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You’ll want to jump up at the very first note – and you’re allowed to! When the Jazzrausch Bigband kicks off its swinging Christmas programme, every little light on the wreath lights up straight away.
The Jazzrausch Bigband made its name with its genre-defining techno-jazz programmes. Towards the end of the year, however, the focus deliberately shifts to the big band tradition: Since its inception, a dedicated Christmas programme has been a firm fixture in the band’s repertoire – lovingly refined and reimagined year after year.
The common musical thread is a selection of familiar German-language Christmas carols, arranged with humour and skill by chief composer Leonhard Kuhn. Nineteen musicians race unchecked through a who’s who of big band history: Count Basie’s springy drive, the effervescent swing à la Woody Herman, right through to echoes of the Comedian Harmonists.
The album ‘Am Weihnachtsabend’ (ACT), due for release in 2026, consistently builds on this sonic aesthetic and, through Christmas-themed texts by Eichendorff, Fontane and Storm, also gains a fascinating literary depth. Virtuoso soloists emerge from warm brass sections, before merging once again into the impressively precise tutti of the Jazzrausch Bigband.
A Christmas Eve brimming with joy and lively big band tradition, leaving behind a heartfelt smile – both on and off stage.
