BAP – Live and Clear in Bonn

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Years ago I saw Wolfgang Niedecken walking through the Schildergasse, a main thoroughfare in Cologne.  You could see people looking at him, recognizing him, and walking on.  It was rather the way locals regards The Cathedral itself.  A quick glance to see that the things that belong in Cologne are still where they should be.  All is right with the World.

Tonight some of those locals might be looking around them with unease.  The Cathedral is still there, but something is amiss… things are not right with the World in Cologne.  It’s the last night of the band’s ‘Live & Deutlich’ (Live & Clear’) Tour for Niedecken’s legendary group BAP, and it’s taking place – in Bonn!  The Kunstrasen to be precise.

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Jazztube’s Thomas Kimmerle in Interview

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My ‘go-to’ Man for all things Jazz is Thomas Kimmerle.  Aside from being a wizard of the saxophone with his own 5tet and playing in the Bonn Jazz Orchestra, Managing the Aloisiuskolleg Big Band, leading the Bonn Jazz Youth Orchestra and running the website jazzinconcert.com, Thomas also finds the time (phew!) to put together the JazzTube Festival.  Bonn locals will be familiar with the sound of Jazz wafting out from local stations from late August.  JazzTube has clearly caught the imagination of the public in the eight years since Kimmerle and Stadtwerke Bonn began the venture.  Here, Thomas gives his view on the coming JazzTube Season that starts on Friday (23 August)

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The Closing week of Kunstrasen has some great music lined up

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Wolfgang Niedecken – Cologne’s very own Duracell Bunny keeps on going (God bless him!)

A lot of great music coming to the Kunstrasen this week.  Max Giesinger will have a support slot for Cynthia Nickschas – Cynthia fans get there in time, the Bonn ‘Powerfrau’ is onstage at 5.30 pm on Thursday!

Cynthia Nickschas – Bonn music at its best

Get there early too on Friday for the legendary Wolfgang Niedeckens BAP.  Show starts on Friday at  6.30 pm and Mr Niedecke will be onstage from then until they forcibly drag him from the stage because it’s 10 pm.  There are not many left like Niedecken, who love to play all night and not just 90 minutes.

 

Saturday is Classic Rock Night with Mr Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull and one foot on the ground whilst playing the flute fame.  Thick as a Brick you must be if you miss him, Fish and the rest of the evening’s Rockbands.

 

Speaking of Rock Bands.  There aren’t too many from Germany who are loved in Britain, and few loved more than the closing band at Kunstrasen this year – The Scorpions.  Need I say more?

Tickets available via BONN TICKET

From Brighton to Bonn – James Bay at Kunstrasen

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I’m a firm believer that Brighton might well be the secret cradle of modern UK pop music.  Hitchin born James Bay cut his musical teeth in the bars of that very UK seaside town at open-mikes.  Now he’s heavily touted as a future Rockstar and warming up audiences for The Stones and Ed Sheeran.  His appearance, along with that of this year’s Eurovision winner Duncan Laurence, made a visit to Kunstrasen on Thursday too good to resist.

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Albert Hammond – It (Almost) Never Rains at Roncalli Platz

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Albert Hammond smiles as he recalls midway through tonight’s show: “I often have people come up to me and say ‘I enjoyed the show.  But why so many cover songs?”.  During the current Songbook Tour though Hammond is able to put the record (literally) straight before each song.  “Here’s one I wrote that Julio Inglesias had a hit with (‘All the girls I’ve met before’), here’s one I co-wrote for Leo Sayer (‘When I Need You’) One I co-wrote for the Hollies (‘Air That I Breathe’).  Roncalli Platz in Cologne was a chance to remind people just how prolific a songwriter he is – and he took his chance well.  An evening of familiar songs that, if they didn’t stretch back in time as far as the Cathedral towering behind the stage, still had a long and very successful history.

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Sunny Skies again in the Rheinpark

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Just looking at this year’s programme of events for the Rheinaue Parkrestaurant is a mind-boggling affair.  From opening concert 8 July to the closing notes from local band Handmade on 30 August there is a concert virtually every evening.  Straight away then kudos to Walter Schnabel for organizing such a logistical helter-skelter.  That said though, the shows are some 90% cover-bands and 10% old-time Jazz, and I’m not too much a fan of cover-bands.  That’s something I first admitted to Rope Schmitz some 10 years ago now.  Rope, of course, is the frontman and a founding member of Bonn’s oldest Cover-band (from 1972 in fact) Sunny Skies.  Tonight they are playing at the Parkrestaurant Rheinaue, and I, the cover-band hater, am once again present with a camera and a notebook.  But WHY? you ask.  I’ll do my best to answer that one in the next paragraphs.

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Stadtgarten Season 2019 starts Friday

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Milene (here from 2017) will open Stadtgarten 2019’s Music Season

If the sudden heatwave left Bonn’s inhabitants and visitors with no doubt that Summer has now arrived in force then the next news will: The Stadtgarten Season 2019 will soon be underway at Alten Zoll.

Friday 2 August sees the curtain go up on one of the most beautiful and most popular free music festivals in Germany.  By the end of August, 28 bands will have played to up to 2000 people per evening, picnicking on the nearby grass verge or dancing before the stage. With its motto of ‘Umsonst & Draussen’ (outdoors & free), The Alten Zoll stage will once again be a popular place for young and old to while away balmy Summer evenings.

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Do You Wanna?

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Congratulations to Vanja Sky on the release of her first official video.
Croatia-born Vanja made a great impression on the RUF Blues Caravan Tour last year with Mike Zito and Bernard Allison.  She has now relocated to Baden-Württemberg, which is good news for all German lovers of honest Blues-Rock as she is more likely to be playing in your area soon.  In Bonn’s case, the next nearby date is at Urania Theatre in Cologne on 16 September.  Do you wanna be there?  Yes, you do!!