Who knew that Frankfurt had a well established jazz scene? This weekend sees the annual German Jazz Festival back in town. The opening was actually yesterday at the Alte Oper but there are performances from Thursday to Sunday this week in different locations across the city.

I had realised before that there was something going on in the city because of jazz venues like the Jazzkeller near Hauptwache or Mampf on Sandweg. Turns out that places like these go back a really long way and were a direct influence of the American military presence in and around Frankfurt. Jazzkeller was founded in 1952 and has hosted some of the biggest names in Jazz and is still the best place in the city for live jazz music.

This year Frankfurt is hosting the 49th annual Jazz Festival and, as I just found out yesterday, can pull some pretty decent crowds. The larger events can be a little pricey with tickets starting at €39.50, but a really good option looks like the weekend events which are around €15.

The top tip is the ‘Echoes of Swing‘ hosted at Harry’s York Bar with free entry (I am guessing because the Lindner Hotel is one of the sponsors). The venue is really nice but it is a little small, so make sure you there early and take a seat at the bar so that there are no drink shortages ;-). The only word of warning is that Harry’s is normally a smoking bar, but maybe this isn’t the case for this event. Event starts at 11pm.

And now that I just gave away the tip I’d better make sure I get to the bar reaaaally early on Saturday to get a spot…

If you want to keep an eye on all of the upcoming jazz events in Frankfurt, visit the Jazz Initiative website for a full list of events.