19th Darmstadt Jazzforum (24th to 28th September, 2025)
Jazz, spirituality, and the Blues of good life
A music that is open to change, like jazz, most certainly reflects global societal developments. These aspects had been already discussed in previous editions of the Darmstadt Jazzforum. But how does social change influence artistic outcome and the so called jazz scene? How do individual musicians or collectives react to historical strains? Do they actively shape them or do they withdraw? The 2025 Jazzforum deals with the artistic and the spiritual exploration in jazz – in history and present – and investigates related artistic and social practices.
Music has always played a central role in spiritual and ritual contexts. Call-and-response structures, found in many musical traditions, foster dialogue and community, often symbolizing spiritual connectedness. Music acts as a medium of inspiration and communication and can become a physical experience through dance and movement.
Many African-American musicians have used spiritual musical forms – from spirituals and gospel to free jazz – as a means of resistance against racism and discrimination. This spiritual resilience has profoundly shaped jazz's development. As an open and improvisational genre with a strong live performance element, jazz continues to provide a space for diverse spiritual and reflective quests.
Inspired by the song "Universal Conciousness" of Alice Coltrane, our Jazzforum 2025, which takes place from 25th to 28th of September in Darmstadt, will try to illuminate historic and current (artistic) reflections.
Read on: In our Blog for the Jazzforum, we gather scattered thoughts on the theme of spirituality and jazz, pose potential questions related to the topic, and regularly update readers on the event’s progress and special formats planned for the 19th Darmstadt Jazzforum.
Feel invited of being part of the Darmstadt Jazzforum 2025
For the 19th Darmstadt Jazzforum, musicians, scholars, organizers, journalists, music educators, and other interested parties were invited to submit contributions through a public call.
We encourage universities to include the Jazzforum as a credit-bearing course in their semester planning. Student contributions can be integrated by arrangement, and we offer support for course preparation to the extent possible.
- If you are interested in taking part in the conference as a visitor please write an e-mail to jazzforum@jazzinstitut.de.
Questions or need for support, please address:
Bettina Bohle, Tel. +49 6151 963740
or
Arndt Weidler, Tel. +49 6151 963744
Accessibility
We strive for all venues and formats to be accessible to all. If you require support for participation, please contact us.