Wunderlich receives Bluebird Award
for More than 50 Years of Service to Jazz
by
Mike Hennessey

German writer, producer and broadcaster Werner Wunderlich who was born in Minden and grew up in Berlin has been a dedicated and tireless jazz devotee for more than 50 years. His most significant and enduring contributions to the music have been the 2,000-plus jazz radio programmes he has presented over the last four decades and his 42 year spell as the organiser and producer of one of Germany’s longest-running annual jazz events: Jazz Im Palmengarten; an open-air festival held in the summer in the beautiful surroundings of Frankfurt’s botanical gardens.

Wunderlich inaugurated this event in 1959 and has organised it every year ever since. Only the Frankfurt Jazz Festival, founded in 1953, predates Jazz Im Palmengarten.

In recognition of Wunderlich’s meritorious work in the cause of jazz over the years, he was recently presented with the Bluebird Award, an honour created by the Weinheim based Blues Forum, run by Benny Schmidt, host of the jazz and blues venue, Muddy’s Club (which is named after Muddy Waters).

Also honoured with an award on the same day was the Little Giant of the tenor saxophone, Johnny Griffin.