Jazz Band Berlin Live Jazz for your event
Book a jazz band for Berlin. It's very simple.
You are looking for a jazz band for your event in Berlin? You've come to the right place if you want your band to swing and thrill you and your audience. The POCKET JAZZ TRIO combines the best of both worlds: the power and big moments of a big band with the flexibility and creativity of a trio. The result is jazz music that sounds fresh and timeless at the same time, of the highest quality as well.
You can easily book the band here:
Listen to our music live.
Buhaina Buhaina
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On Green Dolphin Street
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Sound Recordings
POCKET JAZZ TRIO
piano | double bass | drums
POCKET JAZZ TRIO & friends
piano | double bass | drums | vocals
POCKET JAZZ TRIO & friends
piano | double bass | drums | vocals
POCKET JAZZ TRIO
piano | double bass | drums
Video portrait
english subtitles available!
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The international jazz band from Berlin.
We, the POCKET JAZZ TRIO, are a project of international musicians based in Berlin. Our music was created on the stages of Berlin, at jam sessions, where the energy is high and the exchange with the audience and the musicians is direct. Our jazz band goes beyond the trio, as we expand it to POCKET JAZZ TRIO & friends, where we invite guest musicians (such as vocals, trumpet, saxophone, guitar) to play with us on stage.
POCKET JAZZ TRIO & friends
Tenderly
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Makin' Whoopee
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We live open-mindedness, tolerance and respect, because they come naturally to us without us having to think about it. We are very proud of that. For us, it doesn't matter what background, culture or religion someone comes from, because the music we love unites us and opens up dialog beyond music. These musical acquaintances have become friendships and you can hear that in our music. Our musicians and our "friends" are hand-picked and contribute their special qualities both musically and personally.
We operate from Berlin throughout Germany and even Europe and bring our jazz to private events (weddings, birthday parties, sofa concerts), corporate events (company events, dinners, galas, company parties, conferences) or cultural events (concerts, festivals).
The POCKET JAZZ TRIO Berlin
The Berlin Jazz Band in action
Berlin - Germany's liveliest jazz city
Swing and Lindy Hop in Berlin
If you live in Berlin or come to Berlin, you will probably have noticed the numerous events that revolve around swing dancing, the Lindy Hop dance. Lindy Hop is the dance that you dance to swing music, mainly the music of the 1930s and 40s, the swing era with well-known figures such as Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington and Count Basie. It was also the era of the big bands that made jazz danceable and popular. The music was relaxed and "swinging" (hence the term "swing") and its rhythm was electrifying. The Lindy Hop dance with its particular lightness became a cultural phenomenon in the USA. People danced to swing music in social dance, and a new dance language developed: just like in jazz music, people improvised in dance, but on a common basis, so that everyone could dance with everyone else at dance parties - and get to know each other through dancing.
Especially in the former West Berlin with its proximity to the American troops (who also brought their music with them), people liked to look across the Atlantic and were curious about the American way of life and music. As a result, alongside country music, a unique swing scene developed in Berlin outside the USA, in which many jazz musicians from Berlin's post-war period are still active today. Swing dance parties are currently thriving again in Berlin and the number of them is increasing. There are Lindy Hop schools, Lindy Hop social dance parties with or without live music from a swing band. The POCKET JAZZ TRIO & friends also play swing music for these Lindy Hop dancers, because the music is perfect for this.
If you want to know what Lindy Hop dancing looks like:
and where you can learn it in Berlin:
Maxixe Tanzschule, definitely with Duc
Jazz clubs in Berlin
Without question the hottest jazz club in the city at the moment. Many international guests and occasionally world stars on stage. The former Ars Vini pub (which also offered live music) was taken over and expanded into today's Zig Zag Jazz Club. This marked the beginning of its rapid rise to become one of Europe's leading jazz clubs. The revolutionary (and award-winning) concept initially consisted of concerts on a donation basis, so that guests with little income (including other musicians) could also afford to attend concerts with world stars. Unfortunately, the club has moved away from this concept. The audience has remained.
Club number two in Berlin with a loyal regular clientele. A regular musician is none other than Till Brönner. Before Zig Zag, this was the first address for sophisticated jazz and cocktails. It regularly gets crowded here, but with style and good acoustics.
This charming club is certainly the largest and often features good Berlin big bands. But smaller bands also like to come here and at weekends there's the traditional Frühschoppen (morning pint) with comedy. Located in the basement and not so easy to find in the Osram-Höfe.
This club used to be on Rosenthaler Platz in the middle of the city, at ground level with large windows and a correspondingly large number of tourists and walk-in customers. That was good for the music, because the jazz was very close to the people here. Unfortunately, the b-flat club had to move to a poorly configured venue with only few seats with a view of the stage. Both the acoustics and the audience suffered as a result, because many people only use the popular jam sessions for a selfie at the bar.
Perhaps the quaintest club in Berlin with a long tradition. The somewhat unconventional narrow stage with wooden railings and upright piano on the wall is testament to this. Here you can still dine heartily to the music. The genres played at the Yorckschlösschen include swing, blues, Dixieland and boogie woogie.
Looking at the program and the dance floor of the underground Quasimodo, it's hard to believe that jazz concerts take place here. The club has long since abandoned jazz as its main genre. And yet it has retained its international reputation, which should not be underestimated. Some renowned jazz veterans as well as current jazz greats still come to Quasimodo specifically for their only concert and the Jazzfest also hosts part of its program here again. The club thus remains firmly anchored in the jazz landscape. However: if you want to see, you have to stand.
This small jazz club in Neukölln, nominated for the 2023 Jazzpreis (Jazz Prize), has made a name for itself as an experimental micro-jazz bar. Selected musicians perform here. However, the website is very minimalist and it is not possible to make a reservation.
This venue must be mentioned in the Berlin jazz landscape. It has dedicated itself exclusively to "black music". Good music in an intimate atmosphere, plus comfort food. Unfortunately, until recently, the doors were closed to non-black bands.
This is where the POCKET JAZZ TRIO was born! The club is a mixture of show studio and dance and concert space in Weißensee, where jazz concerts, dance performances, jam sessions and milongas take place. The high-ceilinged room with few seats exudes an intimate atmosphere that is unique in Berlin. The free jazz jam sessions here are organized by the Jazzkeller 69 e.V. on a regular basis.
The concerts of Jazzkeller 69 e.V. are held in the Industriesalon Schöneweide , a large hall flooded with light during the day (because some concerts take place in the daytime) in the visitor center in the middle of the Schöneweide Industrial Park. Jazzkeller 69 e.V. has set itself the task of providing avant-garde jazz music (experimental jazz, free jazz) with a state-sponsored venue where fees are not dependent on earnings.
A jam session with cocktails every evening. That's the concept behind this club under the S-Bahn viaduct opposite Quasimodo in Charlottenburg. However, the cocktails are top quality and so is the music. And here you are right next to the music, as the small venue practically consists of the bar and the stage with a corridor in between. Great for spontaneous visits, whether as a musician or a guest.
Jazz-Festivals in Berlin
Oktober/November
Sicher das älteste, größte und wichtigste Festival für Jazz in Berlin. Ausgerichtet von den Berliner Festspielen an verschiedenen Spielorten (Berliner Festspielhaus und diverse Clubs), lockt dieses Festival internationale Größen nach Berlin, wobei sich das Programm über die Jahre immer weiter vom Jazz entfernt hat. Spannende Neuentdeckungen findet man hier allemal.
Mai
Auch hier sieht man klassischen Jazz eher selten. Man sucht bewusst das Crossover zu anderen Musikrichtungen wie Elektro, Fusion, Funk, Afropop. Trotzdem oder gerade deswegen erfreut sich dieses Festival gerade beim jungen Publikum großer Beliebtheit. Das Festival ist über mehrere Spielorte verteilt, die unterschiedlicher nicht sein könnten.
April
Man würde zunächst nicht glauben, dass die Deutsche Oper selbst auch ein Jazzangebot, geschweige denn ein eigenes kleines Festival hat, doch es stimmt. Bei diesem Festival dreht sich alles um die Mitglieder der Big Band der Deutschen Oper, die mit befreundeten Musikern sowie anderen Orchestermusikern auf der Bühne zusammentreffen, um unter verschiedenen Mottos Konzerte zu spielen. Die moderierten Veranstaltungen finden in der Regel in der Tischlerei der Deutschen Oper statt.
Juli
Das Jüdische Museum Berlin öffnet seinen Museumsgarten für spezielle Jazzkonzerte mit handverlesenen Bands aus dem jüdischen Kulturkreis oder Musikern aus Israel. Da gerade die israelische Jazzszene eine der hochkarätigsten und spannendsten der Welt ist, sind die Konzerte hier auch ein besonderes Erlebnis.
Oktober
In den sieben Landesvertretungen in Berlin wird traditionell an einem Tag im Herbst zu Live-Jazz eingeladen. Allein das spannende und ganz und gar nicht alltägliche Musiksetting ist schon ein Besuch wert. Dazu kommt eine Auswahl guter Bands.
Juni
Dieses spannende französisch-deutsche Jazzfestival im Kesselhaus der Kulturbrauerei, das in Straßburg seine Entsprechung findet, ist ein Schaufenster in die aktuelle französische Jazzszene. Hier sind nicht selten musikalische Perlen zu finden.
Juli
Bei diesem Festival geht es um die lokale Berliner Jazz- und Improvisationsmusik, verdichtet auf eine Woche. Da die Spielorte immer wechseln, kann man abgesehen von der Organisation der Konzerte durch die IG Jazz Berlin nur von einer Verbindung im Geiste sprechen. Dazu gibt es Diskursveranstaltungen.
Who are we?
We are the POCKET JAZZ TRIO, a professional international jazz band based in Berlin for any kind of events and occasions. Our timeless swing will surely make you snap along... If you are interested in our music or would like to book us, please visit our homepage here: