Saturday, April 28, 2012

GERMANY: Düsseldorf’s Jazz Rally turns 20 and is Biggest Ever

With 92 concerts on 35 stages, the 20th Düsseldorf Jazz Rally breaks all records. Three days of international jazz-related performances turn the city and “longest bar in the world” into an amazing annual jazz destination and has enthusiasts hopping from venue to venue – all on one ticket. This year, Irish singer-songwriter Rea Garvey, Estonian-American conductor Kristjan Järvi and American jazz trombonist Jiggs Whigham are among headliners; Kyle Eastwood (son of Clint Eastwood) performs, and even the city’s most famous musician – German composer Robert Schumann from the Romantic era – gets involved in a special “classic jazz” performance. 

Düsseldorf’s Jazz Rally turns 20 and is Biggest Ever

With 92 concerts on 35 stages, the 20th Düsseldorf Jazz Rally breaks all records. Three days of international jazz-related performances turn the city and “longest bar in the world” into an amazing annual jazz destination and has enthusiasts hopping from venue to venue – all on one ticket. This year, Irish singer-songwriter Rea Garvey, Estonian-American conductor Kristjan Järvi and American jazz trombonist Jiggs Whigham are among headliners; Kyle Eastwood (son of Clint Eastwood) performs, and even the city’s most famous musician – German composer Robert Schumann from the Romantic era – gets involved in a special “classic jazz” performance.

DÜSSELDORF, GERMANY (PRWEB) April 26, 2012
Music lovers at the 20th Düsseldorf Jazz Rally, May 25-27, will be dazzled by the two decade old quality program, style and unique format. Visitors can “hop” from concert to concert on one ticket, and this year’s program is a record total of 92 concerts in 35 venues, featuring concerts in styles that range from “jazz pure” to funk, soul, blues, and rock. More than 300,000 visitors are expected.
Jazz legend Klaus Doldinger is a patron of the event and also performs twice during the festival. Other headliners include Irish singer-songwriter Rea Garvey, Estonian-American conductor Kristjan Järvi and American jazz trombonist Jiggs Whigham. Moreover, genre stars like Nils Landgren, Candy Dulfer, and the New York Voices are regular performers at the festival, as are Jan Delay, Clueso, and “Die fantastischen Vier” (the Fantastic Four). Several artists from the US will be part of the program, including Kyle Eastwood, actor Clint Eastwood’s son.
For the first time this year, the festival includes two talent searches, one for young jazz musicians and the other for bands. The winner of the band contest will open the legendary Friday-night opening event located at Airport Hangar 8 at Düsseldorf International Airport. In fact, the 92 concerts will take place on a dazzling variety of stages such as train stations, rustic breweries and 5-star hotels. Most are in walking distance from each other and turn Düsseldorf into one large jazz venue for the weekend.
Düsseldorf’s Tonhalle, a planetarium-turned-concert space, is the location of one of the most unusual concerts in the festival. In collaboration with Schumann Fest 2012, two jazz orchestras will perform a “classic jazz” concert and give Schumannfest a jazzy note.
Düsseldorf has what’s known as the “longest bar in the world” – rows and rows of pubs and restaurants in the city’s historic old town, more than 260 of them, and bar-hopping might as well have been invented here. All year long, visitors and locals alike enjoy the short distances from bar to bar, and on many nights, the old town seems like one big party place for eating and drinking. It was a natural step to offer the same options and convenience for jazz lovers.
Jazz lovers can advance-purchase the “Jazz-Rally-Button,” an all-access event pass, for € 29 – 35, which grants admission to all scheduled concerts. Day passes are available for € 29.
Düsseldorf Jazz Rally is organized by “Destination Düsseldorf”, an association of about 150 local businesses and organizations.
The city’s tourism office, Düsseldorf Marketing & Tourism GmbH, offers special Jazz Rally travel packages, including hotel nights and breakfast, free local transportation, and a city information package. For more information on hotel packages, visit http://www.duesseldorf-tourismus.de/hotelpakete.
For more information about Jazz Rally 2012, visit http://www.duesseldorfer-jazzrally.de.
Düsseldorf International Airport, Germany’s Next Generation HubTM, offers several non-stop flights from US cities, as well as convenient connections to many European cities and beyond.

Düsseldorf Marketing & Tourism GmbH is the visitors and convention bureau of the city of Düsseldorf. Its responsibilities include tourism and city marketing, as well as conference and meeting marketing, hotel reservation services, fairs and convention services, city event ticket sales and advance ticket reservations. For more information, visit http://www.visitduesseldorf.de.
Düsseldorf International Airport, Germany’s third largest, offers several non-stop flights from US & Canadian cities (Atlanta, Chicago, Ft. Myers, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Newark, Toronto, San Francisco, Vancouver), as well as convenient connections to many European cities. For more information about the airport, visit http://www.duesseldorf-international.de