A pivotal figure in UK pub rock, punk rock and new wave, Lowe has recorded a string of well-reviewed solo albums. He is best known for his songs “Cruel to Be Kind” (a US Top 40 single), and “I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass” (a top 10 UK hit), as well as his production work with Elvis Costello, Graham Parker and others. Lowe also wrote “(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, and Understanding”, a hit for Costello. Nick Lowe rocked English pubs in the 70s, then produced punk greats like the Pretenders and finally found the blues by way of the country band Little Village. Nick explores the dichotomies in the classic blues motifs: fear of God, pact with the devil, domesticity and wanderlust and partying on a Saturday night before the Sunday morning church service.

With her new album «Today», the young Basel soul singer Nubya takes a daring solo departure and has truly come into her own and won over the hearts of her fans. With her beautifully arranged songs, all written by the artist herself, she is a powerhouse.

The 22-year-old singer Stefanie Heinzmann stormed onto the scene and won over our hearts four years ago with her loud mouth and bubbly personality. In the meantime, the teenager with the formidable voice has become a performer with depth who is taken very seriously. This powerful singer fearlessly explores the boundaries of soulful pop. On her current album, named grippingly simply after her, she demonstrates once again that her music and her personality are still just as upbeat as ever as she sings about dealing with Facebook and Angry Birds and about music that goes deeper than Lady Gaga. She gives impressive proof of her talent at AVO SESSION Basel.

He has seen it all: the film business, the rock n’ roll scene, celebrity status and media hype. He played for hundreds of thousands of fans. He wrote songs that made German music history. German rock legend Marius Müller-Westernhagen made his mark on entire generations with hits like «Freiheit», «Willenlos» or «Johnny W.» and he knew how to play to huge stadium audiences in gargantuan rock shows, but he didn’t let that go to his head. He decided to quit his stadium tours and chose quality instead of quantity. He comes to Basel with his powerful, sweaty rock hits in tow, but also with a large portion of humour and honesty.

Belgian storyteller Milow has taken the listening public by storm, yet he remains down-to-earth. He tastefully captures the spirit of the times with fascinating lyrics and

ever since he came out with an acoustic pop version of the club hit «Ayo Technology», the Belgian singer has been at home on the charts worldwide. Milow goes deep into the core of pop with his evocative, airy sounds. It seems that there is no better place to proof his unerring instinct for good pop than in the unique club-style atmosphere of AVO SESSION Basel.

The performance of the Scottish singer/songwriter KT Tunstall is no less artistically ambitious. Her song ‘Suddenly I See’ catapulted her onto the international charts. It’s a catchy song that does not completely reveal the fact that a superb musician is hiding behind the quirky initials KT, which stands for her full first name: Kate Victoria. She appeared in small student clubs in London as ‘Katie’ until she was invited to appear on the Late-Night-Show with Jools Holland – another familiar name at the AVO SESSION Basel. With only a guitar and a few stomp boxes like a loop station that allowed her to become her own live backup band, she sang the song ‘Black Horse and the Cherry Tree’. It was her big break. She got a recording contract and a little later, her debut single, ‘Eye to the Telescope’ was released and made it up to number 3 on the British charts. She was awarded the prize for British Female Solo Artist at the Brit Awards in 2006. And now at the AVO SESSION Basel, we experience another great solo performance by this one of a kind artist.

A lost property office is a wondrous place. Objects are sometimes turned in, but never missed; sometimes sought, but never found. Rummaging about in music’s lost and found, Stephan Eicher stumbled upon musicians Heidi Happy, Hank Shizzoe and Olivier Koundouno, who now appear with the master himself to present their dusted off and reinvented treasures. We can expect a unique concert evening featuring some pieces that may be tarnished, however, with a bit of polish, they will shine.

Paul Anka’s debut hit single ‘Diana’ catapulted him immediately into the Hall of Fame in 1957 at the tender age of 16, making him the youngest millionaire in the history of music. The hits that followed: ‘Lonely Boy’ and ‘Put Your Head On My Shoulder’ made the Canadian singer with Lebanese roots the most successful entertainer since Elvis. Ever since he started composing for other musicians, Anka has been one of the most successful musicians of all times. Buddy Holly’s ‘It Doesn’t Matter Anymore’ and Tom Jones’ ‘She’s a Lady’ were both written by Anka. He also wrote the lyrics for Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’ and Michael Bublé is his protégé. He has released over 120 albums and sold over 100 million records. These days, Paul Anka is known as the last great crooner, seasoned after years of singing in the big casinos of Las Vegas. When he translates his own as well as cover songs into elegant swing and gives his charm free reign on the stage, Anka glorifies the purest, most beautiful form of entertainment. Joined by his Big Band he presents his programme ‘Rock Swings’ including famous rock classics in Swing versions at AVO SESSION Basel.

Sharon Corr has the same deep understanding of elegant entertainment, but she remains loyal to her homeland and her own history. Her homeland is Ireland, through and through. Her history is her siblings, The Corrs. After touring 15 years with the Corrs, Sharon decided to take an indefinite break. She gave birth to two children and made her comeback in 2010 with her solo debut. It’s beautiful music with heart and soul as Sharon steps out of the background and into the forefront to play first fiddle. She has great joy in giving traditional Irish songs a new twist but also exploring the depth of cover songs like ‘Smalltown Boy’ by Bronski Beat. Now she is ready for the Hall of Fame.

The Blues singer Keb’ Mo’, who is actually named Kevin Moore, grew up in California, but now he lives in New Orleans. During the quest to find his own kind of music, he discovered archaic blues pioneer Robert Johnson, who became one of his most important sources of inspiration. The refined simplicity of his guitar playing, his freedom in form and the stories that Johnson told his listeners influenced Keb’ Mo’ deeply. The difference is that Robert Johnson, who would have celebrated his 100th birthday in May 2011, was paid in food and whiskey back in his days. These days, Keb’ Mo’ is rewarded with Grammys for his work. At AVO SESSION, Keb’ Mo’ plays his best known hits as well as songs from his new album ‘The Reflection’. He is joined by Jeff Paris, Keyboards, Guitar, Mandolin, Les Falconer, Drums, Vail Johnson, Bass, Kevin So, Keyboards and Michael B. Hicks, Organ.