General Info

"Showcases" are the 30- to 45-minute short concerts at jazzahead! which are open to the general public and at the same time part of the trade fair. The 40 showcase bands have previously applied and are selected by international expert juries.

40 jazz highlights and current formations from Germany, Europe and overseas as well as the partner country, this year the Netherlands, can be experienced on three days and nights on the stages of Hall 7 and the Kulturzentrum Schlachthof.

 

What to know?

The jazzahead! showcases 2024 have been selected!
Here you can find the Official Selection 2024

Showcase Moments

European Showcases

Trondheim Jazz Orchestra & Marianna Sangita Røe "Spiti/Home" (NO)
The showcase application phase for jazzahead! 2024 has ended on 18th October, 2023. The application phase for 2025 will start in September 2024.

Of course, you still have the opportunity to attend jazzahead! 2024 and make use of the great networking possibilities the event offers.
To register as a (co-)exhibitor or as a professional participant see this information page.

If you have questions, you can contact Insa Stanke.

EUROPEAN SHOWCASES


Christiane Böhnke-Geisse
Bingen Swingt; Schwere Reiter (DE)

Since 1987 deeply in Jazz. 25 years artistic director of Jazzclub Unterfahrt in Munich, artistic director at Bingen Swingt, freelancer for Initiative Musik and Kulturreferat LH München. From 2019 on artistic director of schwere reiter musik München.

Mirna Bogdanovic
Donau 115 (DE)

Mirna Bogdanović is an award-winning jazz singer/composer, as well as the program curator of jazz club Donau115 in Berlin. In the last few years she released two critically acclaimed albums. Her debut album won the Deutscher Jazzpreis.

Enrico Bettinello
I-Jazz (IT)

Enrico Bettinello is a music and performing arts curator, professor and writer based in Venice (IT). He is the artistic director of WeStart/NovaraJazz and New Echo System/Pro Helvetia in Venice. He curates the talent development program for I-Jazz.

Tina Edwards & Tim Garcia
Jazz Refreshed ; Love Supreme ; BBC (GB)

Tina Edwards is a DJ, broadcaster, music journalist and the co-founder of re:sonate. With Tim Garcia, she programmes DJs and live musicians for clubs, venues and festivals, and curates’ playlists; all with independent artists at the forefront.


Josef Heinl
Jazztage Ingolstadt (DE)

Josef Heinl is a pianist and composer. The 26-year-old recipient of the 2023 Jazz Promotion Award of his hometown Ingolstadt has been shaping the Ingolstadt jazz scene for years as a musician and bandleader. He also serves in various capacities for Ingolstädter Jazztage.

Janine Irons
Tomorrow’s Warriors (GB)

Janine is the Chief Executive of Tomorrow’s Warriors, a pioneering talent development agency, music educator and creative producer specialising in jazz. As an arts leader and consultant, Janine is a passionate advocate of excellence, authentic diversity and inclusive approaches in the design and delivery of music education and the presentation of black music.

Kaisa Mäensivu
Savoy Theatre Helsinki; Savoy Jazz Fest (FI)

Kaisa Mäensivu is a Finnish jazz bassist who has kicked off an international career and holding the chair of artistic director for the international 4-day Savoy Jazz Festival in Helsinki. She studied at the jazz department / Sibelius-Academy before moving to New York City.

Marieke Meischke
Jazz Maastricht / JazzOut Fest (NL)

Marieke is exploring and walking the field of music, internationally, as a coach for young artists, lyricist and (showcase) festival producer/programmer/director with a heart for emerging bands/projects. Advisor at the Dutch Performing Arts Fund.


Maria Rylander
Knutpunkt (SE)

Maria Rylander began as a jazz vocalist, studying at the University of Gothenburg and CNSMD, Paris. After working as Head of Marketing at Nefertiti Jazz Club she developed the network Knutpunkt, uniting 26 concert organizers in south Sweden.

Maaike Teunissen
Brebl; Festival Jazz International Nijmegen (NL)

Maaike Teunissen is programmer at Brebl, a cultural spot and jazz venue at Nijmegen in the Netherlands. She is also project leader of the annual jazz festival at the end of October: Festival Jazz International Nijmegen.

Anastasia Wolkenstein
Jazz & The City (DE/AT)

Anastasia Wolkenstein has been running a booking agency for contemporary jazz for 15 years. She is founder of the International Jazzfestival Sparks & Visions in Regensburg, Germany, and artistic director of Jazz&TheCity in Salzburg, Austria.

Lucy Woolley
Lancaster Jazz Festival (GB)

Lucy is a creative producer and coach based in Manchester, UK. With 15 years’ experience in the music sector, her work includes Development Manager for Edition Records, Festival Director of Lancaster Jazz Festival, coaching practice while connecting the EU and UK.


Atsuko Yashima
Eight Islands; Tokio Jazz Festival (JP)

Atsuko established Eight Islands Co., Ltd after launching the Tokyo Jazz Festival serving as producer/artistic director. She is connecting Japan and the world through music and culture by producing concerts/festivals, promoting international artists to Japan and Japanese artists abroad.



DUTCH SHOWCASES


Montse Faura
Jazz Festival L’Estartit (ES)

Montse Faura is experienced in musical programming, cultural management/policies. She holds roles as the CEO of Joventuts Musicals de Torroella de Montgrí, artistic director of the Torroella de Montgrí Festival and founder and director of the Jazz Festival de l’Estartit-Costa Brava.

Michelle Kuypers
North Sea Jazz (NL)

Michelle is Program manager and Talent buyer at North Sea Jazz/MOJO, responsible for programming, talent buying, Paul Acket Award, Composition Project, Look and Feel, Art Expo. Also: concert promoting and jazz bookings at Dutch clubs and festivals.

Roger Lygre Solvang
Bergen Jazzforum (NO)

Roger Lygre Solvang is the general manager for Bergen Jazzforum, founded in 1972 and still one of the most important jazz-promoters in Norway. He is also associated with the Nattjazz-festival, doing PR and working with programming.

Steve Mead
Manchester Jazz Festival (GB)

Steve Mead is Artistic Director/CEO of Manchester Jazz Festival, responsible for programming, artist development and commissioning. He also works for Jazz North, was co-founder of the Jazz Promotion Network and sits on the Europe Jazz Network board.


Ábel Petneki
BMC (HU)

Ábel Petneki promotes jazz, contemporary and classical concerts at Budapest Music Center and Opus Jazz Club since 2017. BMC is an independent concert venue, jazz club, record label, and music library with an outlook to Europe & beyond.



GERMAN JAZZ EXPO


Alexandria Carr
B:Music (GB)

In 2020, Alex founded Amplify Sounds, supporting Midlands' artists. Recognized by Birmingham Music Awards in 2022, Amplify Sounds provided opportunities for 80+ musicians. Alex later became Programme Producer at B:Music, organizing 40+ weekly jazz events. In October 2023, she became the Contemporary Music Programmer at the Southbank Centre, curating diverse festivals and events.

Regina Fisch
De/semble Festival (AT)

Regina Fisch is the founder and director of DE/SEMBLE, a festival for jazz and adventurous music in Vienna. An essential part of her cultural work is the inclusion of strategic measures for more equality in the music industry.

Lena Jeckel
Kulturamt Gütersloh (DE)

Jermaine Kanbier
Bimhuis (NL)

Jermaine is programming BIMHUIS, Amsterdam Dance Event and Music Meeting Nijmegen.


Matti Nives
wejazz ; Odysseus Festival (FI)

Matti Nives is a DJ, graphic designer, writer, broadcaster and music curator based in Helsinki, Finland. He is the founder and creative director of We Jazz.

Lina Nyberg
Jazz singer, composer, educator; Associate Professor in Jazz Voice- Grieg Academy of Music in Bergen (SE)

Lina Nyberg is one of Sweden’s most creative singers and composers. For more than 25 years her work has attracted consistent attention in many parts of the world. She is Associate Professor at the Grieg Academy of Music in Bergen Norway.

Isumi Röger
Goethe-Institut (DE)

Isumi Rögner is a cultural manager, dramaturge and translator. She works as Jazz advisor at Goethe-Institut’s cultural department. With her newly founded niq kollektiv and as part of Jazz+, she is committed to further enriching the lively jazz scene in Munich.

Matthias Wegner
Deutschlandfunk Kultur (DE)

Matthias Wegner is a music journalist, author and moderator. He has been editor at Deutschlandfunk Kultur since 2011, where he is responsible for jazz, among other things. His numerous activities also include serving on various juries (including the German Jazz Expo and the German Record Critics' Award).



OVERSEAS SHOWCASES


Olivia Ansell
Jazz Festival Sydney (AU)

Olivia Ansell is the 2022-2025 Artistic Director of Sydney Festival. As graduate of Queensland University of Technology, the Australia Council’s Executive Leadership Program/Chief Executive Women Leadership Program Sydney, Olivia was voted one of Vivid Sydney’s Top 100 Creative Catalysts.

Lea Heimann
Bee Flat (CH)

S is the artistic director of the concert promoter bee-flat at PROGR Bern. Developing musical-artistic visions, connecting people and distilling a demanding, high-quality and diverse programme from all this - this is her central intention.

Christel Kumpen
Sound in Motion (BE)

Christel Kumpen is co-founder of Sound in Motion, a Belgian based organization that promotes jazz, improvised and experimental music, with a nomadic concert series, a record label, a festival and a creative sonic residence space.

Chen Levy
Queenta Festival (IL)

Chen is the artistic director of the "QueenTA Woman Jazz festival", whose purpose is to promote female work in the field of jazz. Chen is the musical director of the representative ensemble - "QueenTA Ensemble", a group of five of the best female musicians in Israel.


Guy van Hulst
Transition Festival; TivoliVredenburg (NL)

Guy van Hulst is artistic manager at TivoliVredenburg and Transition Jazz Festival in Utrecht – the Netherlands. He has been programming jazz-, contemporary-music, children- and chambermusic programs and festivals for over twenty-five years.



AFRICA JAZZ


Mantwa Chinoamadi
Joy of Jazz Festival / T Musicman

Industry Skills and Audience Development are Mantwas key role regarding the festivals she has produced. She develops Music and the everyday Aesthetics, first on the list being MUSIC AND GENDER issues. She is Artist Liaison Manager and was Project Manager for her country's first democratic election processes in 1993 when T-Musicman was coordinating the Voter Education Rallies campaign.

Peter Fisher
Radio Presenter / PF Music (Nigeria)

Peter Fisher, aka The BassMan, is the host of the African jazz radio show, “Jazz and Conversations”, promoting “original jazz” by African musicians, from the continent and in the Diaspora. The promotion of African Jazz across the globe is the mission of PF Music.

Claire Diboa
former manager to Manu Dibango (Cameroon)

Claire Diboa is artist manager and tv producer. She managed the late Manu Dibango for 24 years and artists like Manou Gallo, Natalia M. King. She produced a TV show (Platine Africa) on French television (TV5 Monde). Today, she acts as an Event Manager promoting African jazz music.

Dudu Sarr
Dakar Music Expo (Senegal)

Dudu Sarr is a recognized expert in the music sector in Africa. After 25 years spent in London, he came back to Dakar, and founded the Dakar Music Expo, an international music fair. He has also been world renowned Youssou N'Dour's manager for the past 15 years and is dedicated to the development of new African talent.

All information about the jury and the respective selection criteria

The selection of jazzahead! showcase bands are held by annually changing expert juries. Each of the four showcase modules has its own jury team with at least seven jury members, festival and program directors from the international jazz scene.


Criteria

The selection process consists of three phases: Firstly, the individual listening of all applications by the jury members and their online voting. This results in a short list of bands/artists. These arists/bands are then evaluated by different criteria via a points system. The third voting session will be hold with all jury members via online conference where the final program of the showcases will be discussed and decided.

Criteria for the first voting session
What counts: the main criteria for selection are musical quality and whether the band/artists is/are able to perform on an international level. Age, gender and origin are of no importance. The criteria for the second voting session will be communicated to the jury members with the short list of the bands - the result of this first voting session.

Second voting session
As for the first voting session now, for the second voting session, other criteria should be taken into account. :

  • Instrumentation
  • Country of origin (does not apply for GJE and the night of the partner country)
  • Gender

Also considered is the probability that the band will present exactly the line-up stated in the application and that the final program should present a wide stylistic range.

Preconditions for showcase applications (they need to be accepted during the application process)

You want to experience the showcase concerts live?

For registered participants of jazzahead! 2024 access to the showcase concerts is included in the registration for the trade fair.

We are happy to announce that concert tickets for the showcases will also be available for non-registered visitors!

Showcases Program