Dresden – It was a farewell with drums and trumpets: Thousands of Dresdeners came to the big Dixieland parade through downtown Dresden on Sunday – the legendary jazz festival, which was last organized by its inventor Joachim Schlese (82)!
“After 50 years it’s over for me, that’s been clear for a long time. I don’t find it difficult to let go. I’m just grateful that people have been loyal to me for so long,” says Schlese.
Wife Carmen (47) has been at the festival inventor’s side for 17 years
He has been married to acrobat and saxophonist Carmen (47) for 17 years. It sparked in 2002, “when Achim worked at MDR and my twin sister Claudia and I presented our CD there. I knew immediately: the man or no one,” Carmen bubbles out. She is proud of her husband’s life’s work – probably the longest-serving festival director in the world!
And where is the music playing now? Schlese: “I have two hobbies: my wife Carmen and painting…” The trained theater director and former Crucian priest dreamed of becoming a painter even as a child.
“Painting helps me to find inner peace. I paint a motif from every holiday, I give my wife pictures for her birthday,” says Schlese, who is now a pensioner. Then he reminisces for BILD.
–Thousands celebrated the jazz parade on the Terrassenufer in Dresden on Sunday
The first Dixieland Festival took place at Pentecost 1971 with just six bands and 900 spectators in the Kulturpalast. In 50 festival years, Schlese brought 551 bands from 48 countries to the Elbe!
At some point, even the SED leadership became uneasy about the success of western jazz music. “We were appointed to the party leadership. There we explained that Dixie is a mixture of Bohemian brass music and FDJ singing movement – and were allowed to continue,” says Schlese.
–As a theater director, Schlese directed a.o. the GDR women’s day revue “Red Roses” from the Kulturpalast – here with Carmen Nebel and Norbert Endlich (centre)
In the years after the fall of the Wall, the Dixieland Festival reinvented itself and looked for sponsors. Many artists still perform without a fee. Schlese: “My credo has always been: a novelty every year. Be it jazz in the Kreuzkirche, in the airport, with acrobatics, etc.”
From 2023, five board members of the Dixie Association will direct the festival, including Carmen Schlese. Meanwhile, Achim grabs his brush…
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