Think of Vienna and you might not automatically think of Herbie Hancock or Natalie Cole. Or Dave Brubeck. Or Liza Minnelli. Or John Scofield. But those are just some of the big names that have appeared at the Vienna Jazz Festival – Jazz Fest Wien.
- Jazz event now approaching its 30th edition
- Prestigious festival that features both global stars and regional talent
- Often dips into other genres, too, such as soul and blues
- Currently undergoing a period of reorientation
- Next dates: TBA
- See also:
The festival
(One of the venues used at past festivals: the Altes Rathaus)
An annual event since 1991 (excepting recent years), Jazz Fest Wien ranks as one of Europe’s top jazz festivals. It’s not a festival in the sense of a weekend at a single site. Instead, expect a programme of performances across numerous days and different locations. An early summer date is usual.
Back in 1991, the likes of Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis arrived in Vienna, setting a precedent for top names that has continued throughout the event’s history.
And the venues match the stature of the performers, with past concerts taking place in the Vienna State Opera House and the old town hall (Altes Rathaus), for example, as well as in more traditional jazz and music clubs.
(Vienna itself has a small, but vibrant, jazz scene and history. Multiple Grammy winner, Joe Zawinul, was born here, for example.)
Coming highlights
You’ll find the next lineup and programme online at the festival website, once details become available.
To give you an idea of the kind of performers to expect, here a few stand-out names from the 2019 event that was the last to actually go ahead: Bobby McFerrin, Jamie Cullam, UB40, Gilberto Gil, Omara Portuondo, Chilly Gonzales, and Jamison Ross.
Herbie Hancock, Paolo Conte, Manhattan Transfer, Bryan Ferry, Beth Hart, and others were all slated to appear in 2020 until circumstances intervened.
Dates, tickets & tips
The event has been in hiatus of late, but plans to return in the future with a new and revitalised approach. Keep an eye on their website for details.
In the past, tickets to the individual events typically became available through links provided at that festival website.
Prices depended, of course, on the concert. If you wanted a flavour of the festival without buying a ticket, a couple of outdoor performances were sometimes free.
The occasional free concert continues a tradition in Vienna of making culture accessible to all.
For example, standing tickets at theatres and opera houses can cost as little as a cup of coffee, the two top orchestras have at least one free open-air performance each year (e.g. the Summer Night concert), and the huge open-air Donauinselfest music festival is also completely free.