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 38 showcase bands have previously applied and are selected by international expert juries.

38 jazz highlights and current formations from Germany, Europe, Overseas/Africa as well as from the partner country 2026 Sweden can be experienced on three days and nights on the stages of Hall 7 and the Kulturzentrum Schlachthof.

 

 

 

What to know?

The showcase application phase for jazzahead! 2026 will start from Sep 1st  2025 and will end on Oct 8th 2025!
Here you can find the Official Selection 2025

The showcase application phase for jazzahead! 2026 will start from Sep 1st 2025 and will end on Oct 8th 2025!

Preconditions is to register as a exhibitor or as a professional participant of jazzahead! 2026. For more info see here information page.

If you have questions, you can contact Insa Stanke.
The jury teams will be published here after the announcement of the showcase bands end of November 2025.

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.

See Preconditions for showcase applications from 2025 (Preconditions for 2026 will be available soon as they need to be accepted during the application process)

You want to experience the showcase concerts live?

For registered participants of jazzahead! 2026 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 from autumn 2025 on!

Showcase Moments

RECONNECT Showcases
Adèle Viret Quartet (FR)
Irene Reig quartet (ES)
Louis Matute Large Ensemble (CH)
Manon Mullener 5tet (CH)
Marco Mezquida Trio (ES)
Momi Maiga (ES)
Monsieur Mâlâ (FR)
Robinson Khoury (FR)
Yilian Cañizares (CH)
European Showcases
Andreas Polyzogopoulos Trio (GR)
Carlos Bica 11:11 (PT)
Harald Lassen (NO)
Henry Spencer (UK)
Ilaria Capalbo (SE/IT)
Korhan Futaci (TR)
Maridalen (NO)
Norman&Corrie (UK) (Scotland)
Sam Newbould Quintet (NL)
Schubert NOW! (HU)
Smag På Dig Selv (DK)
Svante Söderqvist - THE ROCKET (SE/EE)
Unleashed Cooperation (PL)
German Jazz Expo
Besson - Sternal - Burgwinkel Trio (DE)
Carl Wittigs Aurora Oktett (DE)
Enji (DE)
Eva Klesse Quartett – Stimmen (DE)
hilde (DE)
Maik Krahl - The Magic of Consistency (DE)
Nils Kugelmann Trio (DE)
´Oumuamua Orchestra (DE)
Overseas & Jazz from Africa Showcases
Benjamin Jephta Sextet presents 'Born Coloured, not Born-Free' (ZA)
Hervé Samb & Teranga Band (SN/FR)
Juanjo Corbalán Quartet (PY)
Kasiva Mutua (KE)
Lucía (MX)
Roger Corrêa Quartet (BR)
Rolando Luna (CU)
Shalosh (IL)