Cologne Jazzweek: Ahanghaye Azadi

Cologne Jazzweek goes into the third round
12-18 August 2023

The journey continues. Also in 2023 unique artists:inside of the Cologne, German and international jazz scene will be experienced on the many stages throughout the city. Whether in the Stadtgarten, LOFT, King Georg, Open Air, the Ehrenfeld-Clubs or our new venues in the Filmhaus, the Klaus von Bismarck Sendesaal in the WDR or the Philharmonie - new encounters will arise and new stories will be written. Be part of the festival summer 2023 and dive into the wonderful world of improvised music!

On September 16, 2022, in Tehran, Kurdish student Jina Mahsa Amini was arrested by Iran's ubiquitous morality police for allegedly not putting on her headscarf properly. Amini died in police custody, after ill-treatment and torture. Her death sparked nationwide protests among young people in Iran, which the authoritarian mullah regime repeatedly tried to put down by force. More than 750 people were killed in the protests, and some 30,000 Iranians were imprisoned, including nearly 1,000 children and young people. At Amni's funeral, mourners also sang "Jin, Jiyan, Azadî" (in German: "Frau, Leben, Freiheit"), which became the nationwide battle cry of these feminist uprisings in Iran. Berlin-based lyricist and author Tanasgol Sabbagh and Cologne-based bassist Reza Askari first came together in 2022 for Berlin's Klangteppich festival, where as the duo "DARD I DOOR - A Distant Pain," they illuminated their families' migration stories and artistically explored Askari's father figure. They continue their collaboration at Cologne Jazzweek with their Iranian compatriots Shabnam Pavaresh (bass clarinet) and Nazanin Noori (synthesizer) as Ahanghaye Azadi (in German: "Freiheitslieder"), tracing their transgenerational pain and despair as a quartet - and opening our view from the Iranian diaspora to current events in Iran.

The complete program of all participating venues can be found on the Cologne Jazzweek website.