BLUES & JAZZ FESTIVALS • BRICKLIVE • MUBA • ROCKY HORROR SHOW Volume 6 Issue 7 CHF 6 6 A Monthly Guide to Living in Basel April 2018 Daily Non-Stop Bus to/from Basel Badischer Bahnhof +49 (0)7626 91610 [email protected] Black Forest Academy bfacademy.de EXTRAKONZERT COLLEGIUM MUSICUM Magical BASEL Cafe ANDREAS SCHOLL New ! Play Cafe in Basel COUNTERTENOR Unveil the magic... «AMATO BENE» LEBRAT CE E GEORG FRIEDRICH HÄNDEL X LA E RN & Wassermusik, Arien und Rezitative R A GR LE O W aus «Rodelina», «Giustino», «Giulio Cesare» FUN VE A H SHOP ARVO PÄRT aus Wallfahrtslied FELIX MENDELSSOHN Meeresstille und glückliche Fahrt LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN Wellingtons Sieg KEVIN GRIFFITHS | Dirigent Vorverkauf: Kulturhaus Bider & Tanner, Telefon 061 206 99 96, [email protected] Do not litter - images by freepik und weitere Vorverkaufsstellen Reduzierte Tickets für Kinder, Jugendliche, Max Kämpf Platz 2 4058 Basel 078 905 37 38 Studenten: CHF 15.— [email protected] Tuesday > Saturday www.collegiummusicumbasel.ch Riehenring Swiss www.magicalcafe.ch 8.30 am > 5.30 pm Intern. angentenweg rlenmattstr. T School Friday E rlenstr. or join us on FREITAG, 13. APRIL 2018 13. FREITAG, BASEL THEATER MUSICAL 8.30 am > 7.00 pm E 19.30 UHR Musical Theater 2 Basel Life Magazine / www.basellife.com LETTER FROM THE EDITOR Dear Readers, Spring in Basel resonates with the sounds of the returning songbirds as well as a variety of music festivals. Turn the page to learn all about the fabulous Jazzfestival Basel, its history, its mission, and the fantastic line- April 2018 Volume 6 Issue 7 up of world-class bands that will be gracing our city in the next few weeks. Also, the 6-day Blues Festival Basel will bring international blues bands to TABLE OF CONTENTS the stage of the Volkshaus Basel, and the bird's eye jazz club will be host- ing a week of bands honoring one of my favorite instruments in jazz and Feature Event: Offbeat Jazzfestival Basel 2018 4–5 blues, the Hammond B organ. The fabulous annual spectacle, Rock meets Classic, which features a brilliant collaboration between orchestra and well-known rock musicians, will take place in Basel this year for the first Events in Basel: April 2018 6–9 time! If you want to stimulate your kids’ interest in music, take them on one of the many concerts for families or to the Open House at the Musik- schule Riehen, where they can try a variety of instruments themselves. Fun Outings: Beyond Basel 10–11 The MUBA consumer fair is also on the calendar this month where you can pick out some new furniture for your house or garden, buy some fashion- able clothes or jewelry, try a new sport, or just indulge in some of the deli- Markets and Fairs 12–15 cious foods and wines. There is something for everyone, including great childcare! If you are into arts and crafts, don’t miss the Creativa fair that runs in parallel to the MUBA. Thinking outdoors? The nature market in Sports and Recreation 16–17 Riehen will help you select the best plants, seeds, flowers, and accesso- ries for your garden. Looking for reading material? Get some great deals at a large second-hand English book sale. Spring is also a great time for Calendar: April 2018 18–19 outdoor markets, so read on to get a complete overview of Basel’s regular markets. Spring is also the time when those destructive martens become most active; flip to the “Did You Know?” section to learn how you can pro- Workshops, Tours, and Education 20–23 tect your car from expensive marten damage. For the second year, Basel will be hosting BRICKLIVE, the world’s biggest Did You Know? 24–25 show for LEGO®-Fans. If culinary indulgence is more in line with your in- terests, try some of the local and international specialties with the indul- gent 3-day street food festival, discover your new favorite wine at a wine Entertainment: Night on the Town 26–35 tasting or at the Basler Wymärt (Wine Market), or explore the world of gin. If running is more your speed, get a team together for Quer Durch Basel, an exciting annual relay race in the city’s center. Mark Your Calendar: May 2018 back page Families with small children should make their way to the Markthalle mid- month for an information fair designed to introduce parents to the wide variety of services available for kids in the Basel area, including childcare, Ticket Office: Get Your Tickets Now! back page education, parenting, health, sports, and activities. If your kids love trains, read all about the ride-on miniature train parks in the region for good fam- ily fun and adventure for the little ones. Discover the beautiful and fasci- nating ruins of the Landskron castle that will surely please history buffs and nature lovers of any age. In addition to this month’s plethora of great concerts in all musical genres, the Entertainment section is filled with ideas for operas, ballet, theater, comedy, dance festivals and events, as well as musicals and shows includ- ing the “Rocky Horror Show” and “Thriller—Live.” Wishing you a happy start to a new season, Christine Basel Life Magazine Staff: COVER: Basel’s Markplatz (market square) was first mentioned in 1091, when it was called Kornmarkt Editor-in-Chief: (grain market). Until the 15th century, it actually was Christine Pesold used only for selling grains, wine, wood, hay, and Advertising & Subscription Manager / Editor: straw, while a separate market for fruit, vegetables, Susanne Hiller eggs, butter, chickens, and ducks was held on Münster­ platz. Since the late 13th century, the Marktplatz also Design & Print: has been the site of various incarnations of the city Schwabe AG hall, making it the center of Basel’s political as well For more information about subscribing or advertising – please contact us: as commercial life. In addition, the square was used to carry out a wide range of sentences for convicted info basellife.com criminals. From 1887 to 1903, the original Korn­markt www.facebook.com/basellifemagazine was successively enlarged and the buildings renovat- www.basellife.com ed, until it obtained its current size and shape. BASEL LIFE MAGAZINE / BASEL FAMILY GmbH © Copyright 2018. All rights reserved. It is our goal to provide valuable, timely information to our readers. The opinions expressed in the articles in this magazine are those of the contributing authors and do not reflect those of other members of the editorial staff and of any organizations or agencies distributing this magazine. Though we make every attempt to provide accurate information, we cannot be held respon- sible if any event is cancelled, postponed, or modified. We encourage readers to contact the event organizers or their websites to obtain the most current event information. Please note: No part of this periodical may be duplicated in any fashion, or redistributed in any written language, without permission from the executive staff at Basel Family GmbH. If you have any questions, contact Basel Family GmbH staff at: info basellife.com. photo credits: © christine pesold (cover); © susanne hiller (page 3) April 2018 3 Feature Event Offbeat Jazzfestival Basel 2018 music sessions were causing them to seriously consider the organiza- tion’s future—whether to fold or reform. Fortunately, the decision was April 12 – May 16 made to start anew under the name Offbeat. Wanting to remain a cre- Jazz is a musical genre characterized by ative and alternative festival, they struggled financially, counting on improvisation and syncopated (offbeat) Win tickets in our government subsidies and even collections and benefit concerts in the rhythms that originated in the African- Where in Basel? contest early 1990s. By the mid-1990s, they teamed up with Jazzschule Basel American communities of New Orleans (JSB) and together built a successful brand, Offbeat Jazz. Equipped over 100 years ago. Likely a derivative of blues and ragtime music, jazz with good sponsors, media partners, and the support of jazz fan and music today is played and enjoyed by people of all cultures and eth- patron Heivisch, they were able to increase the volume and caliber of nicities and encompasses a wide range of musical elements and styles concerts, attracting big stars like Herbie Hancock. Offbeat/JSB had be- from all over the world. Jazz has become very mainstream in Basel— come a respected label throughout Switzerland. Fast-forward 28 years, several restaurants and clubs, such the bird’s eye jazz club, offer jazz and the Offbeat Jazzfestival Basel has grown remarkably in size and music on a regular basis; the annual “Em Bebbi sy Jazz” outdoor jazz importance on a national and international level thanks to the dedica- event in August brings nearly 100 bands to various stages throughout tion and passion of its organizers, some important sponsors and pa- the city center; and the Musik-Akademie Basel now even has a dedi- trons, a massive increase in advertising funds, and an immense rise in cated Jazzcampus. The main source for jazz in Basel, however, is the the audiences, without whom it would all be futile. Offbeat organization that attracts the best musicians from the world of jazz throughout the year, in addi- Offbeat Jazzfestival Basel 2018 tion to organizing the Jazzfesti- The Offbeat Jazzfestival Basel gets bigger and better each year, and val Basel each spring with doz- this year is no exception! World-class jazz will be coming to Basel with ens of world-class concerts more than 30 bands and over 200 musicians from the United States, spread over a six-week period. Africa, Italy, Scandinavia, Poland, Germany, England, Belgium, and the But jazz has not always been at Middle East.