Hot Jazz in the Kanonenhof
Between 1920 and 1935, jazz grew beyond its small ensembles. Orchestras such as those led by Fletcher Henderson and Duke Ellington set Hot Jazz down in fully written arrangements without draining away its heat, thereby paving the way for swing. This very chapter of jazz history is what The Swinginâ Bluebirds from Dresden have made their own. Their repertoire draws on arrangements from the circles of Henderson, Ellington, Joe âKingâ Oliver, McKinneyâs Cotton Pickers and the Mills Blue Rhythm Band, as well as pieces by lesser-known groups of the era. Charleston, swing and Hot Jazz all sit close together here.
Kanonenhof is an atmospheric vaulted space beneath the BrĂŒhlschen Garten and part of the structures of the former Dresden fortress in the heart of the old town. The festival has been staged here since 2023, and the venue has since become a familiar and popular feature in the programme. The fact that the Bluebirdsâ music once belonged in the clubs and dance halls of the Prohibition era gives this evening in the vault its own special resonance.
For the band, this concert is a home game. The Bluebirds were founded in 1989, have been part of the Dresden jazz scene for more than 35 years, and have also performed at festivals in several European countries. They were already on the programme in Kanonenhof in 2026. From 7:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., the evening belongs entirely to the music of the Roaring Twenties and the early Thirties, played by a band that has cultivated these arrangements for decades.
