Jazzahead

jazzahead! is an annual exhibition and the leading meeting point for the international jazz scene hosted in Bremen, Germany. jazzahead! is one of the most important international networking spot for jazz musicians. Since its premiere in 2006, the event grows continually – besides the four-day trade fair jazzahead! also includes a culture festival in and around Bremen. The international music trade fair with its integrated showcase festival focusses jazz. Since 2011, the broad audience program includes the jazzahead! clubnight, the partner country program and the showcase concerts – all open to the general public, too.

The artistic direction of jazzahead! is performed by

jazzahead! is organized by a team of Messe Bremen, a division of WFB Wirtschaftsförderung Bremen.

The last jazzahead! – which was also the tenth anniversary of the event – took place April 23 to 26, 2015.

Trade fair

As meeting point for the international jazz scene jazzahead! includes the modules exhibition, showcase festival, cultural festival and interdisciplinary symposium. In 2015, jazzahead! will move into larger sized halls at the Bremen Exhibition Centre for the first time and thus, will offer more space to the networking stage as in previous years. jazzahead! exhibitors include protagonist from a wide range of the jazz business, such as bookers, club promoters, venues, agencies, media representatives and many more. In 2014, more than 700 exhibitors from 38 nations, about 2.800 professional participants from 50 nations and over 12.500 visitors attended jazzahead!.

The showcase festival includes the following modules: European Jazz Meeting – with jazz music from all over Europe, German Jazz Expo – with jazz music from Germany, Overseas Night – focussing bands from outside Europe; and a showcase module which presents jazz music from the jazzahead! partner country.

The jazz festival is open to a general public and offers in its showcase concerts both well-known names and young bands` projects and newcomers who still have to establish themselves on the music market. In 2015, 40 showcase concerts will be presented.

Growing culture festival

Aside from the trade fair a growing program for the general public in and around Bremen has developed. Since 2011, this program includes the jazzahead! clubnight (2011-2014 jazzahead!-ŠKODA clubnight): With only one ticket visitors are able to visit all participating clubs and venues (2014: 27 venues). Furthermore, a focus is set on the partner country program as well as the youngstars-program.

Partner country

Since 2011, jazzahead! annually offers an alternating country the opportunity to present its arts, cultural and music scene in Bremen. Together with numerous cultural institutions in the region of Bremen a cultural festival takes place for several weeks. With emphasis on jazz and music beyond jazz, events displaying and presenting visual arts, theatre, readings and exhibitions are also part of the festival program. Doing so, jazzahead! creates something unique. Partner countries presented at jazzahead!

German Jazz Expo and the German Jazz Journalism Award

Since 2012, the German Jazz Expo and the German Jazz Journalism Award have been realized. The German Jazz Expo is an export forum for German jazz music and is supported by the Initiative Musik gGmbH. During jazzahead!, the German jazz scene presents itself in its wide diversity with the aim to make new contacts, especially abroad.

Supporting German jazz also means reporting about German jazz. For this reason, jazzahead! introduced the German Jazz Journalism Award, in 2012. The award is endowed with 5000 Euro and, in 2013, was donated by the Dr. E.A. Stiftung for the second time. Previous awardees:

From 2014 on, the award will be presented biennially – next time in 2017.

jazzahead!-Award

Worth 15.000 Euro, the jazzahead!Award is awarded to distinguished personalities from the international jazz business and honors their outstanding work promoting jazz as object of cultural value. This jazz prize was sponsored by motor vehicle manufacturer Škoda until 2014.

Additional resources

External links

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