Biography

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
- June - November: England-tour
- Aug. 8th: 1st »Hamburg Boogie Woogie Connection« festival (role model for festivals all over Europe)
- September: Berlin, HdK, solo
- 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