The history of Jazz Festival Willisau

The former festival director Niklaus Troxler laid the foundation stone at the end of the 1960s with regular jazz concerts at the Hotel Mohren and the Restaurant Kreuz. The first Willisau Jazz Festival took place in 1975, over three days and with five concert blocks. After 35 festivals, Troxler handed over the management to his nephew Arno Troxler in 2010, who not only continues the tradition, but also enriches it with new focal points and fresh ideas.

Since its beginnings, the Willisau Jazz Festival has developed into an internationally renowned event on the contemporary jazz scene. Originally rooted in free jazz, the festival remains an important forum for current trends in improvised music. Year after year, it brings established greats as well as up-and-coming artists from all over the world to the stage and makes Willisau a meeting place for music lovers from near and far.

The Willisau Jazz Archive of the Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts Music Library documents the history of jazz in Willisau from its beginnings to the present day. The archive’s website allows media professionals, researchers and anyone interested to conduct in-depth research on jazz in Willisau. Photos, musical excerpts, press reactions, posters and detailed information on concerts and lineups can be found at www.willisaujazzarchive.ch.