Baloise Session


Baloise Session is an indoor music festival, which takes place every October/November in Basel, Switzerland. The festival features international as well as national artists of diverse music genres in an intimate club setting. In 2010 the festival celebrated its 25th jubilee, and in 2013 the name of the event was changed to Baloise Session.

The start

The AVO SESSION Basel emerged from a festival known as the Rheinknie Session in 1986.
The five concerts of the first installment of the Festival in May 1986, included performances by Oscar Peterson, Albert Collins and Koko Taylor. The second year's edition included shows by Fats Domino and Buddy Guy.

Regional establishment

In 1988 Miles Davis agreed to perform at the festival. Subsequently the festival was first acknowledged outside of north-western Switzerland. Names such as Dizzy Gillespie, Michel Petrucciani and Herbie Hancock followed and Claude Nobs from Montreux Jazz Festival joined as a member of the patrons committee.
In its first ten years the festival focussed on continuous growth. By gradually integrating musical styles such as world music, soul and funk after 1995, it proved possible to approach a younger audience.

National take-off

In 1997 the festival management decided to revamp the festival's content as well as its look and the festivals image was rejuvenated with greater importance attached to the attraction and driving power of international performers.
Embracing this vision, presenting sponsor AVO Cigars, part of Oettinger Davidoff, agreed to a growth-orientated sponsorship deal.
In the following years the festival, now called AVO SESSION Basel, presented headliner artists such as Bob Geldof ; Ray Charles ; James Brown ; Chris de Burgh ; Paolo Conte ; Deep Purple, Solomon Burke ; Lionel Richie, Lucio Dalla ; Simply Red, Francesco De Gregori ; Sir Elton John, Herbie Hancock ; Patti Austin, Joe Cocker, Mark Knopfler, Katie Melua, Chuck Berry ; Jethro Tull, Zucchero, Amy Macdonald, Cyndi Lauper, Gary Moore; Grace Jones, Tom Jones ; Jamiroquai, Mary J. Blige ; Liza Minnelli, Daniela Mercury, Paul Anka ; Rod Stewart ; Eric Clapton ; Bryan Ferry ; Toto ; Candy Dulfer ; Francesco De Gregori ; Iggy Pop, Norah Jones ; Alicia Keys, Madness ; Tribalistas, Ms. Lauryn Hill, John Legend and Dido.
The club style seating arrangement, the combination of acts and the opportunity to experience big names in an intimate atmosphere have become trademarks.

International recognition

All concerts are recorded and broadcast in up to forty countries on Swiss Television, Arte, Telebasel,, and 3sat networks. In 2006 the festival's first Eurovision broadcast took place with a show of Sir Elton John, followed by Katie Melua's Europe-wide live broadcast in 2007. Four legendary performances, namely the concert featuring Solomon Burke, Katie Melua, Jethro Tull and Paul Anka, were released in America and all over Europe on DVD.
Some concerts were worldwide streamed live-live from the Event Hall via.
The BALOISE SESSION has won the first prize in the cultural category of the International Sponsorships Awards presented by the German sponsorship association FASPO.