Jazz & Blues Night

In the organizer's words:

First Bergedorf Jazz and Blues Night

Axel Zwingenberger & Torsten Zwingenberger play Boogie Woogie Brothers, Emil Wahlgren and BERLIN 21 STREETWORKERS create a party atmosphere with funk, soul and jazz hits.

Axel Zwingenberger is the uncrowned king of boogie woogie. Like no other, he knows how to bring real, authentic boogie woogie to the stage with his powerful, dynamic and sensitive piano playing. It gets particularly groovy when his brother Torsten sits at the drums and captivates the audience with his furious jazz drumming technique, which he developed himself.

In 2023, the "Boogie Woogie Brothers" celebrated their 50th live anniversary: they have been performing together on international concert stages since 1973. The two charismatic brothers simply have a feel for the earthy, no-frills boogie with its irrepressible joie de vivre. Axel has barely coaxed the first sounds from the piano and Torsten has barely let the brushes gently stroke the drums before the audience goes wild with enthusiasm. Anyone who has ever experienced a boogie concert by the brothers will understand why: the boogie is a twelve-bar antidepressant that immediately puts the audience in a good mood. The sound is not only perfect, it blows you away! Axel's musical partners have included blues greats such as Sippie Wallace, Lloyd Glenn or big band legend Lionel Hampton and Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts, Torsten has jammed with jazz gods such as Harry Sweets Edison, Buddy Tate and Joe Pass, and together they have played with Big Joe Turner, champion Jack Dupree and Jay McShann, among others.

Axel Zwingenberger plays boogie woogie on the piano with unsurpassed drive, ingenuity and bluesy depth. This has made him a role model for numerous pianists who emulate him around the globe. His love for boogie woogie, his skill and his stage charisma have contributed to the fact that this music is as lively today as ever and exerts a great attraction on young piano players in particular. The name Axel Zwingenberger has also become internationally synonymous with boogie woogie piano.

In recent years, Torsten has developed a new drumming technique that he calls "Drumming 5 point". He operates up to five foot pedals simultaneously, combining drums with percussion in his very own way to achieve a tremendous groove. He plays with many different band projects with which he can present his artistic and stylistic diversity.

"BERLIN 21 STREETWORKERS" are probably THE insider tip on the Berlin life scene at the moment.

Due to the ban on performances and events during the corona pandemic, BERLIN 21 musicians Lionel Haas (p), Martin Lillich (b) & Torsten Zwingenberger (dr/perc) have started playing street concerts in public places in their home neighborhood of Moabit-Tiergarten in Berlin. They met the German-Russian guitarist Alexey Wagner and play a program of popular soul, funk and pop-jazz songs by Stevie Wonder, Sting, Bob Marley, Crusaders, Beatles, Yellow Jackets etc. as well as some of the most popular original compositions from the BERLIN 21 repertoire. The program includes many favorite songs of the urban baby boomer generation. Since June 2024, the quartet has been reinforced with the distinctive and strong voice of the young and highly talented Emil Wahlgren, who draws his inspiration from Stevie Wonder, Sting, George Benson, Nat King Cole, Al Jarreau, Billy Joel and many others and mixes it into an exciting vocal cocktail. He knows how to improvise perfectly and celebrate stunning scat singing.

Funk, soul and jazz are mixed into a danceable cocktail at the highest level. A party atmosphere is guaranteed.

Emil Wahlgren (born in 1999) is brand new to the band, which is why there are no demo recordings or concert reports with him and BERLIN 21 STREETWORKERS yet.

Emil Wahlgren is a singer with Hungarian and Swedish roots who grew up in Leipzig. As the son of orchestral musicians, he learned to play the violin at an early age, but swapped this for singing after ten years. He has lived in Berlin since 2017 and recently completed his studies at the Jazz Institute. He was a member of the Bundesjazzorchester from 2020 to 2022 and performed as a guest singer with Judy Niemack, Torsten Goods and Nicolai Thärichen, among others. The young jazz singer is on the road in various formations and styles.

BERLIN 21 STREETWORKERS: Emil Wahlgren (voc), Lionel Haas (piano/keys), Alexey Wagner (guitar), Martin Lillich (bass), Torsten Zwingenberger (drums/percussions)

Axel Zwingenberger and Torsten Zwingenberger, Play Boogie Woogie Brothers, Emil Wahlgren and BERLIN 21 STREETWORKERS