1955

May 7th: born in Hamburg

1961

first piano lessons

1973 

Axel listens to Boogie Woogie on a shellack for the first time

1974

studies law at university
September: 1st Blues- and Boogie Woogie-Festival, Cologne, with WDR-Radio

1975

signs his recording contract with Frank Dostal

1976

May: 1st Boogie Woogie-Festival, Vienna; first recording sessions »Boogie Woogie Breakdown«, »Boogie Woogie Session `76«

1977

TV-appearances in Germany and Austria;
»B.W.Session `76« number 8 in LP-charts (A)

1978

February: tour with Monty Sunshine, Max Collie
May: Los Angeles, recording session with Big Joe Turner »Let`s Boogie Woogie All Night Long« at Johnny Otis' studio (German Record Award)
July: Jazz Festival Westerland / Sylt (first encounter with Lionel Hampton

1979

March: tour with Alexis Korner
November: Blues Festival Utrecht, Netherlands; recording of  »Power House Boogie«

1980

March: 2nd »Stars of Boogie Woogie«-Festival, Vienna
April - May: European tour with Lionel Hampton;
2nd Blues- and Boogie Woogie-Festival, Bonn, for WDR-Radio
October: tour with Champion Jack Dupree
November: 3 pages article in Jazz Podium

1981

January - February: 2-months East-Asia-tour for the Goethe-Institut (India, Sri-Lanka, Hong Kong, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, South-Chorea, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan)
May: Los Angeles, recording session »Boogie Woogie Jubilee» at Big Joe Turner's birthday party
May: recordings with Lloyd Glenn, Hollywood

October: »Stars of Boogie Woogie«, Vienna

1982

January: recordings with Joe Newman, Hamburg
January - May: New York / NL, recording session with Lionel Hampton (Quartet and Orchestra)
June: 3rd Blues- and Boogie Woogie-Festival, Bonn (WDR)
September: 2-weeks tour for the Goethe-Institut (Indonesia and Malaysia)
October: Chicago, recordings with Mama Yancey and shooting of a 2-episodes TV-documentary »Chicago Melodie», ARD (shown on TV August 1983)

1983

January: tour with »Hot Jazz Meeting»
January: »Stars of Boogie Woogie«, Vienna
February: North Africa-tour for the Goethe-Institut (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria)
March: »ZDF-Teleillustrierte« TV show (regularly till 1991)
April: »Bei Bio« ARD-TV with Lionel Hampton
May + July: concerts with Lionel Hampton , a.o. JazzFestWiesen (A)
August: Detroit, recording session with Sippie Wallace und Chicago, recordings with Mama Yancey

1984

January: »Stars of Boogie Woogie«, Vienna; "Hot Jazz Meeting" tour, both with Sippie Wallace
October: tour with Sippie Wallace, a.o. SWF-Bluesfestival Lahnstein and live-LP

1985

January - February: »Stars of Boogie Woogie« with Big Jay McNeely, Katie Webster, Little Willie Littlefield, Mojo Blues Band (6 weeks European tour);
LP »Boogie Woogie Live«

1986

January: London, »Southbank Show» TV: »A Left Hand Like God« with Charlie Watts (dr.), Big Joe Duskin (p) a.o. - broadcasted in USA, UK, Germany, Austria a.o.; publishing of Axel's sheet music; concerts in France, Belgium, Denmark a.o.

1987

several-pages article in Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Magazin; concerts in Paris a.o.
December: start of the now annual series of concerts at the Bösendorfer-Concert-Hall, Vienna

1988

February: recording session with Champion Jack Dupree, Vienna
May: »Stars Of Boogie Woogie«-tour with Jay McShann, A.C.Reed, Vince Weber, Mojo Blues Band

Aug. 8th: 1st »Hamburg Boogie Woogie Connection« festival (role model for festivals all over Europe)

September: Berlin, HdK, solo
June - November: England-tour
December: Berlin, Philharmonie (= Philharmonic Concert Hall) with Vince Weber, Torsten Zwingenberger

1989

May: Lisbon and Porto, Coliseo
June: England-tour
June: Berlin, Philharmonie
September: »Rudi Carrell Show« ARD-TV
December: Berlin, Philharmonie

1990

March: recording session with Jay McShann;

»ZDF-Jazzclub« TV appearance; start of his series of solo-concerts at Hamburg Schauspielhaus (later Musikhalle/Laeishalle)

1991

August - September: England-tour;

recording of  »Boogie Woogie Classics«

1992

TV / Radio: ZDF »Länderjournal«; NDR-TV »Sport III«; Zurich RTL-TV »Peter's Musikrevue»;

Hamburg: Jazzwelle Plus Radio (2 hrs);
July: CD-recording of »Heat It Up«;
October: solo-concert at Salle Cortot, Paris;
December: Great Britain-tour

1993

May: Bonner Sommer; »Boogie Time« ORB-Radio (2 hrs); start of series of solo-concerts in Berlin, Philharmonie / Chamber Music Hall

1994

NDR Radio »Sonntakte« with Vince Weber; concerts in France, Switzerland a.o.; several NDR-TV appearances

1995

April + October: New York; live-recording »Boogie Back To New York City« (= CD number 20!)

1996

January - February: tour through West and Central Africa for the Goethe-Institut with Torsten Zwingenberger (Senegal, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Togo, Ghana,. Nigeria, Cameroon, Republic of Central Africa)
April: New York, »Int. Fest de Boogie Piano«, Carnegie Hall;  Vienna, Musikverein / Brahmssaal
August: »Long Night of Boogie Woogie«-Festival, Hamburg, with TV (4,5 hrs.)
October: New York, »2nd Boogie Fest«, Carnegie Hall; New Jersey

1997

January: »Hot Jazz Meeting« festival-tour
March: Vienna, 25th anniversary of Jazzland;
New York, 3rd Boogie Fest, Carnegie Hall;
2-pages article in »Mississippi Rag«, USA

1998

February: 25th anniversary of performing Boogie Woogie Piano;  for the 10th time at »Les Nuits du Jazz et Boogie«-Festival, Paris
March: France-tour
July: Great Britain- and Ireland-tour including 2 Radio-shows

1999

April an July (Cincinnati Blues Fest): USA concerts

May: Middle East tour for the Goethe Institut with Torsten Zwingenberger (Egypt, Lebanon, Jordania, Syria)

release of 3 new CDs:  »Brothers in Boogie« Axel & Torsten Zwingenberger, »Red Hot Boogie Woogie Party« with Red Holloway & Mojo Blues Band live and

»The Boogiemeisters« with Vince Weber

October: Seoul (South Korea); Great Britain and Ireland tour with Duffy Jackson (dm)

2000

April: CD Nr. 25 »Kansans City Boogie Jam« issued, with Big Joe Duskin, Sammy Price, Jay McShann
August: Great Britain tour with Duffy Jackson (dr)
September: photo book »The Magic Of Trains« »Vom Zauber der Züge« with 2 CDs and sheet music »Thundertrain« is released

2001

Jan.: Hot Jazz-Festival-Tour with Big Joe Duskin and Jean-Pierre Bertrand's Jumpin´ Boogie Band
May/June: Presentation of the exhibition »Vom Zauber der Züge» in Braunschweig and Hamburg
June: concerts in Poland
July: Cincinnati »Piano stage, Blues Festival»
Feb. and October: India: concerts with Gottfried Boettger

2002

Jan.: London, CD recordings with »Bill Wyman´s Rhythm Kings« for »Just For A Trill«
April/May: concerts in Switzerland, Austria, Sweden
July: England tour

2003

March: Konzerthaus am Gendarmenmarkt (Berlin) with Lyambiko

July: Portugal; August: Wales

2004

Jan.: release of  CD #27: »Groovology« with Gottfried Boettger
Dec.: Austrian mail publishes a series of stamps »Axel Zwingenberger plays Boogie Woogie«

2005

concerts in Spain, Germany, Austria

May: Axel celebrates his 50. birthday with a 5-days party; big article in »Jazz Podium«

2006

Axel sets up a foundation for the preservation of steam engine 18 201 (the fastest operable steam locomotive in the world)

2007

first concerts to South America

Juli: in the US Axel gets inducted into the »Boogie Woogie Hall Of Fame«

Sept.: 1st concert tour in Japan

2008

February: 35th anniversary of playing Boogie Woogie on stage together with brother Torsten on drums

March: CD with Big Jay McNeely is released: »Saxy Boogie Woogie«

Sept.: La Paz - 1st Boogie concert at around 12000 ft!

2009

Jan/Feb/fall: Europan tours with singer Lila Ammons

March: CD release: »Lady sings the Boogie Woogie« with Lila Ammons

from April on: Concerts in the UK »The ABC&D of Boogie Woogie« with Axel, Ben Waters, Charlie Watts, Dave Green

2010

CD #30 is released: »The Magic of Boogie Woogie« with Charlie Watts from »The Rolling Stones« on drums and Dave Green on bass

April/May: Japan tour