“Dixieland Marching Band”

• Dixie-Ramblers:  Ivan Kubias, trumpet | Miro Steiner, trombone | Danny Hausherr, clarinet, saxophone | Werni Braun, sousaphone | Heinz Glauser, banjo

New Orleans is widely regarded as the birthplace of jazz. In the late 19th century, numerous brass bands sprang up all over the city. With trumpets and trombones, clarinets, saxophones, sousaphones, and banjos, they marched as “second line” ensembles in parades and funerals, shaping the city’s sound – a distinctive blend of musical styles that combines European marches with African rhythms. The Swiss quintet Dixie-Ramblers, which has performed in New Orleans and aboard the legendary Mississippi paddle steamer Natchez, brings this fascinating cultural melting pot to Lucerne. It performs concerts on Kapellplatz and Kornmarkt and also makes its way through the Old Town streets as a marching band.

In the Streets: City Stage
Step outside! The music doesn’t happen only at the KKL – it’s taking over all of Lucerne. For six days, from 25 to 30 August, “In the Streets: City Stage” brings the whole city to life with music. We’ve reimagined this “festival within the Festival” to integrate it more closely with our main program. Doreen Ketchens, America’s “Queen Clarinet,” traces the origins of jazz in the melting pot of New Orleans – and so do the Dixie-Ramblers, a Swiss marching band. A yellow hot-air balloon lands in Lucerne, doubling as a pop-up installation and a miniature concert hall. Sound walks along the Musegg Wall sharpen our ears for the city’s diverse soundscape. A percussion quartet captivates with Minimalist rhythms. And the Lucerne Festival Contemporary Orchestra (LFCO) becomes a “Symphonic Jukebox.”