JUNE 2-5, 2026 @ GRETCHEN, BERLIN - KREUZBERG
For its 18th edition, the annual European Jazzdor Strasbourg-Berlin festival will take up residence at the Gretchen, a Berlin club that embodies the spirit of musical experimentation in Berlin better than any other, located in the heart of the Kreuzberg district.
Beyond a simple change of venue, Jazzdor director Vincent Bessières is giving new impetus to this Franco-German event, created in 2007, by presenting a French program with international reach from June 2nd to 5th, 2026, embracing the diverse aesthetics that intersect with jazz. With the support of the Centre National de la Musique (National Music Center), the 2026 festival also aims to be a key event for music professionals, and the spotlight given to selected French projects, among the most creative of the moment, will help promote their international distribution.
For these four Berlin evenings, four distinct themes emerge: the first evening showcases the piano and the diverse sonic landscapes the instrument can explore, featuring the Wakan trio led by Franco-Korean pianist Francesca Han, and the Rust project by French jazz prodigy and free spirit Amaury Faye. Passionate about New Orleans, Faye invites legendary American drummer Herlin Riley—a longtime collaborator of Wynton Marsalis and Ahmad Jamal.
For the festival’s second evening, Jazzdor welcomes German musicians or those based in Germany who collaborate with French artists on international projects: Berlin-based American Michael Attias joins forces with Samuel Ber and Benoit Delbecq, while German trombonist Nils Wogram joins French musician Hélène Duret’s project, Synestet, presented in Berlin in partnership with the Jazz sous les pommiers festival (Normandy).
On Thursday, June 4th, the festival’s third evening takes on an electro flavor with the rhythmic and melodic trance of Antonin Leymarie’s group Trouble and the techno-jazz performance of Gauthier Toux’s Photons. Finally, like a window onto the world, Friday evening showcases projects that draw on the diverse backgrounds of the group members: from the Northern European folklore-inspired music of Clément Janinet’s Garden of Silences to the Mediterranean melodies of Mosaic, led by Adèle Viret, these influences enrich and color the jazz.
Thus, a reimagined and revitalized 18th edition awaits Berlin audiences in June 2026 at the Gretchen, where everyone can rediscover a part of the jazz they love while exploring new musical horizons.