SHOWCASES
Apply for 2027: 25 Aug - 30 Sep!
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. The jazz highlights and current formations from Germany, Europe, Overseas/Asia Pacific as well as from the Baltic states as partner region 2027 can be experienced on three days and nights on the stages of Hall 7 and the Kulturzentrum Schlachthof.
Showcase Videos – Summer Nights with jazzahead!
Couldn’t you see the showcase concerts or want to experience them again? Great, we have excellent news for you! Every Thursday at 7:00pm from June 18th to September 10th, we will publish 3 videos from the showcases 2026!. The videos will be available on our YouTube channel. The audio recording was produced by Radio Bremen. Enjoy the summer with us!
Application
The showcase application phase for jazzahead! 2027 will start on 25 August 2026 and ends on 30th September, 2026. We will announce the selection of bands in November 2026.
The selection of bands performing has been chosen by international expert juries, one for each showcase module. You can find all jury teams in the “jury” section.
If you have questions, you can contact Insa Stanke
Contact Person
Insa Stanke
How to Apply?
1. Register for jazzahead!
Precondition for applying for a showcase slot is that the band/artist is proposed by a registered exhibitor or a professional participant (all days) of jazzahead! 2027. Of course, bands and artists can also register themselves as exhibitors or professional participants (all days) to submit an application, or a representative submits the application.
2. Accept Preconditions
Please download, read and accept the preconditions of participation for the jazzahead! showcase festival 2027 in advance. (will be available soon)
Preconditions for showcase application (PDF)
You can download our guide on how to complete the application form so that you know in advance what information and files are required for the online application. (will be available soon)
Guide for showcase application (PDF)
3. Choose showcase module and apply
Please decide in advance which showcase module you are applying for.
As a registered exhibitor or professional participant (all days) please log in to the participants portal. There visit the section Submissions, choose the module and follow the link.
Selection Process
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 held 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.
