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

2011

solo concerts, as well as concerts with Lila Ammons, Torsten Zwingenberger, »The ABC&D of Boogie Woogie«; first tour in Brazil!

2012

new CD (recorded and issued in Japan) together with Keito Saito; New York City: concerts and CD release with „The ABC&D of Boogie Woogie«

2013

Feb. 3rd: 40th anniversary of playing Boogie Woogie on stage together with brother Torsten Zwingenberger

April: US tour with singer Lila Ammons

2014

concerts with Big Jay McNeely (Vienna), Bill Wyman (London), Vince Weber (Balkan), Lila Ammons (US, Germany), Keito Saito (Germany, Bulgaria)

2015

(re)issue of "Boogie Woogie Session'76 live in Vienna" - the complete recordings now with 2 CDs plus one DVD

2016

big success for "Hamburger Pianosommer" with 4 styles of piano playing - to be continued!

first concerts in Uganda

2017

 Japan tour together with Keito Saito

2018

Aug.8th: 30 years anniversary of "The Hamburg Boogie Woogie Connection"

Axel Zwingeberger gets live time award "Blues Louis" during Lahnstein Blues Festival

2019

eight page workshop article about Boogie Woogie in German magazine "Tastenwelt" 01/2019