Eurojazzist goes to Jazzahead!
It’s going to be lively, chaotic, and of course—full of great music and meetings
This week I’m heading to the jazzahead! trade fair and festival in Bremen, so there will be a slight departure from my regular posting rhythm—at least until Sunday evening. While the event is on, I’ll probably be posting occasional stories and reels on Instagram, so feel free to follow me at @eurojazzist if you’re into short-form video content.
For those who haven’t been to this event: it’s not a typical jazz festival, but rather a gathering of jazz professionals who come together to exchange contacts, initiate collaborations, or simply meet—things that sometimes later lead to meaningful projects and developments.
There is also a concert programme, and it’s quite extensive—around 40 concerts take place within the fair venue itself, but they are mostly 30–45 minutes long. These are so-called “showcase” performances designed to briefly present bands to representatives of the “jazz industry”. The festival is also open to the general public, but the context is such that the musicians often address professionals more directly. I once attended a concert where the bandleader ended by saying something like, “my booking manager is over there by the stage, if you’re interested,” which is a bit different from inviting the audience to buy CDs and vinyl records. You get the idea.
When people in Serbia ask me who is playing at jazzahead!, they’re usually curious about “the main stars”. I then explain that this is not really the point, and that there are no traditional “stars” in that sense. The whole event is designed to present musicians and bands who have not yet reached the peak of their careers, or who are at different stages of their “breakthrough” toward a potentially wider audience.
Still, if I had to highlight a few names, trumpeter Laura Jurd is certainly among the more established figures, already an important voice on the UK scene and beyond. The same goes for Jasmine Myra, a British saxophonist releasing music on the very active Gondwana Records. Fans of Scandinavian jazz and those following the ACT Music label will likely know Swedish pianist Joel Lyssarides, young but already quite established. I would also point out Slovenian saxophonist Jure Pukl, whose band features heavyweights such as John Escreet (p, keys), Joe Sanders (db), and Christian Lillinger (dr). I’m not sure how well known she is outside Austria, but I’m personally particularly interested in saxophonist Yvonne Moriel, who will be performing with her band Sweetlife.
Of course, I’ve also made my own list of concerts I plan to see, but that often falls apart once I’m on the ground—either due to spontaneous (very jazz-like) improvisation, or simply changing plans on the fly. So for now I won’t jump into specific names and recommendations, since I’ll cover those in a later concert report anyway.
The second major segment of jazzahead! is the trade fair, which is a story in itself. At first glance it resembles any other trade fair, with a lot of booths, presentations, panels, meeting spaces, and so on. But it’s also a very lively event where national export agencies often host receptions that feel more like friendly social gatherings or parties. There’s food, drinks, and plenty of informal networking.
And of course, there are also more “serious” events. I’ve marked several panel discussions in my itinerary: “A Connected Music: Building a Sustainable Music Ecosystem”, “All That Jazz on the Radio – Human Curation vs. Algorithms”, and “European Jazz in Motion: A look behind the scenes at Unit Records | The work of a record label reimagined – independent, cooperative, sustainable”. I also have a couple of official meetings and a few interviews lined up.
One important part of my visit is also participation in the EBU Jazz Producers Meeting, which takes place in the hotel where we are staying. Here I’m representing Radio Belgrade, which is part of the network, and we discuss various local and broader initiatives related to jazz concerts organized by institutions within the network.
All in all, it’s going to be lively, chaotic, and of course—full of great music.
What a fantastic fair. Unfortunately, I can’t make it this year, but I’ll definitely be there next year!