On Friday I caught a concert that reminded me why live jazz still has the power to surprise: David Helbock’s Random/Control, featuring vocalist Fola Dada, At the Dottendorfer Jazznacht in Bonn.
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The cherryblossom has now gone, but instead of enjoyment for the eyes there will be enjoyment for the ears on Saturday (20 June) with the 4th ‘Sound der Altstadt’ Festival in Bonn’s old-town district.
Highlight on the Altstadtbrunnen stage(Bühne 1) is 2022 Voice of Germany winner Anny Ogrezeanu.
Here are the details:
The “Musik im Park” series takes place at the Trinkpavillon in the Bad Godesberg Kurpark (behind the Stadthalle). The free, open-air concerts happen every Wednesday from 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM, running from June 24 to July 15, 2026.
Instead of the usual six concerts there are only four this year with the line-up featuring as usual local Bonn bands, including “Taste of Woodstock” and “Plenty Fourty”. Admission is free, though generous hat donations are encouraged. Visitors are invited to bring a picnic or purchase hot sausages, pretzels, and cold drinks on-site. A limited number of chairs are available for rent, but you can also sit on the meadow. In case of bad weather, the concerts move indoors to the Trinkpavillon.
Coming up at the Dottendorfer Jazznacht on 19 June is David Helbock’s Random/Control featuring Fola Dada. It promises to be a fascinating evening of not just top jazz music but also classic poetry. Helbock has composed his own musical scores to accompany poems by, amongst others, William Blake and Emily Dickinson. To present the poems themselves in his work he will be joined by acclaimed vocalist Fola Dada who herself got a rave review from me after her Jazznacht appearance last year with Joo Kraus.
Random/Control themselves comprise of three musicians from Vorarlberg who celebrated their 15th anniversary last year, having performed hundreds of concerts together around the world. The trio’s trademark remains their vast array of instruments – just three musicians, yet well over 20 instruments. Andreas Broger plays clarinet, bass clarinet, various saxophones and flutes, and now even sings occasionally. Johannes Bär masters virtually all brass instruments – sousaphone, tuba, trombone, trumpet, alphorn, as well as didgeridoo, beatbox and drums – and sometimes even all at once.
It promises to be a very special evening, and bearing in mind how popular the Jazznacht has now become, I recommend not leaving it too late to get tickets or get to the venue.
Tickets in advance at bonnticket: €25 | At the door: €28 DETAILS HERE
The theme was ‘Dreams’ but Folk Club Bonn #169 looked in danger of of being a Nightmare for the organizers. Announcements that Bonn’s main artery the Nordbrücke was now completely closed off left many wondering about chaos on the roads, and gathering grey thunderhead clouds too suggested it might be a night to stay at home in the dry. Indeed, by the time things got underway a look at the rear balcony at Dotty’s revealed the slightly bizarre sight of people on the tennis courts with sunglasses on being pelted by a fierce rain shower.
Continue readingGreetings from Jack Savoretti to say he is looking forward to supporting Jovanotti at Bonn Kunst!Rasen on 7 July. Fear not non-Italian speakers. Jack’s songs are largely in english.
Jack’s career has been meteoric since I first saw him supporting Madison Violet at the Harmonie in 2015. He has since gone on to have a number of chart hits in the UK and this very April saw him headline two sold-out concerts at London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall.
In Germany Jack Savoretti is something of an insider tip still so take my advice and don’t just grab tickets for the Jovanotti concert on 7 July but make sure to get there in time for the support act!
| Termin | Konzert |
|---|---|
| 03. Juli, 19 Uhr | Brings |
| 04. Juli, 19 Uhr | Montez |
| 05. Juli, 19:45 Uhr | Marillion |
| 07. Juli, 19 Uhr | Jovanotti |
| 08. Juli, 17:30 Uhr | Nile Rodgers & Chic |
| 09. Juli, 19:00 Uhr | Madness |
| 12. Juli, 19 Uhr | Klassik-Picknick (Eintritt frei) |
| 15. Juli, 19 Uhr | Zaz |
| 17. Juli, 19 Uhr | Wincent Weiss |
| 02. August, 16 Uhr | Donots – Grand Kiddie Slam (Punkrock für Kids) |
| 03. August, 19 Uhr | Roxette |
| 06. August, 19 Uhr | Roy Bianco & Die Abbrunzati Boys |
| 13. August, 18:30 Uhr | Savatage |
| 14. August, 19 Uhr | Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) |
| 15. August, 19 Uhr | Roland Kaiser |
| 16. August, 18 Uhr | Zah1de |
| 18. August, 19 Uhr | Moby |
| 19. August, 19 Uhr | Amy Macdonald |
| 22. August, 19 Uhr | Agnes Obel |
| 23. August, 19 Uhr | The BossHoss |
| 25. August, 18:30 Uhr | Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds |
| 26. August, 19 Uhr | Fury in the Slaughterhouse |
| 27. August, 19 Uhr | Blue |
| 28. August, 17:15 Uhr | Rheinkilometer 652 (mit Ikkimel, Domiziana, 6euroneunzig, Felicia Bianco, Mariybu) |
| 29. August, 14 Uhr | „Oh-wie-schön“-Festival mit Fäaschtbänkler, Druckluft, Cat Ballou, Köbesse u.a. |
Baum’s Bluesbenders have been around on the Bonn music scene since 1993 so you could say that this debut studio release is more than a little overdue. Not that the band needs to advertise itself of course. Their live shows have long been enjoyed by fans at pretty much every venue Bonn has, or indeed ever, had – from The Kastaniengarten at Hotel Dreesen, the KKH roof, Trinkpavillion, Harmonie and even Kunst!Rasen (supporting ZZ Top). So yes, it certainly is about time they had something to sell at the merchandise table as a reminder of a great evening’s Blues after their concerts.
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We have the legendary guitar player and designer Les Paul to thank for a musician named Torsten Goods appearance in Dottendorf tonight. When the young Torsten Gutknecht was studying music under a scholarship in New York, Paul (whose own real name was actually Lester Polfus), had trouble pronouncing Gutknecht. So ‘Goods’ he became. That Torsten Goods has also become an excellent singer is down to the encouragement of another major music figure – George Benson. That such luminaries took trouble helping the aspiring German musician learn his trade speaks volumes about the potential they saw in the youngster. Here, in front of a packed house at the Dottendorfer Jazznacht, he proved their belief well founded with a seemingly effortless evening of modern Jazz.
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