This photo may not represent the actual event
This photo may not represent the actual event
F.I.M. Festival 2026
Admission
0–65€
Date & Time
Thu, Oct 1 – Sun, Oct 4
Group
Tags
Opening Hours
Organiser
Jazz-Initiative Frankfurt am Main e.V.
About this event
Over four days, the F.I.M. Festival lays out the full spectrum of freely improvised music in Frankfurt – from finely textured soundscapes to raw, energetic noise. Evening concerts at Brotfabrik and Gallus Theater form the backbone, while daytime slots offer solo trumpet matinees in the Alte Nikolaikirche, an open workshop with Elliott Sharp and Hamid Drake, and a documentary screening about pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach. Improvisation here is a mindset, not just a technique: electronics rub against acoustic instruments, established international players intertwine with emerging voices, and the boundaries between noise, new improvisation music and chamber-like density dissolve. On the opening night musicians respond spontaneously to dancers from Frankfurt’s HfMDK; subsequent evenings swing between chamber‑music‑tight sets (such as SOG around trumpeter Lina Allemano) and propulsive, gritty groupings featuring Caspar Brötzmann or Shahzad Ismaily. Those who want to do more than listen can join Sharp and Drake’s free practice‑focused workshop on Friday afternoon. The festival speaks to listeners who seek out experimental sounds and are happy to follow where spontaneous musical dialogues lead. With venues that shift from intimate church to club, the character of each performance changes along with the room.
Schedule
Thu, Oct 1
06:00 PM - 07:30 PM
Solo Improvisations
Solo sets by Els Vandeweyer (vibraphone), Max Clouth (guitar), Tizia Zimmermann (accordion), Carl Ludwig Hübsch (tuba), Martin Lejeune (guitar) and Chris Corsano (drums).
Gallus Theater
07:30 PM - 09:00 PM
F.I.M. Formations + Dance
Ad‑hoc improvisations by the six musicians interacting with dance students from HfMDK, plus guest musicians.
Gallus Theater
Fri, Oct 2
10:30 AM
Solo Trumpet I – Dennis Sekretarev
Frankfurt trumpeter Dennis Sekretarev, at home in traditional jazz, opens the series of trumpet solo improvisations.
Alte Nikolaikirche
12:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Workshop: The Practice of Improvisation
Free workshop with Elliott Sharp (guitar) and Hamid Drake (drums) covering improvisational concepts, plus a short duo performance. Open to all instruments and advanced players.
HfMDK – Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst
06:00 PM - 07:00 PM
SOG
Quartet with Lina Allemano (trumpet), Uwe Oberg (piano), Matthias Bauer (bass), Rudi Fischerlehner (drums) – finely balanced, high‑level improvisation.
Brotfabrik
07:30 PM - 08:30 PM
Ismaily – Sharp – Corsano
Trio of Shahzad Ismaily (bass), Elliott Sharp (guitar) and Chris Corsano (drums), navigating raw, kinetic improvisation.
Brotfabrik
08:45 PM - 10:00 PM
Brötzmann – Drake
Guitarist Caspar Brötzmann and drummer Hamid Drake unleash dense, high‑energy interplay that pushes deep into noise rock territory.
Brotfabrik
Sat, Oct 3
10:30 AM
Solo Trumpet II – Lina Allemano
Canadian trumpeter Lina Allemano, winner of the German Jazz Prize 2026, performs a solo set exploring extended trumpet techniques.
Alte Nikolaikirche
01:00 PM
Film: Tastenarbeiter – Alexander von Schlippenbach
Documentary about pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, a founding figure of European free jazz (106 min), followed by a Q&A with the director and Schlippenbach himself.
Mal Seh'n Kino
06:00 PM - 07:15 PM
Nebbia – Sharp – Nilssen-Love
Saxophonist Camila Nebbia, guitarist Elliott Sharp and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love weave collective improvisation that balances delicate textures with explosive outbursts.
Brotfabrik
07:30 PM - 08:45 PM
Gropper – Drake – Vicente – Downes – Ismaily
A quintet crossing sax, trumpet, piano, bass and drums in fluid, shape‑shifting improvisation – saxophonist Philipp Gropper and trumpeter Luis Vicente meet the deep groove of Hamid Drake, Kit Downes’ harmonically rich piano and Shahzad Ismaily’s elastic bass.
Brotfabrik
09:00 PM - 10:15 PM
Railton – Bang – Aarset
Cellist Lucy Railton, live‑sampler Jan Bang and guitarist Eivind Aarset create an electro‑acoustic set of layered loops, ambient textures and subtle electronic manipulation.
Brotfabrik
10:30 PM - 12:00 AM
Electronic Set – Anushka Chkheidze
A late‑night solo electronic set by Georgian producer Anushka Chkheidze, building pulsing, abstract soundscapes. Separate admission (10 €).
Brotfabrik
Sun, Oct 4
10:30 AM
Solo Trumpet III – Luis Vicente
Portuguese trumpeter Luis Vicente delivers a lyrical, solo exploration of the instrument’s raw, vocal possibilities.
Alte Nikolaikirche
02:00 PM
Solo – Carme López Fernández
Carme López Fernández performs a solo set on small Galician bagpipe, extended by live electronics, merging folk timbre with contemporary sound processing.
Nebbiensches Gartenhaus
04:00 PM - 05:30 PM
Chkheidze – Railton – Downes
Trio of Anushka Chkheidze (electronics), Lucy Railton (cello, electronics) and Kit Downes (organ) weaving drone‑based, meditative textures in a church setting.
KunstKulturKirche Allerheiligen
06:00 PM - 07:15 PM
Schlippenbach – Mahall – Nilssen-Love – Sharp
A quartet linking free‑jazz lineage and contemporary edge: pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, clarinettist Rudi Mahall, drummer Paal Nilssen-Love and guitarist Elliott Sharp.
Brotfabrik
07:30 PM - 09:00 PM
Warelis – Nebbia – Gropper – Ismaily – Drake – Aarset – Bang
A seven‑piece ensemble featuring Marta Warelis (piano), Camila Nebbia (sax), Philipp Gropper (sax), Shahzad Ismaily (bass), Hamid Drake (drums), Eivind Aarset (guitar, electronics) and Jan Bang (live sampling) in a sprawling, communal closing improvisation.
Brotfabrik
Thu, Oct 1
06:00 PM - 07:30 PM
Solo Improvisations
Solo sets by Els Vandeweyer (vibraphone), Max Clouth (guitar), Tizia Zimmermann (accordion), Carl Ludwig Hübsch (tuba), Martin Lejeune (guitar) and Chris Corsano (drums).
Gallus Theater
07:30 PM - 09:00 PM
F.I.M. Formations + Dance
Ad‑hoc improvisations by the six musicians interacting with dance students from HfMDK, plus guest musicians.
Gallus Theater
Fri, Oct 2
10:30 AM
Solo Trumpet I – Dennis Sekretarev
Frankfurt trumpeter Dennis Sekretarev, at home in traditional jazz, opens the series of trumpet solo improvisations.
Alte Nikolaikirche
12:00 PM - 03:00 PM
Workshop: The Practice of Improvisation
Free workshop with Elliott Sharp (guitar) and Hamid Drake (drums) covering improvisational concepts, plus a short duo performance. Open to all instruments and advanced players.
HfMDK – Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst
06:00 PM - 07:00 PM
SOG
Quartet with Lina Allemano (trumpet), Uwe Oberg (piano), Matthias Bauer (bass), Rudi Fischerlehner (drums) – finely balanced, high‑level improvisation.
Brotfabrik
07:30 PM - 08:30 PM
Ismaily – Sharp – Corsano
Trio of Shahzad Ismaily (bass), Elliott Sharp (guitar) and Chris Corsano (drums), navigating raw, kinetic improvisation.
Brotfabrik
08:45 PM - 10:00 PM
Brötzmann – Drake
Guitarist Caspar Brötzmann and drummer Hamid Drake unleash dense, high‑energy interplay that pushes deep into noise rock territory.
Brotfabrik
Sat, Oct 3
10:30 AM
Solo Trumpet II – Lina Allemano
Canadian trumpeter Lina Allemano, winner of the German Jazz Prize 2026, performs a solo set exploring extended trumpet techniques.
Alte Nikolaikirche
01:00 PM
Film: Tastenarbeiter – Alexander von Schlippenbach
Documentary about pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, a founding figure of European free jazz (106 min), followed by a Q&A with the director and Schlippenbach himself.
Mal Seh'n Kino
06:00 PM - 07:15 PM
Nebbia – Sharp – Nilssen-Love
Saxophonist Camila Nebbia, guitarist Elliott Sharp and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love weave collective improvisation that balances delicate textures with explosive outbursts.
Brotfabrik
07:30 PM - 08:45 PM
Gropper – Drake – Vicente – Downes – Ismaily
A quintet crossing sax, trumpet, piano, bass and drums in fluid, shape‑shifting improvisation – saxophonist Philipp Gropper and trumpeter Luis Vicente meet the deep groove of Hamid Drake, Kit Downes’ harmonically rich piano and Shahzad Ismaily’s elastic bass.
Brotfabrik
09:00 PM - 10:15 PM
Railton – Bang – Aarset
Cellist Lucy Railton, live‑sampler Jan Bang and guitarist Eivind Aarset create an electro‑acoustic set of layered loops, ambient textures and subtle electronic manipulation.
Brotfabrik
10:30 PM - 12:00 AM
Electronic Set – Anushka Chkheidze
A late‑night solo electronic set by Georgian producer Anushka Chkheidze, building pulsing, abstract soundscapes. Separate admission (10 €).
Brotfabrik
Sun, Oct 4
10:30 AM
Solo Trumpet III – Luis Vicente
Portuguese trumpeter Luis Vicente delivers a lyrical, solo exploration of the instrument’s raw, vocal possibilities.
Alte Nikolaikirche
02:00 PM
Solo – Carme López Fernández
Carme López Fernández performs a solo set on small Galician bagpipe, extended by live electronics, merging folk timbre with contemporary sound processing.
Nebbiensches Gartenhaus
04:00 PM - 05:30 PM
Chkheidze – Railton – Downes
Trio of Anushka Chkheidze (electronics), Lucy Railton (cello, electronics) and Kit Downes (organ) weaving drone‑based, meditative textures in a church setting.
KunstKulturKirche Allerheiligen
06:00 PM - 07:15 PM
Schlippenbach – Mahall – Nilssen-Love – Sharp
A quartet linking free‑jazz lineage and contemporary edge: pianist Alexander von Schlippenbach, clarinettist Rudi Mahall, drummer Paal Nilssen-Love and guitarist Elliott Sharp.
Brotfabrik
07:30 PM - 09:00 PM
Warelis – Nebbia – Gropper – Ismaily – Drake – Aarset – Bang
A seven‑piece ensemble featuring Marta Warelis (piano), Camila Nebbia (sax), Philipp Gropper (sax), Shahzad Ismaily (bass), Hamid Drake (drums), Eivind Aarset (guitar, electronics) and Jan Bang (live sampling) in a sprawling, communal closing improvisation.
Brotfabrik
Location
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