Trade fair and festival to take place in Bremen already mid-April 2024, three full days and nights from the 11th to the 13th – Registration for professional participants has begun – Showcase application period for musicians has opened – Partner Country the Netherlands.
Showcase Application Deadline: October 18, 2023
In keeping with the motto “New Horizons” the registration for the 18th edition of jazzahead! at MESSE BREMEN has begun. It also marks the opening for the six-week showcase application period: from now on until 18 October, musicians and bands can apply online on the website for one of the 40 showcase slots at the world’s biggest jazz industry gathering in Bremen, Germany.
“Our wish is to present a cutting-edge, positively “unheard of” programme from a wide range of European countries as well as from overseas at jazzahead! 2024, of course. We are looking forward to the submissions from a host of improvising and innovative musicians and bands from all over the world”, says Artistic Advisor Götz Bühler. “This does not mean we are primarily looking for newcomers – quality and individuality are our main objectives. Already with the composition of the jury members, all of whom are “gate openers” for new and thrilling projects and concepts, we want to contribute to presenting the headliners of tomorrow at jazzahead! next year as well.”
Naturally, the plans for presenting the Netherlands are already in full swing. In a first statement, Mark van Schaick, manager for jazz at bumacultuur.nl, the organisation for the promotion of culture acting for the collecting society BumaStemra, points out the numerous creative prospects of the current partner country of jazzahead!. “Jazz from the Netherlands is a gracious and playful beast of many colours”, writes van Schaick. “For more than a century jazz’s traditional elements have been interpreted in a unique manner by Dutch musicians. (…) Jazz artists exchange generously, being receptive to music from all over the world and other art forms. Their improvisation and experimentation permeate deep into compositional practice, its output being both challenging and gripping.”
For the first time in 2024, jazzahead! will highlight a central theme to initiate a more sustainable cultural exchange with the Global South. This aims to present some of the most interesting jazz discoveries from the African continent live at jazzahead!—at least for the next three years. “jazzahead! has always aimed to provide a live stage in Bremen for the most interesting artists and new projects from the national and international jazz world,” says Götz Bühler, who wants to build on this in his new position as Artistic Advisor for the trade fair and festival. “The head of jazzahead!, Sybille Kornitschky, and I consider it coherent to create an even stronger impetus for this in order to shine a light on the creative power and originality of the musicians of the Global South – and support their music in order to be heard more internationally.”
jazzahead! 2024 is once more planned to embrace a wide range of digital services, from which participants on-site in Bremen will benefit as well as it will be bringing new opportunities and possibilities of participation for first-time visitors or those who cannot or do not wish to travel. This “all access” participation in jazzahead! will enable and support a larger number of participants, e.g. from overseas, to immerse themselves virtually in the three most beautiful jazz days of the year.
In keeping with the motto “New Horizons” the registration for the 18th edition of jazzahead! at MESSE BREMEN has begun. It also marks the opening for the six-week showcase application period: from now on until 18 October, musicians and bands can apply online on the website for one of the 40 showcase slots at the world’s biggest jazz industry gathering in Bremen, Germany.
“Our wish is to present a cutting-edge, positively “unheard of” programme from a wide range of European countries as well as from overseas at jazzahead! 2024, of course. We are looking forward to the submissions from a host of improvising and innovative musicians and bands from all over the world”, says Artistic Advisor Götz Bühler. “This does not mean we are primarily looking for newcomers – quality and individuality are our main objectives. Already with the composition of the jury members, all of whom are “gate openers” for new and thrilling projects and concepts, we want to contribute to presenting the headliners of tomorrow at jazzahead! next year as well.”
Naturally, the plans for presenting the Netherlands are already in full swing. In a first statement, Mark van Schaick, manager for jazz at bumacultuur.nl, the organisation for the promotion of culture acting for the collecting society BumaStemra, points out the numerous creative prospects of the current partner country of jazzahead!. “Jazz from the Netherlands is a gracious and playful beast of many colours”, writes van Schaick. “For more than a century jazz’s traditional elements have been interpreted in a unique manner by Dutch musicians. (…) Jazz artists exchange generously, being receptive to music from all over the world and other art forms. Their improvisation and experimentation permeate deep into compositional practice, its output being both challenging and gripping.”
For the first time in 2024, jazzahead! will highlight a central theme to initiate a more sustainable cultural exchange with the Global South. This aims to present some of the most interesting jazz discoveries from the African continent live at jazzahead!—at least for the next three years. “jazzahead! has always aimed to provide a live stage in Bremen for the most interesting artists and new projects from the national and international jazz world,” says Götz Bühler, who wants to build on this in his new position as Artistic Advisor for the trade fair and festival. “The head of jazzahead!, Sybille Kornitschky, and I consider it coherent to create an even stronger impetus for this in order to shine a light on the creative power and originality of the musicians of the Global South – and support their music in order to be heard more internationally.”
jazzahead! 2024 is once more planned to embrace a wide range of digital services, from which participants on-site in Bremen will benefit as well as it will be bringing new opportunities and possibilities of participation for first-time visitors or those who cannot or do not wish to travel. This “all access” participation in jazzahead! will enable and support a larger number of participants, e.g. from overseas, to immerse themselves virtually in the three most beautiful jazz days of the year.
