JazzAscona – the Ascona Jazz Festival

Those of you who have been following us for a while know that we have a weak spot for Ascona. This tiny lakeside town in Ticino offers everything we love about southern Switzerland: sunshine, hiking paths, gourmet restaurants, luxurious hotels and a lake.

Did we mention the Ascona Jazz Festival?

Ever since 1985, Ascona has established itself as an international venue dedicated to classical Jazz and New Orleans beats. Needless to say, Ascona comes alive during the annual “New Orleans Experience”. The alleys and streets will literally bounce during ten days in June.

Whether you are into contemporary Jazz, swing, mainstream blues, gospel, R&B or New Orleans Jazz, the festival is a music aficionado's dream. Countless concerts and impromptu jam sessions will take place in the town by the shores of Lago Maggiore.

(Photograph copyright JazzAscona)
 

Trumpet Mafia, anyone?

The 35th edition of JazzAscona promises lots of highlights, including the Grammy Award winning New Orleans Jazz Orchestra. Along with the band, about fifteen young members will also be performing in Ascona.

We are most excited to experience the Trumpet Mafia, a New Orleans based ensemble. The trumpeter of the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Ashlin Parker, has established this innovative project. The Trumpet Mafia is said to stage surprise gigs during JazzAscona, so we we will surely keep our ears open for the sounds of their horns... In fact, everyone is invited to join their afternoon sessions from June 23 to 29 - regardless of the level of experience. The meeting point is at the Aula Magna of the Collegio Papio at 1 PM.

The 2019 program and tickets

In addition to the highlights above, other New Orleans guests include Jt & the Ka-nection Band (June 20 to 25), The Masakowski Family Trio, trumpeter Leroy Jones (June 21 to 25) and pianist/founder of the legendary funk group The Meters, David Torkanowsky.

Count us in for the tribute concert to the great orchestras of the 1930s. The Paolo Tomelleri Big Band will perform on June 21. We are keen to see the Milano legend who has been recognized for his contribution to the development of Jazz in Italy at last year’s festival.

Check out the full line-up of concerts and Jazz events.

JazzAscona takes place from June 20 to June 29, 2019. No admission ticket is required during the evenings from Sunday, June 23 to Thursday, June 27.

Tickets are 20 francs for June 20 to 22, as well as June 28 and 29. Get them in advance at Ticketcorner.ch.

How to get to JazzAscona

We recommend traveling to Ascona by train and bus. From the Locarno train station, transfers to Ascona by bus are frequent and smooth.

Our tip: Ascona Jazz Night on May 31, 2019

The Ascona Jazz Night offers a great opportunity to catch a glimpse of the upcoming festival. The concept is simple: during one night only, various bands and singers are stationed throughout Ascona. We love to roam the alleys and be guided by the sounds. Because before you know it, you will stumble upon a fantastic singer inside a courtyard or a New Orleans brass band in an alley.

(Photograph copyright JazzAscona)