The Tis Jazz Festival presents the most exciting artists and bands from the current Basel jazz scene. Their diversity is shown year after year on the stage of the legendary Atlantis. If you want to get an idea of the current Basel jazz scene, come to the Tis Jazz Fest, where a total of six acts will play on two festival days.
The first act on Thursday evening will be the Basel Jazz Orchestra (BJO). Founded in 2023, the BJO unites 18 professional musicians from Basel's vibrant jazz scene. As a big band and composers' collective, the ensemble sees itself as a creative laboratory for contemporary big band music—always at the forefront of current trends, open to innovation and cross-genre collaboration. At the Tis Jazz Fest, the BJO will perform a milestone in jazz history: Duke Ellington's “Far East Suite.”
The second act starting at 21:15 is The Art of Duo, with Fabian Gisler on bass and Christoph Neuhaus on electric guitar. “Blues, ballads & bebop”—that’s how Italian jazz legend Gianni Basso once explained the essence of jazz to 18-year-old Gisler. This description perfectly suits the musical blind date with Neuhaus. Both have explored a wide range of styles over the years, yet their connection to the jazz tradition remains. In a chamber music setting, they will present some of the “golden classics” of jazz. The intimacy of the duo will provide a beautiful contrast to the rest of the evening’s program. Gisler is one of Switzerland’s most active jazz bassists and has performed with artists such as Alex Hendriksen and in Andy Scherrer’s quartet. For the Tis Jazz Fest, he is for the first time inviting German guitarist Neuhaus, a recipient of the SWR Jazz Prize and a versatile musician involved in jazz, soul, and funk projects like Ramblin’ Bird and the SWR Big Band.
The third act on this evening is The Vibrant Machines—a program by Charley Rose, inspired by the universe of Swiss artist Jean Tinguely (1925–1991), a key figure in kinetic sculpture. Tinguely's work combines sound, movement, and material, celebrating the ephemeral and unpredictable. The ensemble becomes a meta-machine in which each musician is part of the mechanism. Precise compositions allow room for improvisation and reflect the dynamics of a living machine. Music and text form a poetic homage to Tinguely's themes: the power of movement, the delight in noise, and the playful, rebellious connection between art and life.
Tickets are CHF 45 (seated) or CHF 25 for standing room. Students receive a CHF 5 discount on both nights.

Website
atlantis-basel.ch/veranstaltung/tis-jazz-fest-2026/

Where
Atlantis Basel
Klosterberg 13
4051 Basel

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