New Colours Festival 2026 Brings 13 Jazz Acts to Gelsenkirchen Across Ten Venues

From 24 to 27 September 2026, the New Colours Festival returns to Gelsenkirchen, the city in Germany's Ruhr region, with 13 distinct acts performing at ten different venues. The festival's curatorial approach favors unexpected bookings and unconventional combinations rather than jazz clichés. Among the confirmed performers is Ashia Grzesik, known as Bison Rouge, an American-Polish singer, cellist and composer who merges cello with electronic effects into a sound world spanning classical, pop and folk; she performs on 25 September at the Nordsternturm. Guitarist Hanno Busch, recipient of the WDR Jazz Prize 2026, appears with his quartet and several guests, bringing a practice that also draws on rock and pop and includes work with Jan Delay and the Heavytones. The Hamburg-based Tingvall Trio, one of Germany's most successful jazz acts, travels to Gelsenkirchen to perform its melodic yet complex compositions. The festival's programming across ten locations is intended to represent the full breadth of the genre. Full program details and tickets are available online. The article is by Matthias Jordan.