Stadtgarten
Ausverkauft: Myles Sanko
Myles Sanko (vocals) Tom O’Grady (piano, rhodes, synthesiser) Ric Elsworth (drums, percussion) George Chasmore (electric guitar) Jon Mapp (electric bass) Gareth Lumbers (tenor saxophone, flute)
TicketsInternationally acclaimed soul and jazz artist Myles Sanko has announced the release of his seventh studio album, “I See My Light,” which will be released worldwide on September 11, 2026. The album is a powerful and deeply personal follow-up to his 2024 album “Let It Unfold” and continues his journey of self-love, healing, and artistic independence.
Following the bold creative statement of “Let It Unfold”—which marked a turning point in Sanko’s career when he took full creative control over composing, producing, and releasing the project through his own label, 213 Music, “I See My Light” represents the next chapter in this evolution. While “Let It Unfold” explored self-acceptance and the courage to confront past wounds, “I See My Light” reflects the clarity, strength, and inner enlightenment that emerge from this process.
Rooted in Sanko’s signature fusion of soul, jazz, and hip-hop—enriched by rhythmic influences from his Ghanaian heritage—the new album further refines his distinctive contemporary sound. With emotional depth and lyrical sincerity at its core, “I See My Light” radiates self-confidence, resilience, and hope. It is both a continuation and a transformation, a testament to growth not only as an artist but also as a human being.
As with his previous album, Sanko remains completely independent and is releasing the album through his label, 213 Music. His unwavering commitment to artistic integrity and self-reliance continues to shape his path and solidify his reputation as one of the most authentic voices in modern soul and jazz.
To celebrate the release, Myles Sanko is embarking on an international “I See My Light Tour,” which begins in Portugal and ends in Poland, to introduce his new music to audiences across Europe. He will be accompanied by his dynamic live band.
An event presented by prime entertainment GmbH.
Venue:
Stadtgarten
The first concert in the newly built Stadtgarten concert hall in the mid-1980s launched a program unlike anything Germany had seen: an independent, artistically driven concert series devoted to contemporary improvised music. It was guided neither by attendance figures nor by public subsidies, yet it guaranteed musicians minimum fees and was run on professional terms. The conditions mattered just as much: an acoustically optimized, street-level concert space offering a strong setting for audiences and performers alike. Operations were financed through the adjoining hospitality business, the Stadtgarten restaurant and beer garden, a model that drew attention well beyond Germany.
Today the Stadtgarten Köln ranks among Europe's internationally recognized venues for contemporary and improvised music. The American magazine Down Beat features it regularly in its listings; it has received Germany's federal APPLAUS venue program award several times, including "Venue of the Year" in 2016, followed by the German Jazz Prize in the same category in 2022. More than 400 events across the full spectrum of contemporary music now take place there each year. Its international standing rests above all on the high proportion of demanding, experimental programming.
A programming mission of this kind depends on reliable public support. The venue's 30th anniversary in September 2016 opened that prospect: through a partnership between the City of Cologne and the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, programming work is being substantially strengthened, and from 2017 onward the Stadtgarten Köln is being developed step by step into a "European Center for Jazz and Contemporary Music" – with the goal of becoming one of Europe's leading music centers.
More dates at Stadtgarten:
-
SONIQ meets Marie Daniels
Marie Daniels (vocals), Christina Fuchs (saxophone), Jarry Singla (piano), Ramesh Shotham (percussion)
-
Gretchen Parlato Quartet
Gretchen Parlato (vocals), Alan Hampton (bass, guitar), Taylor Eigsti (piano, keys), Jonathan Barber (drums)
-
Elephant9
Ståle Storløkken (keyboard, organ), Nikolai Hængsle (bass), Torstein Lofthus (drums)
-
Nik Bärtsch's Ronin
Nik Bärtsch (piano), Jeremias Keller (bass), Kaspar Rast (drums), Sha (bass clarinet)
-
Three Skies - Festival for Unexpected Music and Sound
Benedicte Maurseth (hardanger fiddle), Dirk Rothbrust & Jan St. Werner: (), Dirk Rothbrust (percussion), Jan St. Werner (electronic), Georg Vogel (piano, claviton)
-
Three Skies - Festival for Unexpected Music and Sound
Carrier (electronic), Fred Moten & Brandon Lopez: Fred Moten (vocals), Brandon Lopez (double bass), Jon Elbaz Quartet: Jon Elbaz (piano), Matt Knoegel (saxophone), Thorbjørn Stefansson (double bass), James Paul Nadien (drums), Still House Plants: Jess Hickie-Kallenbach (vocals), Finlay Clark (guitar), David Kennedy (drums), The Handover: Ayman Asfour (violin), Aly Eissa (oud), Jonas Cambien (organ, syntheziser), Vesna Kat (vocals, acoustig guitar, syntheziser, electronics / n.n. - violin), Bobby Beethoven (dj set), Catu Diosis (dj set), Jay Mitta & Anti Vairas: Anti Vairas (voice), Jay Mitta (electronics)
-
Paul Heller invites Swing Masters Vol. 2
Axel Schlosser (trumpet), Fiete Felsch (alto saxophone), Dan Gottshall (trombone, vocals), Paul Heller (tenor saxophone), Thilo Wagner (piano), Ingmar Heller (bass), Jörg Achim Keller (drums)
-
Le Pop La Série: Coline Rio
Coline Rio (piano, guitar), Laure Magnien (cello, vocals)
-
Tay Oskee
Support: This New Light
-
Judith Hill
Judith Hill (vocals, guitar, digital grand piano), Peewee Hill (electric bass), Michiko Hill (organ, keyboard, synthesizer), Shadrack Oppong (drums)