Jazz im Rathaushof - Hot Four

As exhilarating and untamed as the Roaring Twenties, yet charming and delivered with a wink: Hot Four have been winning over audiences for more than twenty years at swing dance events, jazz clubs, festivals and concert series across south-west Germany and beyond. They take the stage in tuxedos with red sneakers one night, in relaxed vintage attire the next - but always in high spirits.

Musically, the band is rooted in the jazz of the 1920s and 1930s, shaped by the likes of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and the New Orleans tradition. But Hot Four go further: with audible enthusiasm they blend classic jazz with influences from 1970s pop and rock, funk, reggae, tango and salsa. The result is a varied programme that honours tradition while sounding fresh and full of surprises.

The four musicians behind the name are Horst Aussenhof on clarinet and bass saxophone, Joachim Lösch on cornet, Bernhard Sperrfechter on banjo and guitar, and Jens Hunstein on bass and alto saxophone and bass clarinet. Together they deliver a lively jazz evening full of virtuosity, humour and stage presence.