In the organizer's words:

Chris Hopkins' SWINGING CHRISTMAS - German and international Christmas songs in swinging-elegant garb

feat. Shaunette Hildabrand (voc/USA), Engelbert Wrobel's Swing Society


A MUST FOR JAZZ FANS

Christmas is surely coming. And together with our guests, we want to get in the mood for the festive season in different ways. With music, of course. Jazz fans should not miss the first performance of Chris Hopkins' Swinging Christmas.

CELEBRATED INTERNATIONALLY

Chris Hopkins was born in Princeton (New Jersey) in 1972. Equally adept on piano and alto saxophone, he is one of the busiest artists on the international jazz scene - not least as leader of the ensemble "Echoes of Swing", which has been successful for over 20 years with an unchanged line-up and has been internationally acclaimed for its innovative approach to the jazz tradition. He is also celebrated every year for his very special Christmas program. Chris Hopkins brings all the good gifts you could wish for at Christmas, such as a sense of style, a way of life and swing.

The German-American from Bochum is a guide who leads you - past all the shoals of Christmas aesthetics - through the joys of Christmas. How does he do it, the jazz pianist by the grace of God? Like this: He comes with a band that can swing like no other since the angels danced above the stable in Bethlehem. He comes with a singer whose voice can do what few have been able to do since the angels sang their Hosanna, and he comes with a program that raises the question of what actually happened first: the swinging Christmas or this very special holiday.

The line-up
Chris Hopkins (p), Shaunette Hildabrand (vocals), Engelbert Wrobel (cl/sax), Rolf Marx (g), Henning Gailing (b), Oliver Mewes (dm)