Sweden meets LA: a truly eye-catching line-up at the Grand Opening concert in Bremen on April 22

jazzahead! 2026 will have a spectacular opening – a unique evening with the Norrbotten Big Band, known for its genre-busting collaborations. Sweden’s most innovative large jazz ensemble, from near the Arctic Circle, will open the trade fair and festival on Wednesday, April 22, 2026, at 8 p.m. in Messe Bremen’s Hall 7.

The Grand Opening concert program includes performances by the renowned US band KNOWER (Louis Cole & Genevieve Artadi). The richness and variety of the musical scene in this year’s partner country, Sweden, will also be showcased by saxophonist Fredrik Ljungkvist and singer Josefine Cronholm. More Swedish soloists are to be announced.

The Norrbotten Big Band (NBB), founded in 1986 and currently led by saxophonist Joakim Milder, hails from Luleå in northern Sweden. With up to 20 musicians, they constantly push the boundaries of modern jazz and beyond. They have been nominated for two Grammys.

The Californian duo KNOWER became famous in the 2010s with releases on their own label and spectacular live performances (“hyperactive blend of post-ironic jazz fusion” – Jazzwise). They have already performed with icons such as Snarky Puppy, Brad Mehldau and the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

KNOWER and NBB will be performing new material as well as music from Artadi’s album Another Leaf. The boundaries between fusion and jazz also influence NBB’s collaboration with Fredrik Ljungkvist.

Josefine Cronholm will be performing music from a brand new project with NBB for which major Swedish composers have written songs specifically for her – to be released as an album in 2026.

An evening celebrating the creative diversity of Swedish jazz – for the first time in years, back in the specially designed concert hall in Hall 7 next to the Schlachthof cultural center, right at the Bremen Exhibition Center. In 2026, jazzahead! is celebrating its 20^th anniversary.

Showcase shortlists

All 821 band applications for showcases – the concerts will take place from April 23 to 25, 2026 – have gone through the first stage of the screening process. Five international juries headed by Götz Bühler, artistic advisor to jazzahead!, are each responsible for one of the modules: German Jazz Expo, Overseas/Jazz from Africa, Swedish, European (South/Middle/North), and European (East/West).

For the first time ever, jazzahead! is publishing the shortlists. This preliminary announcement following the initial meetings of the juries has produced a list with a total of 94 names – find them online here.

The juries will now reconvene to produce the final list.
The final selection of 38 acts for the showcases at jazzahead! 2026 will be announced at the end of November.

Press accreditation – to register use this link:
https://jazzahead.de/press/#accreditation

Tickets for the Grand Opening concert are available in the web shop.

For registered jazzahead participants, admission to the concert is included in the registration fee.

Sybille Kornitschky, director of jazzahead!, Götz Bühler, artistic advisor, and Joakim Milder, artistic director of the NBB, are available for interviews.

You can download images from the following links:

Photo 1: Norrbotten Big Band and Genevieve Artadi © Henrik Palmberg

Photo 2: Genevieve Artadi of Knower  © Meo Artadi

Photo 3: Louis Cole of Knower  © Louis Cole

Photo 4: Fredrik Ljungkvist   © Miki Anagrius

Photo 5: Josefine Cronholm © Nicola Fasano

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More information:

MESSE BREMEN · M3B GmbH

Jan Paersch | T +49 173 3250836

press@jazzahead.de

Web: jazzahead.de

www.messe-bremen.de