Jan Luley's concert programs span a wide range – from the roots of jazz and blues in New Orleans to Creole rhythms and his own genre-crossing compositions. In his current program, " Barometer of Freedom," he combines music with texts about freedom and democracy. In " Baltic Blues, " he expands his musical spectrum to include music by Estonian composers such as Arvo Pärt and Raimond Valgre, and blends his own compositions, inspired by his travels to Estonia, with improvisational freedom, creative playfulness, and technical brilliance. Whether combined with a reading or featuring international guest musicians, his concerts always unite modernity, diversity, and artistic openness.
Concert programs
Solo & Trio
Barometer of Freedom
A piano concerto with texts on freedom and democracy
Duke Ellington summed it up in a single sentence: “Jazz is a barometer of freedom.” Not as a compliment—but as a political statement. Where an art form can flourish freely, it says something about the state of a society. Where it is suppressed, it says something as well. Ellington’s statement has never been more relevant.
Jan Luley follows the trail of this quote throughout the evening. At the piano, he moves between the roots of the blues and jazz, free improvisation, and his own compositions. In between, he reads texts by Duke Ellington, Martin Luther King Jr., Arvo Pärt, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and Wynton Marsalis—voices that all describe the same thing: that freedom does not fall from the sky. That it must be played, fought for, and reclaimed again and again.
Ellington was right. What words cannot express, music plays.
Southern Nights
Concert & Reading
Piano music, stories and anecdotes about New Orleans and the origins of jazz, readings from musician biographies and fictional literature.
In his stage show “Southern Nights”, Jan Luley lets the audience share in “his” New Orleans, revives the infamous Storyville with its “Professors” for one evening, raves about Creole cuisine and tells of the Mardi Gras Indians, the omnipresent second-line rhythm and why the median strip of the streets in New Orleans is called “ neutral ground ”.
"Luley is a virtuoso on the keys [...]. But Luley is also a calm narrator of the roots of jazz and he is a conscientious archivist who has understood that music and its styles do not survive on sheet music, but by being played and reinterpreted."
(Heidenheimer Zeitung)
Piano Creole
A declaration of love to Creole music
Tropical temperatures, high humidity, exotic fruits, people dancing to Caribbean rhythms. Music that captivates, can be infinitely melancholic, then again radiates exuberant joy. Pianist Jan Luley has embraced this music and plays (also together with clarinetist Thomas l'Etienne as "Boonoonoonous") the original compositions of the old masters, such as Jelly Roll Morton or Louis Jean-Alphonse, while also adding his own pieces and new timbres to the genre. "Piano Créole" is a program that seems tailor-made for Luley, allowing him to contribute his profound understanding of the blues as well as his feather-light, rapid virtuosity across the entire range of the piano.
"The rolling basses of the left and the playful melodic figures of the right, the Creole rhythm, as well as the incendiary tempo, elicit storms of applause."
(Jazz Podium)
BEST OF BLUES, BOOGIE & NEW ORLEANS RHYTHM 'N' BLUES
Piano groove at its best
From childhood, the blues, and especially boogie-woogie, was one of the most important elements in Jan Luley's music. Today, he is firmly established among the top German boogie-woogie pianists. He has played with Angela Brown, Janice Harrington, Jeanne Carroll, alongside Little Willie Littlefield, Louisiana Red, Big Jay McNeely, and many other blues greats. A distinctive feature of his blues is the recurring New Orleans flavor, influenced by pianists such as Allen Toussaint , James Booker , Huey Smith, and Dr. John .
“When you hear him play, you can hear his actually black New Orleans soul racing across the keys, ..." the press wrote about him.
BALTIC BLUES
Between the silence of the North and the fire of the South
Could the blues have originated in Estonia? While Estonia has no history of slavery, it does have centuries of serfdom, foreign rule, and a deeply rooted desire for freedom among its people. From this idea, Jan Luley creates the imaginary "Baltic Blues"—inspired by Estonia's vocal traditions as well as the rich heritage of blues, jazz, and Louisiana Creole music.
On his travels, he experienced both the vibrant sounds of New Orleans and the tranquil expanses of Estonia, his wife's homeland. In his program "Baltic Blues," he combines his own compositions with works by Arvo Pärt, Raimond Valgre, and others – a musical thread spanning the Baltic Sea and the Mississippi.
“The first piece of the evening, ‘Lootus’ (Hope), was dedicated by Luley to the independence and freedom of the Baltic states, to the applause of the audience. A catchy, ballad-like melody develops over jazz chords into improvised soundscapes and sparkling runs reminiscent of Keith Jarrett.” (Hersfelder Zeitung, March 5, 2024)
CHRISTMAS ON THE KEYS
A Joyful Piano Celebration
Christmas swings on the piano! 🎄✨
Pianist, singer, and composer Jan Luley presents Christmas classics in fresh, surprising arrangements—from New Orleans boogie to Creole grooves to jazzy ballads full of warmth. With over 2,800 concerts worldwide, he is one of Europe's leading New Orleans-style pianists, combining tradition with a modern enthusiasm for playing. A festive evening of jazz, blues, pop, and soul—virtuosic, entertaining, and full of atmosphere.
“Jan Luley is a jazz musical all-rounder.” (Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung)
Reflections of New Orleans
Musical images from the Crescent City
In “Reflections Of New Orleans,” Luley’s own compositions blend seamlessly with songs by James Booker, Harry Connick Jr. and Tom Waits to create a sensual, grooving whole.
A stylistic border crossing between classic jazz, funky New Orleans grooves, blues and Creole piano music. With deep devotion, Luley draws on tradition and modernity at the same time and plays each concert with lustful expressiveness between tender, airy clouds of sound and gripping energy.
"He masters the piano like no other and tells […] the musical story of New Orleans. He combines blues, European classical music, African and Caribbean rhythms and plays swing or rock'n'roll with the same ease. He also tells stories, sings and develops his own perspective on the city."
(nh24.de)