Copenhagen Jazz Festival is a jazz event every July in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

, the capital of Denmark. Copenhagen Jazz Festival was established in 1979, but beginning in 1964 Tivoli Gardens presented a series of concerts under the name Copenhagen Jazz Festival with Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis and many others. According to reports,Copenhagen Jazz Festival - Publikumsundersøgelse og økonomisk analyse, Danmarks Turistråd (2004)
the total attendance was 240,000 people during Copenhagen Jazz Festival in 2004. In 2006 the number of concerts increased to 850,Copenhagen Jazz Festival - About the festival
/ref> and today Copenhagen Jazz Festival numbers more than 100 venues, 1100 concerts, and approximately 260,000 guests,Copenhagen Jazz Festival - Audience Survey 2011
/ref> making it one of the largest music events in Europe. Musicians who have performed at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival include Sonny Rollins,

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards ...

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

Michel Petrucciani Michel Petrucciani (; ; 28 December 1962 – 6 January 1999) was a French jazz pianist. From birth he had osteogenesis imperfecta, a genetic disease that causes brittle bones and, in his case, short stature. He became one of the most accomplish ...

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (, 27 May 1946 – 19 April 2005), also known by his abbreviated nickname NHØP, was a Danish jazz double bassist. Biography Pedersen was born in Osted, near Roskilde, on the Danish island of Zealand, the son of ...

, Keith Jarrett,

Wayne Shorter Wayne Shorter (born August 25, 1933) is an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Shorter came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of, and eventually primary composer for, Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. In the 1960s, he joined Miles Dav ...

, Dizzy Gillespie,

John Scofield John Scofield (born December 26, 1951), sometimes referred to as "Sco", is an American guitarist and composer whose music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention in th ...

,Copenhagen Jazz Festival - en international københavnerbegivenhed
Herbie Hancock,

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progre ...

Michel Camilo Michel Camilo (born April 4, 1954) is a Grammy-award winning pianist and composer from Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He specializes in jazz, Latin and classical piano work. Camilo lists some of his main influences as Chick Corea, Keith Ja ...

, Ornette Coleman, Annette Peacock, Svend Asmussen Quartet,

Richard Bona Richard Bona (born 28 October 1967) is a Cameroon-born American multi-instrumentalist and singer. Early life Bona Penda Nya Yuma Elolo was born in Minta, Cameroon, into a family of musicians, which enabled him to start learning music from a y ...

, Tony Allen, Chick Corea and Daniel Puente Encina.

History

The founding of Copenhagen Jazz Festival in 1979 is closely linked to the jazz scene that evolved in Copenhagen in the 1960s, when the city served as a European home for American jazz musicians like

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Career Early life and career A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...

and

Kenny Drew Kenneth Sidney "Kenny" Drew (August 28, 1928 – August 4, 1993) was an American-Danish jazz pianist. Biography Drew was born in New York City, United States, and received piano lessons from the age of five.Feather, Leonard, & Ira Gitler ( ...

. An inspired music scene attracted even more American musicians and educated and inspired the whole Danish scene as well. Through the 70s jazz music expanded in terms of genres and audiences, and reaching 1978 lawyer and project manager Poul Bjørnholt (from Københavns City Center) took the initiative to Copenhagen Jazz Festival, when realizing how local jazz clubs, public spaces, theaters and large venues could contribute to this collaborative event. From 1979 and until the 90s the festival grew at a steady pace - making room for both international artists and local bands - and today Copenhagen Jazz Festival is its biggest ever with more than 100 venues in Copenhagen and over 1000 concerts. That makes Copenhagen Jazz Festival one of Copenhagen's most important public festivals, attracting a broad international audience.

Venues

* Copenhagen Jazzhouse *

Det Kongelige Teater The Royal Danish Theatre (RDT, Danish: ') is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first se ...

* Operaen *

Koncerthuset DR Koncerthuset (; previously Copenhagen Concert Hall in English) by Jean Nouvel is a part of the new DR Byen (DR Town), that houses the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, DR. The concert hall and the DR Town are located in the northern part of Øre ...

* Den Sorte Diamant *

La Fontaine Jean de La Fontaine (, , ; 8 July 162113 April 1695) was a French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his '' Fables'', which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Eu ...

Jazzhus Montmartre Jazzhus Montmartre is a jazz club in Copenhagen, Denmark. Many jazz musicians, including Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, and Chet Baker, have performed there. It is sometimes called Cafe Montmartre. The Montmartre was located first in Dahlerupsgade, then ...

* Tivoli * Jazzcup * Det Kongelige Danske Haveselskab * Charlottenborg * Kongens Have * Huset i Magstræde * Skuespilhuset * Christianshavn Beboerhus * Jazz Club Loco * Christianskirken * Kulturhuset Islands Brygge * Pressen, Politikens Hus * Prøvehallen * Amager Bio * and more

Festival 1979–2017

Pre-Copenhagen concerts 1962–1974

Poster artists

* 1979: N/A * 1980: N/A * 1981: N/A * 1982: Pia Schutzmann * 1983: Per Arnoldi * 1984: Niels Reumert * 1985: Bo Bonfils * 1986:

Jens Jørgen Thorsen Jens Jørgen Thorsen (2 February 1932 Holstebro – 15 November 2000) was a Danish artist, director, and jazz musician whose works sometimes created controversy. Thorsen began his artistic career attending periodically the Royal Danish Acade ...

* 1987: Hans Henrik Lerfeldt * 1988: Tom Krøjer * 1989: Bent Carl Jacobsen * 1990: Erik Rasmussen * 1991: Poul Janus Ipsen * 1992: Knud Odde * 1993: Egon Fischer * 1994:

Leif Sylvester Leif Sylvester Petersen, (born 18 April 1940) in Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 ...

* 1995:

Jørgen Nash Jørgen Nash (March 16, 1920 – May 17, 2004) was a Danish artist, writer and central proponent of Situationism. Life He was born in Vejrum, Jutland, Denmark, baptized Jørgen Axel Jørgensen, the brother of Asger Jorn. He later changed hi ...

* 1996: Lars Ravn * 1997:

Henrik Have Henrik Have (14 March 1946 – 12 September 2014) was a Danish visual artist and author. His parents were a laborer, farm owner. Helmer Andreas Have and laborer Carla Christine Bloch. In 1989, he married Anne Katrine Kokholm Nielsen. He died on ...

* 1998: Dorte Dahlin * 1999: Per Kirkeby * 2000:

Bjørn Nørgaard Bjørn Nørgaard (born 21 May 1947 in Copenhagen) is a Danish artist who has been active in a variety of fields. He has significantly influenced the art scene in Denmark both through his "happenings" and his sculptures in Danish cities. Althou ...

* 2001:

Ejler Bille Ejler Bille (6 March 1910 – 1 May 2004) was a Danish artist. Biography Ejler Bille was born in Odder, Denmark. He was the son of Torben Holger Bille and Anna Kirstine Lysabild Jensen. Bille graduated from Birkerød State School in 1930, and then ...

* 2002: Ib Spang Olsen * 2003: Per Arnoldi * 2004: Evren Tekinoktay * 2005: HuskMitNavn * 2006: Jonas Hecksher / e-types * 2007:

Henrik Vibskov Henrik Vibskov (born 1972) is a Danish fashion designer, artist, curator and musician. Commonly associated with the fashion brand carrying the same name, his work is known for its enticing universes and crossover into other art forms. Working in ...

* 2008:

Kasper Eistrup Kashmir is a Danish alternative rock band consisting of Kasper Eistrup (vocals and lead guitar); Mads Tunebjerg (bass); Asger Techau (drums) and Henrik Lindstrand (keyboards and guitar). History In the spring of 1991, Eistrup, Tunebjerg an ...

* 2009:

Tal R Tal Rosenzweig (born 1967), known as Tal R, is a Danish artist based in Copenhagen. Life and work Tal R was born in Israel and moved to Denmark with his family when he was one year old. He studied at Billedskolen, Copenhagen, from 1986 to 1988 and ...

* 2010: Søren Solkær Starbird * 2011: Kirstine Roepstorff * 2012: Leo Scherfig * 2013: Søren Benchke / Papfar * 2014: Mikkel Sommer * 2015: Julie Nord * 2016: Halfdan Pisket * 2017: Rasmus Meisler * 2018: Christiane Spangsberg

References

External links

Official website of Copenhagen Jazz Festival
{{Jazz Festivals in Copenhagen Jazz festivals in Denmark Summer events in Denmark