trygve Seim to the earthy authenticity of Robert Finley and Abi Wallenstein.

It is precisely this diversity that gives the EU Jazz & Blues Festival its distinctive
character: an understanding of jazz and blues not as isolated musical genres, but
as living cultural languages, constantly evolving through encounters, improvisation,
rhythm, emotion and artistic discovery.

## Barcelona – Branford Marsalis Quartet & Dianne Reeves

![Branford Marsalis & Dianne Reeves Celebrate Coltrane | Oct 8](https://images.openai.
com/static-rsc-4/hZezsEjarbKyDDo82J0St_HTJ3ynHvvYyGaUWkxdB9xaPAJRpyl0hO735ROAZhbhKrRvT370n12B9lqWiVpJ9rHKW1XCsPr6-
1y3p4jspEFoxITKq-PbtdfCNTbARbp4PS20JKdeRN05n3HOCvJYAUbKdEviOayDnqtscobqm2YLUeP8d31X3SR8g9yaZ1vb?
purpose=fullsize)

_**Palau de la Música Catalana!** _One of the most distinguished encounters of this
season brings together two extraordinary personalities whose artistic achievements
have helped define contemporary jazz: saxophonist Branford Marsalis and vocalist
Dianne Reeves.

Their Barcelona appearance at the magnificent Palau de la Música Catalana is especially
meaningful. The programme, entitled Celebrate John Coltrane, takes inspiration from
the historic 1963 collaboration between John Coltrane and vocalist Johnny Hartman.
It revisits a musical world in which the expressive freedom of the saxophone meets
the tenderness, intimacy and emotional sophistication of the human voice.

Marsalis is an artist of exceptional intellectual depth. His tenor and soprano saxophone
playing combines technical brilliance, harmonic imagination and an extraordinary
understanding of jazz history. His improvisations can move from delicate lyrical
reflections to powerful, rhythmically adventurous statements, always retaining a
strong melodic identity.

Dianne Reeves brings an entirely different but beautifully complementary dimension.
Her remarkable vocal instrument, extraordinary phrasing, sophisticated improvisational
instincts and ability to communicate emotional subtleties make her one of the great
interpreters of modern jazz singing. She can transform a familiar melody into a 
deeply personal narrative, balancing elegance, warmth, rhythmic freedom and dramatic
intensity.

They are accompanied by Joey Calderazzo on piano, Eric Revis on double bass and 
Justin Faulkner on drums. The ensemble provides an ideal setting for the dialogue
between voice and saxophone, with Calderazzo’s harmonic sensitivity, Revis’s powerful
yet nuanced bass language and Faulkner’s energetic rhythmic architecture.

The Palau itself adds another dimension to the occasion. Its extraordinary Modernist
architecture, colourful stained glass, sculptural ornamentation and magnificent 
concert hall create an environment in which music and visual art seem inseparable.

This is more than a meeting of celebrated musicians. It is a conversation between
generations of jazz expression, a tribute to Coltrane’s enduring artistic influence
and an exploration of the emotional possibilities of the jazz ballad. The Barcelona
concert was also the European launch of this collaborative project.

## Helsinki, Finland – Beth Hart

_**Venue: Finlandia Hall!** _Helsinki’s November programme welcomes one of the most
emotionally powerful voices in contemporary blues and rock: Beth Hart.

![Beth Hart - Fat Man - Rockpalast - Sendungen A-Z - Video - ARD Mediathek](https://
images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/_p8xrWIr3-0GfRMmeo8xO4TRsGsnJH2DjCbMteOYO50Y-4daXaj5DGB4LTHrSNFO24K_e2qaI2-
nA9gmQa4l5Ojxm9r6k4T2B2_WtdsZI4Qqsmk9iw5zDlXVZci9Tniy1IFfmrH5peUIAUE871OFhKyhkt109PpZp4r3xZw2IQEyWkIPz1yRiokbtuKUnH9U?
purpose=fullsize)

Hart’s musical identity is built upon an extraordinary combination of vocal strength,
vulnerability and emotional honesty. Her voice can move from a restrained, almost
conversational intimacy to an explosive expression of pain, determination and liberation.
It is a voice that does not merely perform a song; it inhabits it.

Her blues is deeply connected to the tradition of emotional storytelling. There 
is a strong sense of soul in her phrasing, while her rock influences provide the
intensity and dramatic force that make her performances so compelling.

One of Hart’s greatest artistic qualities is her refusal to separate musical power
from emotional exposure. Her interpretations often feel like personal confessions,
with the piano, guitar and rhythm section serving as partners in an intensely human
dialogue.

![Beth Hart – Seebühne Bremen - Bremen Eins](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-
4/SbEFxuXmCQfEh5dZcSEfpGcQ-nC5wkuOzSsIyBE1Cc2J1fZC3sjp3OkpBN7LZzNxZLAudFY-v8UvKz801XvW730L1RRCB3cF_obgY63fEQhr0t9YLQT6w7rtuPrlo7SOsG1PMWDeobQ1pFxf3dP2xgGRPW-
p2ANYjzRL9yvJ9uplhE1e93RR9sobinxggyHw?purpose=fullsize)

At Finlandia Hall, this expressive world finds a particularly interesting setting.
The building, designed by Finnish architect Alvar Aalto, is one of Helsinki’s major
cultural landmarks. Its architectural elegance and concert tradition provide a distinguished
contrast to the raw, unfiltered emotional character of Hart’s blues.

The performance represents the blues at its most universal: a music capable of transforming
personal experience into collective emotion, allowing audiences to recognise their
own stories within the voice of another.

## Milan, Italy – Gregory Porter

![Gregory Porter, tour review: He made hard-to-sing songs seem easy | London Evening
Standard | The Standard](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/rcHbtn6oQ0HWwIm54oPI6DqPdt4cSfT7rTvOfxdyPJovheLIqo5vsMFRTDhEEVFil2aXWhXqTnFBJqe1odLRwT87XlYn1Lr05J_DDAAgaHt_iYJykZtDDicBCrt-
ni0BUhoJeUgXrSOoNtX888wEAsMItWaJr47bXI_N8xJHXkO1zL6cgSoreP7XV3306aD4?purpose=fullsize)

_**Venue: Alcatraz!** _Milan was welcome Gregory Porter, one of the most recognisable
and respected vocal personalities of modern jazz.

Porter’s voice is an instrument of extraordinary richness. His baritone possesses
a mellow, rounded quality, yet beneath its apparent calm lies tremendous expressive
strength. It is a voice capable of communicating tenderness, melancholy, joy, spiritual
reflection and the deepest traditions of African American musical culture.

A two-time Grammy Award winner, Porter has built a remarkable career by bringing
jazz, soul, gospel and blues into a contemporary musical language. His artistry 
demonstrates that crossover appeal does not require the abandonment of musical depth.
Instead, his success comes from a profound understanding of the traditions that 
shaped him.

His repertoire offers an expressive journey through sophisticated jazz arrangements,
soulful melodies and blues-inspired narratives. The rhythmic foundation is often
relaxed but never static, allowing the vocal lines to breathe while the instrumentalists
create subtle harmonic and melodic responses.

![IN PICS | Gregory Porter wows South African music lovers](https://images.openai.
com/static-rsc-4/VPCbgS36i-xOQ_AWBBavqX-c2OJDrHb9pF1tDWurW930VKjSyf_0sETp_bje4w4ReuZgL5WwxmR6M4anDP3lQeUSoowVFw__4JhQXFPGYUFbxPa3CRh17AItZMN-
crx8Dd6bDy8zYPxX4rw0gWJylU9Hf-5qP3NA5yiDWUzpKAXt7gUmBiV6wZ9joSOPNlm1?purpose=fullsize)

Porter’s interpretation of a song is characterised by patience and natural phrasing.
He understands the value of silence, the importance of a carefully sustained note
and the emotional effect of allowing a melody to unfold without unnecessary embellishment.

Alcatraz, one of Milan’s prominent live-music venues, provides a different atmosphere
from a traditional seated jazz auditorium. Its larger concert-club environment is
well suited to Porter’s ability to unite musical sophistication with an immediate
connection to a broad audience.

The Milan concert is an important celebration of the enduring relationship between
jazz and soul: two musical traditions whose histories, emotional languages and expressive
possibilities continue to enrich one another.

## Málaga – Mario Biondi

![Mario Biondi, al Lirico la seconda tappa del tour](https://images.openai.com/static-
rsc-4/-U84N1_c5djCH58kmDzAiQ6qjxnHSs5tSbQgv7dhdM1sx1MsIl0LZg7okPZVPyM9CCLURBFZ--
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purpose=fullsize)

_**Teatro Cervantes!** _40th International Jazz Festival! The Italian soul-jazz 
sensation Mario Biondi brings an unmistakable richness of sound to the 40th International
Jazz Festival in Málaga, opening a particularly celebratory edition of this important
Spanish musical event.

Biondi’s deep, resonant baritone is one of the most recognizable voices in contemporary
European soul. His musical personality draws inspiration from the great traditions
of American soul, rhythm and blues, jazz crooning and sophisticated orchestral arrangements.
There is something timeless about his approach: a voice that seems to carry the 
warmth of vintage recordings while remaining entirely relevant to contemporary audiences.

His interpretation of a song is built around atmosphere. He understands the importance
of silence, the expressive value of a sustained note and the subtle relationship
between vocal phrasing and instrumental accompaniment. His music often evokes the
golden era of soul, when elegant horn arrangements, rich bass lines, warm keyboards
and sophisticated rhythmic sections created an unmistakable musical identity.

The Málaga performance is associated with his This Is What You Are – 20 Years anniversary
project, celebrating the song that helped establish his international reputation.
The concert’s announced musicians include Massimo Greco on piano and musical direction,
Matteo Cutello on trumpet, Giovanni Cutello on saxophone, Saleem Ameen on bass and
double bass, and David Haynes on drums.

![Mario Biondi al Lirico con "Crooning - The Italian Tour". (26/11/2023)](https://
images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/wsCVWT3EqMalNkjcrLz4MDOFmy2t0BbHqMYM1uLlHIgzHz40sH2cj_T7r7nvFW8cT8ONqTqOqlv5Grp_H3dNrOALQ0FGt0ws-
rr5vla2Q30jYlSQJp8kF6KK_WL0Css1dMgFtv9xG3IYocXd9RpK8tPSKmkGEe1_eRiWdYiPGjGw5jj4zrROBZLX3gY7i-
Y2?purpose=fullsize)

This ensemble provides an excellent foundation for Biondi’s characteristic sound.
Brass arrangements can add dramatic energy, the piano brings harmonic colour, while
the rhythm section creates the relaxed but compelling groove that lies at the heart
of soul-jazz.

The historic Teatro Cervantes is an appropriate home for such an occasion. Its elegant
architecture and intimate relationship between performers and audience provide the
ideal atmosphere for a singer whose greatest strength lies in direct emotional communication.

Málaga receives not simply a celebrated Italian vocalist, but a performer who understands
soul as an entire artistic philosophy: generosity, warmth, musical sophistication
and the ability to make every song feel personal.

## Milan – Brandee Younger Trio

![Brandee Younger Trio en Barcelona: el arpa que respira jazz | The Groove Club](
https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/HuYUwfDIOPlRaQb43tFZ6YC3L-OSI6ZXZYJPyTJMkIaxH_HIldkNNgxxQZbxOQm_ZHmhJJGuRQHpAFVzADoIufFZnsYZ6nZXknh8R1fB4yX4wGaSo6SrsNHD1HXd_YTikzgv4q2ohx_wtYOMb5khqy8quQRW4P10VIS2vcVd15TQ-
P5cPOLCDVeAR-kVc_6I?purpose=fullsize)

_**Blue Note Milano!** _At the legendary Blue Note Milano, the remarkable American
harpist Brandee Younger introduces an imaginative musical universe in which jazz,
classical traditions, soul, contemporary improvisation and experimental sound design
meet.

The harp occupies a fascinating position in the history of jazz. Its delicate resonance,
shimmering harmonics and enormous expressive possibilities have inspired generations
of musicians, but few contemporary artists have explored its potential with the 
originality and conviction of Younger.

Her artistic language reaches beyond the traditional expectations associated with
the instrument. She transforms the harp into a powerful improvisational voice, capable
of rhythmic propulsion, atmospheric sound painting, lyrical storytelling and complex
harmonic exploration.

Younger draws upon the legacy of Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane while developing
a distinctive contemporary identity. Her music can be meditative and spiritual, 
yet also rhythmically compelling, embracing elements of soul, funk and modern jazz.

The trio format gives her considerable freedom. Rather than treating the harp simply
as a decorative or accompanying instrument, she places it at the centre of an active
musical conversation. Its resonances become part of the rhythmic architecture, while
its flowing melodic lines create a sense of openness and movement.

Blue Note Milano is an especially appropriate venue for this performance. Its intimate
atmosphere allows the audience to appreciate the instrument’s smallest nuances: 
the resonance of individual strings, the movement between registers and the dialogue
between improvisation and composition.

Younger represents an important generation of musicians who are expanding the vocabulary
of jazz without abandoning its deepest traditions. Her appearance adds a particularly
adventurous and contemporary dimension to the European season.

## Bologna – Imarhan

![US-Musikmesse A2IM in New York - Mehr vom Kuchen für die deutsche Indie-Branche](
https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/HJziTmC8SdWfb0iXK1wbdZHLWKSf9YQh2HfxYj2SyDQEGYrzkFfWooi8xNQEX9IGncBVesPlqVeNH7oA4d9jw-
u8GrmwX5GrcARnicOV_-n3gfqsaykL4hk8jIeowPrABxQPkVjEI5wb4_BYba57CHjPPcR9i5_ZBNvatTvZCva62c5Fpohb_aVkkXqYGTOz?
purpose=fullsize)

_**Locomotiv Club!** _From the immense landscapes of the Sahara to the energetic
atmosphere of Bologna’s Locomotiv Club, Imarhan represents one of the most compelling
developments in contemporary desert blues.

The Algerian group belongs to a new generation of Tuareg musicians who have transformed
traditional Saharan musical expressions into a powerful international language. 
Their music carries the memory of nomadic culture, the hypnotic repetition of traditional
rhythms and the distinctive melodic character of Tuareg guitar music.

Yet Imarhan are not simply guardians of a musical heritage. Their artistic identity
is forward-looking, incorporating elements of rock, funk, psychedelic music and 
contemporary urban rhythm.

The electric guitars often move in interlocking patterns, creating circular melodic
structures that seem to stretch endlessly across the musical landscape. Bass and
percussion provide a driving foundation, while the vocals carry a sense of collective
identity and cultural memory.

There is a remarkable physicality to their music. The repetitive rhythms gradually
become hypnotic, encouraging movement and creating a connection between performers
and listeners that transcends language.

At Locomotiv Club, this music finds a natural environment. The venue’s club atmosphere
is particularly suited to the band’s energetic performance style, allowing the raw
power of the guitars and the pulsating rhythm section to come directly to the audience.

Imarhan’s presence in the EU Jazz & Blues Festival programme demonstrates the festival’s
understanding that blues is not limited to the Mississippi Delta or the American
South. It also exists in other cultural landscapes, where music becomes a means 
of preserving identity, expressing experience and transforming tradition into something
new.

## Milan – Dee Dee Bridgewater: WE EXIST!

![El Festival de Jazz continúa al son de The Dee Dee Bridgewater Quartet](https://
images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/_om0_uXyOhP_Jy-uRZIVy7qbTzbER-ZE5-c82luCeWrrzVXqXNGhI5fUdyxNOJZuhPESGRNh_m0JSoJ3y38ImMDozfm-
6iI0nS747haLe04TEubB0QwawxSsYclyP_2zuB3BAy8nb4QZ4YYFIFA-kw4DV7mW8IcXL2lgVWw1UtjfMYebjIIC8gcx4afAAdy5?
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_**Blue Note Milano!** _The extraordinary Dee Dee Bridgewater brings her WE EXIST!
project to Blue Note Milano, offering a performance that combines outstanding jazz
musicianship with a strong artistic and human message.

A three-time Grammy Award winner and Tony Award recipient, Bridgewater belongs to
the distinguished tradition of jazz vocalists who have developed their own unmistakable
artistic identities. Her voice possesses remarkable flexibility, dramatic power 
and an instinctive understanding of rhythmic expression.

Throughout her career, she has demonstrated an exceptional ability to move between
jazz standards, blues, soul, theatrical performance and deeply personal musical 
narratives.

The WE EXIST! project is particularly significant because it places female artistic
expression, social consciousness and musical freedom at its centre. The programme
includes powerful songs such as Mississippi Goddam, Trying Times and The Danger 
Zone. Rather than treating these compositions merely as historical material, Bridgewater
approaches them as living statements whose meaning continues to resonate.

The quartet is an internationally assembled, all-female formation featuring Alexis
Lombre on piano, Evita Polidoro on drums and Rosa Brunello on double bass and electric
bass.

This instrumentation offers an exciting balance of rhythmic energy, harmonic sophistication
and expressive freedom. Lombre’s piano creates the musical framework, Polidoro provides
a dynamic rhythmic voice, and Brunello’s bass playing brings depth and flexibility
to the ensemble.

Bridgewater’s performance is not simply a display of vocal virtuosity. It is a theatrical,
musical and emotional experience, in which every phrase carries intention and every
song becomes part of a larger conversation about dignity, identity, equality and
artistic independence.

Blue Note Milano’s intimate setting is ideal for such a performance. The proximity
between the artist and audience gives the music a personal dimension, allowing its
message to be experienced not as an abstract statement but as something immediate
and deeply human. The engagement is scheduled for two evenings, with both early 
and late performances.

## Pomigliano d’Arco – A New Sketches of Spain

![5 Continents Jazz Festival (Marseille 7ème) | Marseille Tourism](https://images.
openai.com/static-rsc-4/cAkI9jkaMyY32rNTdO4q-eHoprYWjPVyP_RYMDzzWwPIcUwUdRJaAA8Gz9C6byRkE5OE0qeEpVCGuy7RrbSTmf_Kp11Oc_fsa5MtW2qGFNaOMstHjYyCM42UG_JkTvMvRoJgFKAkVy31-
aoNZ7dWTne1McRGJkKc7Eb1wjxS0lf_rGBTQTk_G82978sz3kw0?purpose=fullsize)

_**Teatro Gloria · Pomigliano Jazz · Centenary of Miles Davis!** _One of the most
artistically adventurous concepts in the programme is A New Sketches of Spain, a
project inspired by the centenary of Miles Davis and his legendary collaboration
with arranger Gil Evans.

The original Sketches of Spain remains one of the most extraordinary achievements
in twentieth-century jazz. It brought together the orchestral imagination of Gil
Evans and the distinctive trumpet language of Miles Davis, creating a musical landscape
influenced by Spanish traditions, classical composition and the expressive freedom
of jazz.

The new project, associated with composer and arranger Michael Leonhart and choreographer
and dancer Israel Galván, approaches this historical masterpiece from a contemporary
interdisciplinary perspective.

Leonhart’s musical imagination opens the door to new orchestral colours, rhythmic
structures and reinterpretations, while Galván’s extraordinary physical vocabulary
transforms musical movement into a form of choreography that exists somewhere between
flamenco, contemporary dance and avant-garde theatre.

The meeting is particularly fascinating because music and dance are not simply presented
alongside each other. They become two parts of the same artistic language.

The Spanish musical imagination is explored through movement, gesture, rhythm, tension
and release. The body becomes an instrument, responding to the orchestral architecture
while introducing its own dramatic and emotional dimensions.

The result is a project that acknowledges the historical importance of Miles Davis
while refusing to treat his music as something frozen in the past.

This is an especially valuable artistic contribution to the festival: a reminder
that jazz history remains a source of inspiration for new forms of expression.

Editorial verification note: The project and its artists are documented, including
a 2026 performance reviewed by All About Jazz, but I could not independently confirm
the Teatro Gloria date and exact programme details supplied for this particular 
engagement.

## Hamburg – Abi Wallenstein & Günther Brackmann

![Abi Wallenstein Solo · Abi Wallenstein](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/
oig07dHoSpYaTp7SJXTp42gActCyGc1kDK8699-nZdPDqeuY7mu6WtGJ6ZFaF26thDxaNUWQFXfwZ3zpZAR-
Y2TvNhzCk3Rt5eUu0SvT2R8UTuMVBSovL5Nuoe-bp6Pr-ep45H64WfOdC8IdlzNd1iBK657oyDayRMrLCPkdOR7EPa7Lx8RWnBV_924uA5Up?
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_**Freizeitzentrum Schnelsen!** _A genuine celebration of European blues tradition
takes place in Hamburg, where the legendary guitarist and singer Abi Wallenstein
meets pianist Günther Brackmann for an evening devoted to blues and boogie with 
soul.

Abi Wallenstein is one of the most respected personalities in the European blues
community. His career reflects a lifetime of dedication to the music, and his artistic
language is immediately recognizable through his rough-edged voice, expressive guitar
work and remarkable rhythmic control.

There is an honesty to his music that cannot be manufactured. His guitar playing
is rooted in the essential vocabulary of blues: strong bass figures, expressive 
chord changes, melodic phrases and rhythmic patterns that seem to emerge naturally
from the instrument.

His voice carries the character of experience. Rather than relying on vocal perfection,
he communicates through texture, personality and emotional conviction.

Günther Brackmann provides a wonderful musical counterpart. His piano playing brings
the energy of classic boogie-woogie together with a more sophisticated harmonic 
sensibility. He can create powerful rhythmic momentum, but he also knows when to
leave space for the guitar and voice.

The meeting between these two musicians creates an ideal environment for improvisation.
The piano and guitar can challenge one another, exchange melodic ideas and build
rhythmic excitement without losing the organic character of the blues.

The evening’s atmosphere is particularly suited to the Freizeitzentrum Schnelsen,
a cultural venue where music can be experienced in an informal and welcoming environment.
This is the blues in its most direct form: warm, human, spontaneous and deeply connected
to its roots.

## Paris – Kurt Rosenwinkel

![Kurt Rosenwinkel Trio — Zig Zag Jazz Club Berlin](https://images.openai.com/static-
rsc-4/fesSpTFbQPmlWmDRMYp3Yt_Ax9kI9b7j4uqnsPhm8xyeQTyZG5J0MaJ5ZUqfGJ11gCG0hDRsZD41cchPuRbAdfDFfCgIdMwoGJCR6iW06AjkvNyNA9MqkctkF48L0CNRYJPyD0hLs5Hi3txusXj0ezwAvc9AIMNQU5rQHPyqEnqS0ZnDAWBHMQtQjbDkXw-
7?purpose=fullsize)

_**New Morning · All Stars Festival · 45th anniversary season!** _The appearance
of Kurt Rosenwinkel at New Morning is a particularly important moment for the contemporary
jazz guitar tradition.

Rosenwinkel has developed one of the most distinctive musical languages of his generation.
His playing combines extraordinary harmonic sophistication, fluid melodic invention,
subtle rhythmic displacement and a highly individual approach to tone.

He is an artist who understands the guitar as a complete musical universe. His improvisations
can begin with a simple melodic phrase and gradually develop into complex harmonic
explorations, yet they retain a remarkable sense of direction and emotional coherence.
His contribution to modern jazz extends beyond instrumental virtuosity. Rosenwinkel
has influenced an entire generation of guitarists and composers through his original
approach to harmony, composition and improvisation.

New Morning is an especially appropriate venue for this appearance. Since opening
in 1981, the Paris club has become an important meeting place for international 
jazz, blues, funk and experimental music.

Its 45th anniversary is a celebration not only of a venue but of the musical community
that has grown around it. A programme clarification: The New Morning’s published
listing identifies Rosenwinkel’s 3 November engagement as The Remedy Tour. The published
November programme does not establish the Seamus Blake and Aaron Goldberg quintet
lineup specified in the supplied description, so I have not presented those musicians
as confirmed participants.

## Noisy-le-Grand – Erik Truffaz

![Erik Truffaz Quartet - Doni Doni, review: 'a dreamy, genre-bending affair' | London
Evening Standard | The Standard](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/PqxDicFNf__oNsRDeWujns3SeMKUNA4i3ls68T65aAB4gz_jL70opCsPNL9OEvRgMGsmKiLmAOi6m4bm71VL856hu3pVNiHjdk1u5b9laWSn_kn4Q8rpAfQIrtKAv66cFeQ30U2O2_dXyAIesfODlbXpB26fRQZLQJw59lRFO3NrHDZrYHIDgoo3RJhwerTl?
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_**Espace Michel – Simon · Paris region!** _The French-Swiss trumpeter Erik Truffaz
represents one of the most intriguing directions in contemporary European jazz.

His musical personality is built around an openness to different cultural influences.
Jazz improvisation, electronic music, hip-hop, ambient soundscapes and contemporary
rhythmic ideas are not separate territories in his work. They become interconnected
elements of a distinctive artistic language.

Truffaz has a remarkable ability to create atmosphere through the trumpet. His sound
can be delicate, almost whispered, with a muted quality that evokes distant landscapes
and cinematic images. At other moments, his playing becomes more direct and rhythmically
assertive.

Electronics allow him to expand this expressive vocabulary. Loops, textures and 
atmospheric layers can create a sense of space around the acoustic ensemble, while
hip-hop-influenced rhythms provide a contemporary pulse.

His performances often develop like musical journeys. Rather than presenting a succession
of conventional jazz solos, Truffaz builds an evolving environment in which the 
audience becomes immersed in sound.

The Espace Michel-Simon provides an interesting setting for this approach. Its role
as a cultural venue outside the immediate centre of Paris reflects the festival’s
commitment to taking significant music beyond the traditional metropolitan concert
circuit.

Truffaz represents the creative freedom of European jazz: a music that remains connected
to its history while constantly searching for new expressive possibilities.

The exact date and concert programme for this particular Espace Michel-Simon engagement
were not independently confirmed in the sources consulted.

## Béthune – Robert Finley

![Robert Finley de retour sur scène : le bluesman s'installe en France en novembre
2026](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/2JVn6OL3dmWIS4uw7CsSeHvSOpAnVdlFtJJ68z0JlEWONY1gAxkyCMArkfHaeSay_nFUqVrmBn8pkXzKQzNCRBolKiUHhNMIef6QuIIzsXl-
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_**Théâtre Municipal de Béthune!** _The appearance of Robert Finley is a powerful
reminder that the blues remains one of the most emotionally direct and enduring 
forms of musical expression.

Finley is a Louisiana-born singer and guitarist whose artistic journey has been 
extraordinary. His musical identity is deeply connected to the Southern traditions
of blues, gospel and soul, but his performances also reveal a distinctive contemporary
personality.

His voice is immediately striking: weathered, expressive, powerful and full of character.
It carries a sense of lived experience, communicating the emotional weight of a 
song through phrasing, vocal texture and dramatic intensity.

Finley’s guitar playing is equally connected to tradition. His music evokes the 
atmosphere of the Southern juke joint, where blues, gospel and rhythm and blues 
have always existed in close conversation.

His career developed in an unconventional way. After working in several professions
and spending time performing gospel music, he released his first album in 2016, 
when he was already in his sixties. His subsequent albums, produced by Dan Auerbach,
introduced his powerful musical personality to a much wider international audience.

The Béthune concert also features Guilty Delight, a French rhythm-and-blues formation
led by singer Aurélie Orel Michelon and guitarist Rémi Voisin. Their presence creates
an interesting meeting between American Southern soul-blues and the French blues
tradition.

The Théâtre Municipal is an excellent setting for this encounter. The historic theatrical
environment allows the music to be appreciated as both a concert and a dramatic 
performance. Finley’s music does not depend on fashionable production or superficial
effects. Its strength lies in its humanity, its connection to tradition and its 
ability to communicate emotion directly. This is an evening where the blues becomes
a story of perseverance, identity and artistic discovery.

## Boulogne – Billancourt – Biréli Lagrène Quartet

![Biréli Lagrène - Ronnie Scott's](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/j8CMsfR9JJhuMWts9QGqRSvJMrLAlKuZfh8VnR1AMrf_-
PMdVFOonIulnRyl9QngrEloN8_Re1B1Acf0e-KwQV6X_MJPnmqaEfhEMgW64xFGdtEvrjnJo3CH9TPZhuwuK5hue97sgyHxCxGs3_i-
9M4EW2b4emDBwQwYTn3qI_i3Yo_YbqzJlQeyArTj_2oa?purpose=fullsize)

_**La Seine Musicale! The exceptional** _French guitarist Biréli Lagrène brings 
his Elegant People project to La Seine Musicale, presenting an artistic vision that
combines extraordinary instrumental technique with musical maturity and stylistic
freedom.

Lagrène is one of the most remarkable guitarists to emerge from the European jazz
tradition. His extraordinary command of the instrument has allowed him to move naturally
between gypsy jazz, bebop, acoustic jazz, electric fusion and contemporary improvisation.

What makes him particularly fascinating is not simply his speed or technical precision.
It is his ability to make virtuosity serve musical expression.

His guitar can be astonishingly agile, but it can also be delicate and reflective.
He understands the importance of melody, space and phrasing, and his playing is 
characterized by an almost instinctive sense of swing.

The Elegant People project is especially interesting because of its relationship
with the music of Weather Report. Its title recalls Wayne Shorter’s famous composition,
opening a door to the sophisticated fusion vocabulary associated with that legendary
group.

The quartet includes Jean-Yves Jung on piano and Fender Rhodes, William Brunard 
on double bass and Raphaël Pannier on drums.

This combination offers considerable musical flexibility. The acoustic piano can
provide harmonic richness, while the Fender Rhodes introduces the warm electric 
colours associated with jazz fusion. The bass and drums create a flexible foundation
for Lagrène’s improvisations.

The repertoire also reaches beyond fusion, embracing jazz standards, blues influences
and Brazilian musical colours.

La Seine Musicale, with its contemporary architectural identity and ambitious cultural
programme, provides a fitting environment for an artist whose music constantly crosses
stylistic boundaries.

This concert is an invitation to experience the guitar as a limitless instrument,
where tradition, virtuosity and imagination become inseparable.

## Toulouse – Mammal Hands

![Mammal Hands Tour 2026, Concert Schedule & Tickets](https://images.openai.com/
static-rsc-4/2yqi86NsAWPGHZ9deCNt8BTvunmza10mOKwmxmE7iDkaZEhE6ZYUZMjc76dmGvsd67TlF3lUmYt0y7XGZz-
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purpose=fullsize)

_**Salle Nougaro!** _The British trio Mammal Hands brings one of the most distinctive
contemporary musical languages of the European jazz scene to Toulouse.

Their music occupies a fascinating territory between jazz, minimalism, contemporary
classical composition, folk traditions and electronic experimentation.

The ensemble consists of Jordan Smart on saxophone, Nick Smart on piano and Rob 
Turner on drums. The current formation marks an important stage in the group’s evolution,
with Turner bringing his own distinctive rhythmic personality to the trio.

Mammal Hands have developed a style based on repetition, gradual transformation 
and hypnotic rhythmic structures. Their compositions often begin with deceptively
simple musical ideas: a piano figure, a saxophone melody or a repeating rhythmic
pattern.

Gradually, these elements become more complex. Rhythms overlap, melodic phrases 
evolve and the music develops a powerful sense of movement.

The saxophone is particularly important in creating the trio’s atmospheric identity.
Through carefully shaped melodic lines and electronic processing, Jordan Smart can
move from intimate, almost meditative passages to soaring expressions of emotional
intensity.

![Musikfest Surprise eröffnet mit Mammal Hands](https://images.openai.com/static-
rsc-4/jWyD8WGisNkqRyzz_cgUw4wpM1BUXA7h_g4foGBM0kD1QIcwvGzfsA40gDB20so3Dx6ZfmpWgCrt5OEdZ007zu9b1L0pue3z-
52G-oF70Bro3JuR9OsBY8kx903wtlDDhNXI-qthG-fVHE8Ibkwaqn7nXWklcyN8OpVuvFCbbkshG7M1nzkBIKIpsz4aSitA?
purpose=fullsize)

Nick Smart’s piano provides the harmonic and compositional framework, while Rob 
Turner’s drumming creates a rhythmic language that is both precise and organic.

Their new album Circadia represents an important development in this musical journey,
combining meditative soundscapes with a more physical, energetic live dimension.

Salle Nougaro is an ideal setting for this performance. Its cultural identity and
welcoming atmosphere provide a space in which the audience can experience the subtle
details of the trio’s sound.

Mammal Hands demonstrate that contemporary jazz does not always need conventional
solo structures or traditional ensemble arrangements. It can also exist as a continuously
evolving musical landscape, where repetition becomes transformation and rhythm becomes
a form of meditation.

## Dublin – Arcanum: Arve Henriksen, Trygve Seim, Anders Jormin and Markku Ounaskari

![OJF Arcanum 1508 - MUNCH](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/T4gUS4Za6tu_SEsHrnwtFTpxV9mt4AqsTcnumPAyQ9Jh1siR2JXTj00tHRLfZXPM059StmmrBbqvPAD6teDH6rRPrEjaAHxYVjmgWcS5oycqhpJegnv1jkqad6GETTnaaZs-
SXhn-zF_cN3p3KSn3w9Kcv0uYsPByOtVL95PXsz8pxrp_iitPOWBhXHxuSM6?purpose=fullsize)

_**National Concert Hall · Dublin!** _The appearance of Arcanum brings a particularly
contemplative and sophisticated dimension to the EU Jazz & Blues Festival season.

Associated with the artistic universe of ECM Records, this Nordic ensemble represents
a musical philosophy in which silence, atmosphere, melody and improvisational freedom
are equally important.

The quartet brings together four outstanding musicians: Arve Henriksen on trumpet,
Trygve Seim on saxophone, Anders Jormin on double bass and Markku Ounaskari on drums.

Their individual artistic identities are closely connected to the Scandinavian and
wider European contemporary jazz traditions.

Henriksen is renowned for his extraordinarily personal trumpet sound. His playing
often possesses a fragile, breath-like quality, combining lyrical beauty with unusual
tonal colours and a remarkable sense of space.

Seim approaches the saxophone with an equally distinctive sensibility. His improvisations
can be melodic and expressive, yet also exploratory, often drawing upon the musical
traditions of Northern Europe and beyond.

Jormin is one of the great poetic voices of the double bass. His playing combines
structural intelligence with a profound lyrical dimension. The bass is not merely
a rhythmic foundation in his hands; it becomes a melodic and expressive instrument.

Ounaskari completes the ensemble with a highly sensitive approach to percussion,
creating movement without overwhelming the music’s delicate architecture.

The result is a collective sound that can be simultaneously intimate and expansive.
Musical phrases seem to emerge naturally, develop slowly and disappear into silence,
leaving the listener with a sense of reflection.

The ECM aesthetic is especially relevant here. Its musical philosophy has long embraced
spaciousness, careful listening, refined recording and the relationship between 
acoustic instruments and natural resonance.

The National Concert Hall in Dublin is an appropriate setting for this sophisticated
performance. Its concert environment allows the smallest details of the quartet’s
interaction to become part of the experience.

Arcanum offers a different understanding of virtuosity: not the desire to play more
notes, but the ability to express more through every note. This is music of patience,
imagination and extraordinary sensitivity.

## The Artistic Direction of the EU Jazz & Blues Festival 2026

### Olivia Pievas – The Visionary Behind the European Autumn–Winter Jazz & Blues Season

At the heart of the EU Jazz & Blues Festival 2026 stands its director and organizer,
Olivia Pievas, whose artistic vision, dedication and organizational commitment give
this ambitious pan-European season its identity.

Her role represents much more than the coordination of individual concerts. It involves
creating a cultural vision capable of bringing together different countries, musical
traditions, generations of artists and audiences with diverse artistic interests.

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

The Autumn – Winter Jazz – Blues Season reflects an understanding of European musical
culture as an interconnected artistic landscape. Rather than concentrating on one
national scene or one particular interpretation of jazz, the festival embraces the
extraordinary diversity of contemporary music.

One of the most admirable aspects of Olivia Pievas’s festival vision is its openness
to different musical languages.

The programme places internationally celebrated jazz musicians alongside blues masters,
contemporary soul performers, experimental instrumentalists and artists whose music
explores the relationship between jazz and other cultural traditions.

This approach creates meaningful artistic encounters. Branford Marsalis and Dianne
Reeves represent the sophistication of the American jazz tradition; Mario Biondi
brings the warmth of Italian soul; Dee Dee Bridgewater combines musical excellence
with artistic conviction; Imarhan introduces the extraordinary heritage of Saharan
music; while Arcanum and Mammal Hands reveal the continuing creative importance 
of European contemporary jazz.

Such diversity requires a clear artistic philosophy and an appreciation of the different
dimensions of musical excellence. Olivia Peevas’s work also reflects the importance
of presenting music in culturally significant locations. Historic concert halls,
celebrated jazz clubs, municipal theatres and contemporary cultural centres all 
become part of the festival’s wider identity.

The magnificent Palau de la Música Catalana, the intimate Blue Note Milano, the 
legendary New Morning in Paris, the National Concert Hall in Dublin and La Seine
Musicale near Paris represent different architectural and cultural environments.
Together, they demonstrate the festival’s ambition to connect music with the cultural
character of each city.

Her commitment to a pan-European programme also emphasizes the importance of cultural
exchange. Musicians travel across borders, audiences encounter unfamiliar artistic
traditions, and individual concerts become part of a larger European conversation.

Equally important is the festival’s attention to artists who continue to develop
their musical identities through new projects and recordings. The inclusion of contemporary
releases, special anniversary programmes, collaborative performances and innovative
musical concepts gives the season a strong connection with the present.

The work of an artistic director is often measured not only by the names appearing
on a programme, but also by the relationships created between those names, the venues,
the audiences and the wider cultural environment.

In this respect, Olivia Pievas’s festival concept deserves particular appreciation.
She represents an organizational vision in which artistic quality, international
cooperation, cultural discovery and the emotional power of live performance are 
brought together under one European musical umbrella.

![May be an image of text](https://scontent.fevn12-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/
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ctp=s1380x776&_nc_cat=106&_nc_map=urlgen_bucketless&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=cc71e4&_nc_ohc
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oh=00_AQSpR30ub4eQr2I9miextHbnEYw8BBCVjnCao4RgIhLkMw&oe=6AEBAD84)

The EU Jazz & Blues Festival 2026 is therefore not simply a sequence of concerts.
It is an ambitious cultural undertaking, celebrating the ability of music to connect
people, cities and nations.

Our appreciation goes to Olivia Pievas for her dedication to this vision and for
her commitment to bringing outstanding jazz, blues and soul artists to European 
audiences. May this season continue to grow in artistic significance, international
recognition and cultural influence, becoming an inspiring example of European musical
cooperation.

![Mammal Hands | spectaculare](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/DeWYDPf7ke8S-
xBtt5OtZfYPmlO9Lo6FANzKaeihZCwYSbdQzxkbkC4l2V71udj4a0lRjnqN9cCmM3FCHo4NYMTEIErtZlGy-
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purpose=fullsize)

### Final perspective – A European season without musical borders

The concerts presented in this report demonstrate the extraordinary breadth of the
EU Jazz & Blues Festival 2026. From Barcelona’s architectural splendour to Málaga’s
theatrical elegance, from Milan’s intimate jazz atmosphere to Bologna’s energetic
alternative music scene, from Hamburg’s authentic blues tradition to Paris’s cosmopolitan
jazz culture, and finally to Dublin’s contemplative Scandinavian-inspired musical
encounter, the programme reflects an impressive artistic panorama.

There is a beautiful continuity between these performances. Jazz speaks through 
improvisation and harmonic imagination. Blues communicates through experience and
emotional honesty. Soul brings warmth and humanity. Contemporary experimental music
opens new horizons, while traditional musical cultures remind us that artistic identity
is rooted in history.

Together, these musical languages create something greater than the sum of their
individual performances. The EU Jazz & Blues Festival – Autumn–Winter Jazz & Blues
Season 2026 is a celebration of Europe’s cultural richness and its continuing dialogue
with the world’s greatest musical traditions. Music has no borders. And throughout
this season, Europe becomes one magnificent stage.

**By Lauren Wulff, Katin Woods, Daniella Bushler, Olivia Lomberd**

![Welcome to the official website of Susanne Alt - WEBLOG - Concert pics: Branford
Marsalis Quartet + Kurt Elling](https://images.openai.com/static-rsc-4/aNnrBBPM-
WQBBh8PRj-3OrzG5FxKkCfc7i5nKJtIf7yhXYldBiGFMO2O0QrDN2SHML5ZFiNI5x9akFWxuG3JaOSVONxfIfLgx04zUaEb0MGLA0gvweRKNKuuCn2cI88Fo1YxRyIqbHu_jMsJeIuosB5oH7zddznSWTDaZdbuXFL6m6aKDtP_yhX1ZfbgG_za?
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