Grand Opening Event for jazzahead! 2025

The first event of the MESSE BREMEN’s jazzahead! 2025 will be a major celebration and welcoming: the Grand Opening on Wednesday evening, an international gala concert, will offer a foretaste of the three jam-packed days (and nights!) of the festival and the fair, from 24 to 26 April 2025. Furthermore, the concert will not only affirm but also give insights into the musical breadth and depth of the three 2025 RECONNECT partner countries, Spain, France and Switzerland.

The evening of April 23 in the 1200-seat large concert hall of Congress Centre Bremen will be a prestigious occasion and will set a welcoming tone for jazzahead! 2025. The Grand Opening, a joint opening ceremony for the festival and trade fair, will be attended by an array of personalities from politics, art and culture, there will be a stylish reception with drinks and canapés, and – as one would expect – a carefully curated concert of top-class music.

The event will have as its title “Sketches of Spain, France and Switzerland”, bringing to life the “RECONNECT” theme for jazzahead! 2025: there are three partner countries, each of which has previously been jazzahead’s partner country in its own right between the years 2012 and 2016. All three will be represented at this event by top-flight artists.

From Switzerland, Swiss-Honduran guitarist Louis Matute will perform with his Large Ensemble. Gilad Hekselman says of his influence and importance: “Louis satisfied my need for rhythm, melody, sound and heart.” At the age of 30, Matute is already an important representative of the French-Swiss scene. His “elegant fusion folklore” (Jazzthing) thrives on the fusion of a wide range of influences, with more than a hint of Brazil in the mix.

Célia Kameni from Paris will also perform with Matute’s band. In 2018, the French singer and composer won the renowned French “Victoires du Jazz” award with the Amazing Keystone Big Band. She is an extremely versatile singer who has thrilled audiences not just with Ella Fitzgerald tribute albums, but also with the irresistibly danceable jazz grooves of the band Nu Genea.

 Yelfris Valdés now makes his home on the Spanish island of Mallorca. The Cuban-born trumpeter showed remarkable talent as a child, and was touring worldwide by the age of 16. During the time he lived in London, he worked with Damon Albarn and Quantic. His Afro-Cuban musical heritage blends organically with his experience in pop and hip hop.

There  are further announcements on the line-up on the way in the next few weeks. As the RECONNECT partner countries develop their significant and visible presence for the jazzahead! 2025 trade fair and festival, each in turn takes the opportunity to explain their strong, individual and long-standing connections to jazzahead!, why they take the opportunity to have a major representation in Bremen, and have been doing so for many years.

Marina Fernández from Plataforma Jazz España notes: “Spain is a big country, brim-full of talent and passion. The great diversities between its regions are expressed through jazz in very creative ways. jazzahead! is an essential showcase for the international jazz community. We expect a notable presence of Spanish professionals networking with the international jazz world as well as memorable musical moments from Spanish artists onstage at jazzahead!”

Marcel Kaufmann from FONDATION SUISA says: “Switzerland’s linguistic and cultural diversity unites numerous influences and styles. We also have superb music colleges and a wide range of clubs and festivals. Why are we at jazzahead!? There is no other industry gathering in Europe that is so broadly based. We hope to have an exciting dialogues with the international scene, and to making contacts that are as durable as we can make them.”

Lizon Lavaud from the Centre National de la Musique (CNM) emphasizes: “The French jazz scene is characterized by its diversity and openness to experimentation. It blends traditional jazz with influences from the country’s rich cultural heritage, including African, Caribbean, and Mediterranean sounds. jazzahead! provides an exceptional platform for showcasing the vitality of this scene on a global stage. The new RECONNECT program, which aims to strengthen cultural and business ties between France, Spain, and Switzerland, is especially important to us.”

Finally, a note to artists: Musicians and bands still have until October 1, 2024 to apply for the 38 international showcases (24-26 April) at the world’s largest jazz trade fair in Bremen. Link here: jazzahead.de.

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MESSE BREMEN | M3B GmbH

jazzahead! Press Office
Jan Paersch
press@jazzahead.de