François Lindemann-Alvin Queen Sextet

Trumpet

Saxophon

Trombone

Piano

Bass

Drum Kit

feat. Charles Tolliver, Greg Osby, Robin Eubanks and Heiri Känzig

Sometimes there are fabulous bands, sometimes there are fabulous musicians. With this unique line-up, both are true, and one can confidently use superlatives. Each one would be worth a visit on their own, but seeing all these legends together on the same stage is probably a once-in-a-lifetime experience and is sure to set jazz fans’ hearts racing. In addition to their own projects as bandleaders, most of them have served as sidemen for greats such as Herbie Hancock, Miles Davis, Elvin Jones, Carla Bley, Woody Shaw and Oscar Peterson. Now trumpeter Tolliver, saxophonist Osby, trombonist Eubanks and bassist Känzig are reuniting under the leadership of François Lindemann on piano and Alvin Queen on drums for a special reunion. Together, they pay tribute to the grand masters John Coltrane and Miles Davis, who would have celebrated their 100th birthdays this year. In doing so, they do not play the music of these two giants, but follow their example and approach to inventiveness and creativity. This unique concert by living legends will be a tribute to Davis’s and Coltrane’s aesthetic and to what the two have given to jazz.

Zurich Jazz Orchestra feat. Sarah Chaksad

Regie

Composition

Altsaxophon

Tenorsaxophon

Baritone Saxophone

Leitung

Bassposaune

Waldhorn

Tuba

Guitar

Female Composers Series

For over a decade, Swiss composer and alto and soprano saxophonist Sarah Chaksad has been a leading figure on the European jazz scene. Her trademark is her narrative, richly textured musical language, which combines compositional precision with great formal freedom. The international press hails her as an outstanding composer and arranger. Raised in a musical family, Chaksad discovered her passion for the saxophone and composition at an early age. She studied saxophone and music education at the Jazz Institute of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland (FHNW). She gained significant inspiration from international masterclasses and collaborations with musicians such as Guillermo Klein, Maria Schneider, Django Bates, and John Hollenbeck. In 2012, she founded the Sarah Chaksad Orchestra, with which she performed regularly on European stages for ten years and recorded the albums “Windmond” (2016) and “Tabriz” (2019, with Wolfgang Muthspiel). With the internationally cast Sarah Chaksad Large Ensemble, she released the album “Together” in 2023, which was praised by critics for its richness of timbre and musical depth. Chaksad is committed to the further development of the jazz scene. She directed the Jazzcampus Club Basel from 2015 to 2020, has co-led the international development program Focusyear with Wolfgang Muthspiel since 2016, and has been a co-director of the Institute of Jazz at the FHNW since 2025. She also co-founded the booking agency Esteam Music and the label Clap Your Hands.

Raphael Jost Quintet & lots of strings

Vocals

Kontrabass

Violin

Viola

Cello

Album Release «Over The Moon»

Singer and pianist Raphael Jost sees himself as a modern-day crooner. He captivates audiences with his powerful, warm voice, moving effortlessly between jazz and pop. His songs are snapshots of his life: catchy and cleverly crafted. Jost, who has already won the Swiss Jazz Award for his debut album, also loves singing swinging standards. At the piano, he brings his idols from the swing tradition, such as Oscar Peterson, Monty Alexander and Ahmad Jamal, to life. Writing for a string orchestra has long been Raphael Jost’s dream. For his latest album, Over the Moon, released in autumn 2026, he finally made that dream a reality. Rounding out the core lineup – featuring the outstanding soloists Bastien Rieser on trumpet and Alex Hendriksen on saxophone, Jost’s longtime collaborator Raphael Walser on double bass, and London-based drummer Luke Tomlinson – are ten string players who lend the music both sonic richness and intimacy. Working alongside British arranger Callum Au, who has previously collaborated with artists such as Jamie Cullum and Michael Bublé, Jost has created a captivating programme. The rich, multifaceted sound of the strings adds a new sonic dimension to Jost’s music, reaching all the way to the moon and back.

OMAR + QCBA

Synthesizer

Flugelhorn

Flute

Orgel

Spirit Music Society & Moods present

Omar is one of the most influential voices in British soul. For four decades, he has helped shape the sound of UK soul, collaborating with greats such as Stevie Wonder, Erykah Badu and D’Angelo. The Hammond organ-driven quartet QCBA, led by the outstanding trumpeter Quentin Collins and the dynamic saxophonist Brandon Allen, moves with ease between contemporary groove and the spirit of the Blue Note era of the 1960s. When Omar meets QCBA, a musical connection is formed that could hardly be a better fit. Together they create a powerful blend of soul, funk and modern jazz that packs a real punch when performed live.

muralim

Percussion

For muralim, music is something that speaks to the heart and the gut. It’s about freedom and those moments when you forget everything and can simply be in the present. Their melodies are catchy yet sophisticated, and the grooves invite you to tap your feet. The whole thing is carried by their joy of playing and their energy. The result is music that’s almost impossible to resist.

Elina Duni & Rob Luft

Album Release «Reaching for the Moon»

The charismatic Albanian-Swiss singer Elina Duni and the London-based guitarist Rob Luft first met at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 2017, which marked the beginning of their unique collaboration. Since then, they have toured the world and released two critically acclaimed albums as a quartet on ECM Records. Their upcoming album, Reaching for the Moon, due for release in 2026, sees them return to the essence of their first encounter with a stripped-down duo production. Together, they navigate a universe of jazz, chanson, and Balkan traditions, weaving a tapestry of songs that evoke the mystery and joy of night-time, the moon, and the magic within us all. Duni&#x27;s voice combines with Luft&#x27;s crystal-clear tones to create a mesmerising duet. This evening promises to be a musical journey offering hope in the darkness and reminding us of the comfort of home. This concert recording was made with the support of Migros Culture Percentage.

Yumi Ito

Critics consider the Swiss-Polish-Japanese singer to be one of the most exciting voices in contemporary jazz. It&#x27;s no wonder that she regularly sells out shows at festivals such as the JazzArt Festival and the Veneto Jazz Festival. Yumi Ito creates her own boundless worlds with her voice. A master of vocal improvisation, she moves effortlessly between genres and her roles as a singer, pianist, and composer. Her own music is correspondingly diverse, an ocean of art pop, jazz, and neoclassical. On stage, Ito acts like a Zen master: clear, reflective, and with a uniquely powerful energy. She is backed by her band: &quot;drum poet&quot; Iago Fernández on drums, Nadav Erlich on double bass, and Alessio Cazzetta on guitar. Together, they focus solely on creating musical worlds in the spirit of boundlessness. This concert recording was made with the support of Migros Culture Percentage.

Zurich Jazz Orchestra feat. Thomas Gansch

Bass Clarinet

Bassoon

Harp

100 Jahre Miles Davis

To celebrate the centenary of Miles Davis&#x27; birth, the Zurich Jazz Orchestra performs a selection of pieces written by Gil Evans for Miles Davis and found on the legendary albums Sketches of Spain, Miles Ahead, Porgy &amp; Bess and Quiet Nights. The program is a true best of program, with highlights from each album performed by the original line-up and featuring the incomparable Thomas Gansch as soloist. The program will also include the final part of Ed Partyka&#x27;s composition for the ZJO&#x27;s 30th anniversary, orchestrated for the expanded line-up by Gil Evans and rarely heard in traditional big band music. This concert will end our 2025-2026 Mood Concerts on a high, showcasing yet another facet of the Zurich Jazz Orchestra&#x27;s stylistic breadth and depth.

Skyjack

Horn

Sopransaxophon

Album Release «Let The Sky Open Under Your Feet»

The award-winning jazz collective Skyjack, consisting of some of the most sought-after jazz musicians from South Africa and Switzerland, is currently on tour to promote their latest album, “Let The Sky Open Under Your Feet”. Their fourth record is set to be released in April 2026 on the legendary South African label As-Shams/The Sun Records and will further explore contemporary grooves and a modern understanding of jazz. The band consists of three members from South Africa and two from Switzerland. All are highly acclaimed critics in their own right, but Skyjack as a whole is as great as its individual parts. Shane Cooper and Kyle Shepherd have each won the coveted Standard Bank Young Artist for Jazz Award. Swiss musicians Marc Stucki and Andreas Tschopp are two of Switzerland&#x27;s most sought-after horn players, who have achieved dizzying creative and professional heights over the years. Jonno Sweetman joined the band in 2022 and is one of South Africa&#x27;s most sought-after drummers. Their sound is an absolute powerhouse, with all members bringing compositions written for the group. From deep African grooves, to heavy-hitting jazz rides and beautiful soundscapes, it’s all part of the incredible journey that is Skyjack.

Vali Mayers Gypsy Dynasty

As the last surviving ensemble of their generation, Gypsy Dynasty embodies the authentic and unique aura of German Sinti music in its original form. Welcome to Gypsy Dynasty, the last living heirs of the Hot Club de France and German gypsy jazz. The musicians are directly descended from their former bandmates who shaped this famous musical tradition – the legends Stephane Grappelli, Schnuckenack Reinhardt, Häns&#x27;che Weiss, Martin Weiss and Titi Winterstein. Gypsy Dynasty are musicians of exceptional rarity. They play what they live: more than just a classical repertoire of timeless and popular melodies, this music celebrates their lifestyle – authentic, rousing and poetic. Three is the magic number that unites this trio of Gigi Reinhardt, Holzmanno Winterstein and Vali Mayer.

Zurich Jazz Orchestra feat. Song Yi Jeon

An evening dedicated to female composers and arrangers: The first part of the concert features music by Claudia Döffinger, Niki Illes, Cinzia Catania, Carla Köllner, and Ursula Reicher. The second part focuses on a composer and vocalist collaborating with the Zurich Jazz Orchestra for the very first time: South Korean artist Song Yi Jeon. Song Yi Jeon is not only the new vocal instructor at ZHdK, but is also renowned for her hypnotic voice—often compared to a malleable, wordless instrument—and for her incomparable improvisations. Her compositions will be performed with a jazz orchestra for the first time, presented in arrangements by Ed Partyka. This collaboration has the potential to become one of the artistic highlights of the season.

Nik Bärtschs RONIN & Simone Felbers iheimisch – «Wätterglüüt»

Kontrabassklarinette

Accordion

Nik Bärtschs RONIN & Simone Felbers iheimisch – «Wätterglüüt»

Exil und Moods präsentieren Montags 1115

Live Ambient Guitar Support: Joel Gilardini Nik Bärtsch and Simone Felber were commissioned to compose a piece for the Alpentöne 2025 festival and decided to pursue a project together. This is how RONIN meets iheimisch with «Wätterglüüt». Customs and tradition become music and music becomes customs. Which came first, the custom or the music? Stories interweave with reality, grooves with rhymes. «Wätterglüüt» oscillates between archaic, contemporary and political influences, balancing the enduring and the new. The program pays tribute to important aspects and people of our tradition and at the same time puts new customs in front of them. With this composition, Nik Bärtsch&#x27;s RONIN and Simone Felber&#x27;s iheimisch move forward to the roots and thus back to the future. After performing at Moods in October 2025, the artists continued working and developing the program and in turn, will return for another performance.

Zurich Jazz Orchestra feat. Yasek Manzano Silva

Latin Night – Rompiendo La Rutina

We were very much looking forward to embarking on a musical journey to the Caribbean at the upcoming concert alongside Juan Munguía, the Cuban trumpet legend who lives in Spain. Unfortunately, due to health reasons, he is unable to come to Moods. Nevertheless, you don’t have to miss out on an exciting concert evening at Moods. Yasek Manzano Silva will be stepping in for the evening. Daniel Schenker met the Cuban trumpeter and composer in New York in 2002. He was introduced to the New York jazz audience there during a concert by his mentor, Roy Hargrove. As luck would have it, the Havana-born musician has been in Switzerland for a little over two weeks and, fortunately, agreed to join right away. Yasek Manzano Silva began his musical studies at the Alejandro García Caturla Conservatory in Marianao, where he played along to the music he heard on his parents’ LPs. In 1995, Manzano enrolled at the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory in Havana, where he developed an interest in jazz music. He later attended the Havana School of Arts and Music. In 1997, American jazz trumpeter Roy Hargrove gave him his first trumpet, and Silva began playing at various jam sessions around town. He later traveled to New York and received a scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music, where he studied under jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and played in the Juilliard Jazz Orchestra. Since returning to Cuba in 2003, he has performed alongside Celia Cruz, Los Van Van, Irakere, Bobby Carcassés, and the British bands Manic Street Preachers and Simply Red. So you can look forward to a thrilling program: it’s quite possible that you’ll find it hard to sit still this evening. In addition to lively salsa numbers, you’re sure to hear a few Latin American-influenced arrangements by Ed Partyka.

Sc'ööf

Sc&#x27;ööf are tipped to be the next big thing in Europe. The experimental band has already won the Zenith Award from the European Jazz Network, among other accolades, and has developed its own radical sound that is refreshingly adventurous and provocative. With their fascination for strange grooves and exuberant live energy, Sc&#x27;ööf are an exciting surprise. The Swiss-based quartet consists of drums, a laptop, an electric guitar and two saxophones with electronics and sound design. They create acoustic glitch music using advanced instrumental techniques, weaving atonal melodies into dense, complex rhythms and blending a variety of musical ideas into a single piece. Their sound uniquely combines elements of jazz, rock, metal, punk and experimental music. Their technically impressive performances are based on strong individual musicality and years of collaboration. Thanks to their long, repetitive, highly rhythmic structures, their performances are hypnotic, and thanks to their physical energy, they are intense.

Antistatic

The Danish instrumental trio Antistatic creates complex soundscapes with just two guitars and drums. Their instruments intertwine effortlessly, combining percussive guitar lines and intricate polyrhythms to create hypnotic grooves that lie somewhere between post-punk and math rock. Their debut album, Relics, was released in 2024 on the renowned US label Cuneiform Records and received rave reviews worldwide. This year, the band will follow up with a new release. Antistatic is an experience, especially live. They build dynamics between controlled precision and cathartic outbursts. With their repetitive, driving rhythms, they put you in a trance, only to create new tension time and again with surprising twists.

Zurich Jazz Orchestra feat. Karin Meier

Karin Meier returns to continue her many years of great collaboration with the Zurich Jazz Orchestra. In addition to Karin&#x27;s own compositions, the program will also include new interpretations of jazz standards and pop classics, all arranged for the ZJO by Ed Partyka. The orchestra will perform with an expanded line-up, including French horn, tuba and a whole range of woodwind instruments to give the music additional textures and timbres. The orchestra will also play instrumental music by Ed Partyka, including the continuation and further development of the composition written for the orchestra&#x27;s 30th anniversary. The first movement of the work, There Will Be Another You, was premiered on October 2, and the piece will continue to evolve and grow until May 2026. As always, both the instrumental and vocal arrangements will be performed by the Zurich Jazz Orchestra&#x27;s outstanding soloists.

New Regency Orchestra

Keyboards

Director

Bongos

Congas

For the past four years, the New Regency Orchestra has been causing a sensation with its powerful twelve-piece horn section and well-rehearsed five-piece rhythm section. The orchestra&#x27;s dancers breathe new energy and arrangements into the heyday of Latin jazz and salsa. The orchestra is the brainchild of artistic director Lex Blondin, who is the man behind the Total Refreshment Centre and the co-founder of the Church of Sound. His longstanding passion for jazz led him to discover the explosive Afro-Cuban rhythms that were popular in 1940s New York thanks to Mario Bauzá, the godfather of Afro-Cuban jazz. This lively music was made for dancing and found a home at the New York Palladium, a place that was crucial to the development of the scene because it was a defining place of freedom and expression. The 18-piece Afro-Cuban jazz big band is one of London&#x27;s most exciting ensembles. It brings the New York of the 1950s to life, featuring the contemporary power and energy of some of London&#x27;s best Latin and jazz musicians. The NRO&#x27;s repertoire reinterprets some of the best pieces from this golden era. They perform pieces by René Hernández and Tito Puente from the early 1950s and salsa by Rafael Labastida and Orlando Marín from the 1970s with fresh London flair.

Chip Wickham

Fender-Rhodes E-Piano

Chip Wickham is a crossover artist between club culture and jazz, influenced by early collaborations with The Pharcyde, Nightmares on Wax and Matthew Halsall. His music thrives on emotional clarity, playful openness and stylistic diversity - carried by flute, saxophone and a top-class ensemble from the British jazz scene. At Moods, Wickham presents his new album The Eternal Now (2025, Gondwana Records), a homage to the creative moment beyond time - a journey into new sonic spaces with borrowings from Lonnie Liston Smith or David Axelrod. Co-produced by Matthew Halsall, it is Wickham&#x27;s most experimental work to date - an album that impresses with its playfulness, emotional depth and musical breadth.

Zurich Jazz Orchestra playing Rob McConnell

Horn (Cornet)

Zurich Jazz Orchestra playing Rob McConnell 

Rob McConnell (1935–2010) was a Canadian trombonist, composer, and arranger. He is best known for founding and leading the Grammy Award-winning big band The Boss Brass from 1967 to 1999. Rob McConnell&#x27;s big band music is firmly rooted in the jazz tradition, but offers clever interpretations of well-known jazz standards, challenging ensemble passages (for the musicians) and exciting ones (for the audience), as well as plenty of space for the orchestra&#x27;s soloists. Other hallmarks of Rob McConnell&#x27;s music are the expanded instrumentation (eleven brass instruments, including two French horns) and the subtle humor that runs through all his compositions. Ed Partyka met Rob in 1989, and the two remained in contact until Rob McConnell&#x27;s death. Partyka recalls: “He was an incredibly warm and funny person, which you can also hear in his compositions. In my opinion, he was also an underrated soloist on the valve trombone, surpassed in expression and virtuosity only by Bob Brookmeyer.”

Dumama

Kay Zhang – ANCESTRAL ROOTS

ANCESTRAL ROOTS invites people to a celebration that honors heritage and culture, living in and through the diaspora, and third culture identities through sound, storytelling or chanting, making the invitation wide, vibrant and inclusive. South African musician, sonic poet, and cultural researcher Gugulethu Duma (aka Dumama) criticizes and deconstructs archaic modes of representation of South African sonic and performance culture. As a storyteller and lyricist she weaves together childhood songs, stories and personal memories with electronic hues and gestures, experimenting with the divide between traditional oral culture and futuristic, globally oriented poetics in her embodiment of an African technological consciousness. For her performances and recordings, she predominantly works with voice, uHadi (a traditional Xhosa bow instrument), live vocal effected loops, processors, field recordings and distortions. This event was co-curated by Tracy September. Tracy September is a musician, performer, and music researcher born in South Africa and based in Zürich. Drawing from jazz, traditional Xhosa singing, and electronic experimentation, her work explores memory, spirit, and protest through improvisation. Tracy weaves voice, electronics, texts, archives, and field recordings into storytelling rooted in ritual and community. She also composes for film, theatre, and dance, performs with the band Black Pitch, and DJs under the alias youngseptember.

Elina Duni Trio feat. Rabih Abou-Khalil

Jurykonzert

Born in 1981 as the daughter of a writer and a director in the Albanian capital Tirana, Elina Duni first appeared on stage at the age of just five. A lot has happened since her first musical steps on radio and television: today, Elina Duni is an ECM artist and, since 2017, a laureate of the Swiss Music Prize. In this ZKB Jazz Prize Special, the oud virtuoso Rabih Abou-Khalil meets the Elina Duni Trio with Marc Méan and Matthieu Michel. A unique constellation that will probably bring some golden moments. The concert took place as part of the ZKB Jazz Prize.

The long-standing and very fruitful partnership between Thomas Gansch and the Zurich Jazz Orchestra will continue this year. In addition to repertoire from the past, there will also be new arrangements written by Ed Partyka especially for this concert, presenting Thomas Gansch as a composer and multi-instrumental soloist, but also as an amiable &#x27;enfant terrible&#x27;. One thing is certain: the wonderful musicians of the ZJO will provide some musical surprises. It is also certain that the band and the audience will experience an unforgettable evening.

Zurich Jazz Orchestra Funk Night

Joseph Bowie’s Big Band Funk - The Legendary Music of Defunkt

Joseph Bowie is the brother of the big band musician Byron Bowie and the co-founder of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Lester Bowie. Joe himself founded the punk-funk-jazz group Defunkt in 1978. The band released several genre-bending albums in the 1980s, and their music has been called one of the most adventurous sounds of the last quarter of the 20th century. Over the past 20 years, Joe Bowie has also worked to adapt this music for big band. One of the arrangers Joe has worked with since 2011 is Ed Partyka. The ZJO is looking forward to an energetic evening of danceable hits from the long history of Defunkt.

Dominique Fils-Aimé

Dominique Fils-Aimé is back with a new album and after several attempts finally plays the Moods stage for the first time. Following her successful trilogy of albums that traced the history of African-American culture and history and even earned her a JUNO for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year in 2020, comes her latest record, &quot;Our Roots Run Deep,&quot; which will be released in September 2023 on Ensoul Records. Inspired by soul icons such as Billie Holiday, Etta James and Nina Simone, the Canadian with Haitian roots tells of the wellspring of her soul and holds the audience with her voice in a soothing sonic embrace.

Nubiyan Twist

Acclaimed by the press and critics, celebrated by fans, part of the crème de la crème of British jazz, Nubiyan Twist from Leeds bring together virtuoso musicians, experienced producers and inspired composers under the direction of Tom Excell. Together they create an unmistakable, infectious big band sound with influences from jazz, hip hop, Afrobeat, Latin, soul, reggae and dance music – a captivating, powerful musical experience.

Gansch & Roses

50 Jahre Thomas Gansch Anniversary Band

Thomas Gansch needs little introduction. The Austrian trumpeter, composer and mastermind behind Mnozil Brass has already graced Moods several times - and he loved it. So much so that he is playing one of his only four shows with Gansch &amp; Roses here for his 50th birthday - the only one outside Austria and at his own request. He gave himself a birthday present: a band that will make you go into raptures. Greats such as Randy Brecker, James Morrison, Peter Erskine and Wolfgang Puschnig pay their respects to Gansch and play together with Michael Hornek, Albert Wieder, Florian Trübsbach, Fabian Rucker, Robert Hedemann - and of course the birthday boy himself. This concert was made possible in cooperation with JAM MUSIC LAB University. Thomas Gansch is professor, Peter Erskine and Randy Brecker are guest artists at JAM University. The concert is sold out; there will be no box office sales.

Zurich Jazz Orchestra

Best of: Arranging Jazz

The art of jazz arranging has been around for 100 years. The Zurich Jazz Orchestra will trace the development of this art form for big band - a best-of program as a look back at our season theme The Art of Arranging. The journey begins in the 1920s, continues with the swing and big band era of the 1930s and 1940s and leads into the post-war period. Influential arrangers such as Bob Brookmeyer, Gil Evans, Carla Bley, Billy Strayhorn, George Gruntz and Mathias Rüegg will be in the spotlight and show how &quot;The Art of Arranging&quot; has developed over the past 50 years.

Zurich Jazz Orchestra feat. Ola Onabulé

Vocal Artistry Series

If little more than a year passes before the ZJO invites a guest for a second time, the premiere must have been a complete success: In November 2022, British-Nigerian vocalist and songwriter Ola Onabulé performed with the ZJO for the first time. He is a virtuoso, self-effacing singer and a lyricist with today&#x27;s world in mind and history in the back of his mind. The topics of his songs hardly leave anything out, from basic human love of life to political content. In doing so, he refrains from stereotyping, which makes his work more elaborate, but his songs all the more authentic.

Jazz

Rap / R'n'B / Brass

Experimental

Jazz Experimental

Soul / Blues / Funk

Rap / R'n'B

Pop / Rock / Singer / Songwriter

Jazz Modern Creative

Global Sounds

Electronic / Party

Over 700 video-on-demand and 40 live streams per year from jazz, global, blues, funk, soul and rap await you. Curated with playlists and recommendations from our program team. In addition, 70% of the subscription revenue goes directly to the musicians. With a subscription you support the artists and this project.

François Lindemann-Alvin Queen Sextet

feat. Charles Tolliver, Greg Osby, Robin Eubanks and Heiri Känzig

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