Part 3 – The years 1991 to 2000
Premiere for Gospel Vespers and big names in jazz
The 1990s opened a new chapter for the INTERNATIONAL DIXIELAND FESTIVAL Dresden. Despite some uncertainty after the upheavals of the previous years, the 21st Dixie Spring already brought the festival back into full bloom. Audience favorites such as Bob Wallis thrilled the crowds, as did the world-renowned trombonist and bandleader Chris Barber, who brought the song “Ice Cream” to the stage with his Jazz and Blues Band — a piece that had long since become an anthem of the festival.
With seasoned ensembles from Germany and abroad, including the Blue Wonder Jazzband, Papa Binnes Jazzband, the Jazz-Optimisten Sonneberg, and the Olivier Franc Quintett, it soon became clear that Dresden would remain a firm meeting place for the old-time scene in the new decade as well. A total of 19 bands from eleven countries made it clear that the festival had retained its international standing.
Festival organizers in search of supporters
The organizers now had to work harder than ever to secure partners and sponsors. Names such as Erich Knebel, Ulrich Prochnow, Wolfgang Grösel, and Joachim Schlese stand for a phase in which the festival had to be financially and organizationally secured anew, not just musically. Through great dedication, they succeeded in winning supporters and not only saving the festival, but also developing it further.
Even the “Dixie Kick-off ’92” at the Kulturpalast showed that Dresden’s jazz fans had remained loyal to their festival. Many weeks before the actual start of the 22nd festival, that evening offered a taste of the May days ahead. The music went on well past midnight, and once again it became clear that the festival lived from its own unmistakable atmosphere.
Success with “Dixie Kick-off ’92”
In retrospect, this opening proved to be a smart and forward-looking idea. The format showed how well anticipation, audience engagement, and Dresden jazz tradition could be combined. The close connection to the Kulturpalast remained an important part of the festival’s identity — even though the venue changed fundamentally in later years.
It was precisely during this period that it became clear how closely the INTERNATIONALE DIXIELAND FESTIVAL Dresden was tied to its venues. The historic spaces, the familiar stages, and the audience together formed a resonant space that reached far beyond individual concerts.
“All hell broke loose in the church” – first gospel vespers with 4,500 attendees
One of the decade’s highlights was the first gospel vespers in Dresden’s Kreuzkirche. 4,500 visitors experienced a concert-style service there with the Jackson Singers, an event that etched itself deeply into the festival’s memory. Spirituals, gospels, and religious ballads created an electrifying atmosphere that was unusual even in this venerable space.
The vespers provided a radiant highlight that shone far beyond the individual concert. Together with other program highlights, including the European Dixieland All Stars led by Oscar Klein and Charly Antolini, it helped Dresden once again be perceived as the “capital of Dixieland.” For the first time, the festival drew more than 100,000 spectators and at the same time opened itself up to new formats and audience segments.
Applause for the New Orleans All Stars and the New Moscow Jazz Band
The following years, too, brought major names and powerful emotional moments. The New Orleans All Stars travelled to Dresden at considerable expense and were eagerly awaited. Their Elbe debut ended with a performance that deeply moved the audience. The New Moscow Jazz Band, Ron Ringwood’s Gospel Messengers, and Etta Cameron with Voices of Joy likewise drew enthusiastic reactions.
1994 felt in many respects like a dress rehearsal for the upcoming anniversary. The response was enormous, the concerts sold out, and the organizers could count around 250,000 prospective attendees, visitors, and participants. The festival had now definitively returned to full strength.
A Quarter Century of the INTERNATIONALES DIXIELAND FESTIVAL
In 1995, the festival celebrated its 25th anniversary — a jubilee of European stature. More than 30 bands and soloists were invited, international top-tier ensembles shaped the program, and with around half a million visitors and participants, the festival reached a scale that impressively confirmed its unique status.
Highlights included, among others, the Camellia Jazz Band of New Orleans, Addi Münster’s Old Merry Tale Jazzband, Pete Allen, and the European Dixieland All Stars. The audience responded with great enthusiasm, and exclusive keepsakes such as the Dresden Dixie city token underscored the character of this anniversary as a festival of superlatives. Addi Münster summed up the mood when he described the event as a festival unlike any other in the world.
Anniversary momentum into the years that followed
The energy of the anniversary carried the festival into the years that followed. Hundreds of jazz musicians from many countries continued to provide exhilarating May days spanning swing, blues, and boogie-woogie. New guests from Russia, Indonesia, Great Britain, and the USA broadened the festival’s profile without diluting its musical core.
The audience also remained especially closely connected to the festival. Advance ticket sales once again developed into a ritual in which loyal Dixie fans would wait for hours, understanding the waiting itself as part of the festival experience. During these years, the INTERNATIONAL DIXIELAND FESTIVAL Dresden was not only a concert program, but a living community.
From the Frauenkirche to the 2000 anniversary
Toward the end of the decade, the festival became even more closely linked with the city and its symbols. The Lamarotte Jazzband stood out not only musically, but also made a statement with a donation for the reconstruction of the Frauenkirche. At the 36th festival, brass bands were among the ensembles that played around the rebuilding landmark, visibly bringing music, the city’s history, and solidarity together.
In 1999, almost 300 musicians from 16 countries set the stage for the next anniversary. Gospel concerts in the Kreuzkirche, new international guests, and the attempt to perform the Bourbon Street Parade together in the closing parade as the “largest Dixieland band” made clear with what momentum the festival entered the year 2000. The 1990s had shown that the INTERNATIONAL DIXIELAND FESTIVAL Dresden was not merely continuing its history, but giving it new life.