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Tuesday, May 19th 2026

Johannes Knoll Large Ensemble: Beren and Lúthien | live recording

Christian Mehler – trumpet
Christian Höhn – trumpet
Johannes Knoll – trumpet & composition
Erik Konertz – trombone
Carlotta Armbruster – trombone
Tobi Herzog – tuba
Melanie Streitmatter – bass
Ludvig Søndergaard – drums

doors: approx. 7.30pm CEST
concert starts approx. 8.00pm CEST

(program link in bio)

The audience is in for a special musical journey into the fascinating world of J.R.R. Tolkien's mythology. Based on the moving story from The Silmarillion, Beren and Lúthien tells the legend of the love between a mortal man and an elven princess. This timeless tale is set to music by Johannes Knoll's eight-piece large ensemble. The outstanding soloists take on roles such as that of a hero who finds himself in single combat with a giant hound, before giving way once again to sweeping orchestral sounds that draw on Stravinsky, Mahler, or Bach. This blend of soloists and ensemble sound is reminiscent of Gil Evans with Miles Davis, or Duke Ellington's larger works – the great masters of orchestral jazz.

@johannes_knoll #johannesknoll #largeensemble #berenundluthien @chrismehler #christianmehler @chrishoehntrp #christianhoehn @konertzerik #erikkonertz @carlotta.ar #carlottaarmbruster @tobias_herzog_music #tobiasherzog #melaniestreitmatter @ludvig_sondergaard #ludvigsondergaard @loftkoeln #jazzstadtkoeln #jazzstadtköln #sehrgutekonzerte #sehrguteliverecordings #loftkoeln #sehrgut

Monday, May 18th 2026

A Tribute to R.A. Ramamani

Sarah Buechi – voice
Ramesh Shotham – South Indian percussion
Zoltán Lantos – violin
Stefan Bauer – marimba, vibraphone
Christoph Haberer – drums & electronics

doors: approx. 7.30pm CEST
concert starts approx. 8.00pm CEST

(program link in bio)

This project honours the recently deceased South Indian singer and composer R.A. Ramamani. In Germany, she became known through the collaboration of the ensemble Karnataka College of Percussion with Charlie Mariano at the Jazzfest Berlin in 1983. There she presented her compositions and captivated audiences with her virtuosic singing and extraordinary rhythmic abilities. Further milestones included the Moers Festival 1999, the Leverkusener Jazztage 2003, and the RuhrTriennale 2007. All musicians involved in this tribute project worked personally with Ramamani. Musically, her compositions take centre stage – including in combination with Western instruments and improvisations, fully in her spirit of an experimentally open and fresh interpretation of traditional works. In addition, the musicians present original compositions spanning jazz, electronics, and global music.

#tributetoraramamamni @sarahbuech #sarahbuechi @rameshshotham #rameshshotham @zoltlant #zoltanlantos @stefan.o.bauer #stefanbauer @trommelfarben #christophhaberer @loftkoeln #jazzstadtkoeln #jazzstadtköln #sehrgutetributekonzerte #loftkoeln #sehrgut

Saturday, May 16th 2026

Windisch · Volkmann · Kind

Julius Windisch – piano
Luise Volkmann – saxophone
Tabea Kind – bass

doors: approx. 7.30pm CEST
concert starts approx. 8.00pm CEST

(program link in bio)

A first conversation: the three musicians meet through original compositions and free improvisation.

Tabea Kind completed her bachelor's degree in music education at the Musikhochschule Freiburg in 2022, followed by a master's degree at the Jazzcampus Basel, which she finished in 2024. Larry Grenadier, Patrice Moret, Bänz Oester, Dieter Ilg, and Jorge Rossy are among her mentors. In April of this year it was announced that Tabea will receive the Jazz Prize Baden-Württemberg 2026.

Julius Windisch studied jazz piano in Bern from 2014 to 2017, and from 2017 to 2019 in the European Jazz Master programme in Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Berlin. In 2025 he received artist residencies at the Musikerwohnhaus Basel, the Arctic Hideaway in Norway, and St. Martin's Church in Kassel, where he spent several days working on the microtonal organ there. In March 2026, the second album of his band immerweiter was released on Unit Records.

The musical work of Luise Volkmann revolves around the transformative potential of music – through various bands she has founded and continues to found. Her albums have been selected as the best albums of 2018 and 2021 by the magazine Die Zeit and the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. As a saxophonist she has won several prizes and was nominated for the German Jazz Prize in 2020 and 2024.
In late April 2026, she won the German Jazz Award with her ensemble Été Large in the categories of Large Ensemble of the Year and Radio Production of the Year.
In May 2026 she will be awarded the Special Prize for Contemporary Music of the Gerhart and Renate Baum Foundation in Cologne.

@thejuliuswindisch #juliuswindisch @luisevolkmann_ #luisevolkmann @tabea__kind #tabeakind @loftkoeln #jazzstadtkoeln #jazzstadtköln #sehrgutekonzerte #loftkoeln #sehrgut

Wednesday, May 13th 2026

Armbruster · Coudoux · Landfermann · Görris

Carlotta Armbruster – trombone
Elisabeth Coudoux – cello
Robert Landfermann – bass
Jakob Görris – drums

doors: approx. 7.30pm CEST
concert starts approx. 8.00pm CEST

(program link in bio)

At the initiative of trombonist Carlotta Armbruster and drummer Jakob Görris, a specially assembled formation comes together for this evening, fully dedicated to free improvisation. In the renowned double bassist Robert Landfermann – who as a professor at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz Köln has had a formative influence on both musicians – and cellist Elisabeth Coudoux, they have found two strong artistic voices. Coudoux, internationally active in the scenes of free improvisation and contemporary music, represents an independent practice situated between sonic research, performative approaches, and musical openness. At the heart of the concert lies the collective exploration of sound and form in the moment of its creation: open, risk-taking, and always in motion. Four individual musical signatures meet and interweave into a collective sonic language, sustained by attentive listening, curiosity, and interaction.

@carlotta.ar #carlottaarmbruster @elisabethcoudoux #elisabethcoudoux @robert.landfermann #robertlandfermann @jakob.gs #jakobgoerris @loftkoeln #jazzstadtkoeln #jazzstadtköln #sehrgutekonzerte #loftkoeln #sehrgut

Sonntag 10.5. 19:00 h @loftkoeln
Martin Reuthner Oktett!
https://www.loftkoeln.de/event/martin-reuthner-oktett-just-one-of-those-things/

@tristansorgbass
@leonhattori
@marcusrieck
@philippbraemswig
@marcusbarteltsaxophonist
@schittekphilipp
Martin Schäfer

In April 2026 we played a little tour, and our last stop was the cosy jazz club LOFT in Cologne! This is a snippet from our song "Do Like Bou". #jazz #music #oud #aoud #oddmeter

Tuesday, May 12th 2026

Mareille Merck LARUS | live recording

Mareille Merck – guitar & composition
Louise Knobil – bass
Hendrik Eichler – drums

doors: approx. 7.30pm CEST
concert starts approx. 8.00pm CEST

(program link in bio)

In western Swiss bassist Louise Knobil (Lausanne/Paris) and Cologne-based drummer Hendrik Eichler, bandleader and guitarist Mareille Merck has found two musicians who are as distinctive as they are innovative – partners who help bring her original compositions to life. Merck (born 1996 in Stralsund) draws on fingerstyle techniques, lets her rock background shine through, and skillfully weaves these guitar nuances together with clear jazzy structures and memorable motifs. Mareille launched the band LARUS in 2018, originally with a different lineup; since then, two albums have been produced in co-production with Radio SRF 2 Kultur: Fadenschlag (2021) and Stille Wasser (2023). In 2021, LARUS was nominated for the ZKB Jazz Prize.

"Stille Wasser is indeed as colorful as it is dense – rich in melody and peppered with surprising shifts in tempo and dynamics. The surface may be smooth, but underneath it roars."
Manfred Papst, Neue Zürcher Zeitung, 01/2023

@mareillemerck #mareillemerck #larus @knobil_ #louiseknobil @hendrikeichler #hendrikeichler @loftkoeln #jazzstadtkoeln #jazzstadtköln #sehrgutekonzerte #sehrguteliverecordings #loftkoeln #sehrgut

...looking forward to play with these great musicians in Germany soon to honor the late R.A. Ramamani..

Monday, May 11th 2026

Viner · Jermyn · Landfermann · Hong

Jeremy Viner – saxophone
Simon Jermyn – guitar
Robert Landfermann – bass
Sun-Mi Hong – drums

doors: approx. 7.30pm CEST
concert starts approx. 8.00pm CEST

(program link in bio)

This is a new, truly international and cross-generational quartet. With original compositions ranging from powerful swing to idyllic moods and on to full-throttle improvisations, expect a wealth of musical surprises. All musicians bring extensive experience as sidewomen and sidemen, while also being bandleaders in their own right.

@thesimonjermyn #simonjermyn @jeremy.viner #jeremyviner @robert.landfermann #robertlandfermann @_sun_music #sunmihong @loftkoeln #jazzstadtkoeln #jazzstadtköln #sehrgutekonzerte #loftkoeln #sehrgut

"was du nachher noch gesagt hast",
auf youtube: WDNNGH

Veröffentlichung des Albums am 28. Mai

Sunday, May 10th 2026

Martin Reuthner Oktett: Just one of those things

Martin Reuthner – trumpet, flugelhorn & arrangement
Martin Schäfer – alto saxophone & flute
Marcus Bartelt – tenor saxophone
Philipp Schittek – trombone
Leon Hattori – piano
Philipp Braemswig – guitar
Tristan Sorg – bass
Marcus Rieck – drums

ATTENTION - SUNDAY CONCERT:
doors: approx. 6.30pm CEST
concert starts approx. 7.00pm CEST

(program link in bio)

Large-scale among combo formats, the octet is already a mini big band, enticing lovers of the grand orchestral sound to explore the interplay between arrangement and improvisation in the finest West Coast tradition. While the band members more usually encounter each other in broadcast big bands, in the powerhouse Big Band Convention, or more contemporarily in the CCJO, the time has now come to explore more delicate tones and give this luxury combo format its moment in the spotlight. Band engine and arranger Martin Reuthner values his seven colleagues equally for their ensemble quality and their individuality, which is exactly why he loves to gather them around him.

@reuthnermartin #oktett #justoneofthosethings #martinreuthner #martinschaefer @marcusbarteltsaxophonist #marcusbartelt @schittekphilipp #philippschittek @leonhattori #leonhattori @philippbraemswig #philippbraemswig @tristansorgbass #tristansorg @marcusrieck #marcusrieck @loftkoeln #jazzstadtkoeln #jazzstadtköln #sehrgutekonzerte #loftkoeln #sehrgut

Saturday, May 9th 2026

SoKo Steidle + Alexander von Schlippenbach

Henrik Walsdorff – alto saxophone
Rudi Mahall – bass clarinet
Jan Roder – bass
Oli Steidle – drums

special guest: Alexander von Schlippenbach – piano

doors: approx. 7.30pm CEST
concert starts approx. 8.00pm CEST

(program link in bio)

The four-piece gang has fully committed to free improvisation. Bandleader Oli Steidle (German Jazz Prize 2022, Drummer of the Year) has long been one of the most sought-after, versatile, and forward-thinking musicians on the European avant-garde scene. Through numerous prominent engagements and his own bands, he has secured his place in the international concert circuit, won numerous awards, and performed at all the major festivals worth mentioning. The same applies to Rudi Mahall, Henrik Walsdorff, and Jan Roder, who, like Steidle, rank among the vanguard of the international avant-garde. Spontaneity and freedom in playing, along with the necessary responsibility of shaping music without preconceptions, are the essential foundations of this music. For their 20th anniversary, a new album was released in 2022, featuring none other than the grand master Alexander von Schlippenbach himself – and he will also be on board for the concert on 9 May.

@olisteidle #olisteidle #sokosteidle #rudimahall #henrikwalsdorff #janroder alex_von_schlippenbach #alexandervonschlippenbach info_alexvonschlippenbach @loftkoeln #jazzstadtkoeln #jazzstadtköln #sehrgutekonzerte #loftkoeln #sehrgut