From the 24th – 27th of April, 2014, one of the most important events of the international jazz scene took place in the north German City of Bremen – this time with an even stronger Austrian presence. Since its founding in 2006, the jazzahead! festival has long since turned into an institution that can refer to increasing exhibitor and visitor numbers in its 9th year of existence.
The Austrian booth, organized by Heinrich Schläfer and jointly represented by mica – music austria and other organizations, was very pleased about the bustle of activity at their stand: In a Viennese café-inspired open communication area revolving around the legendary coffee machine, the Austrian organizers, agencies and labels were able to meet with their international business partners and provide visitors with comprehensive information on the Austrian jazz scene and additional tourist advice – true to the motto: Where’s the best jazz festival with the most beautiful scenery, that’s where I want to go on holiday! The perfect addition to these discussions: The Austrian music guide “Austrian Heartbeats“, which consistently sparked curiosity for more and is sure to find one or the other who will adopt the idea in Europe.
From an Austrian standpoint, it was also great to see the immensely positive reponse to the two Austrian showcases: Both the trashy-groovy quartet Kompost 3 and the witty and experimental trio Rom/Scherer/Eberle were celebrated with a lot of applause, praised by reviewers, and also broadcasted live on Arte TV.
As in the years before, the jointly organized “Alpine Cocktail” with Switzerland and South Tyrol proved once again that jazz and related genres from Austria enjoy an excellent reputation and deserve more visibility. Particular interest in international and bilateral cooperations and presentation projects came from Germany, France, Netherlands and South Korea – this positive trend is a welcome opportunity for the Austrian Music Export to push forward in developing and implementing projects in the field of jazz.
Sabina Schebrak (translated from German)
Austrian companies and organizations at jazzahead! 2014:
art.e.m. artists & event management | bigathing.very special music | Concerto | cracked anegg records | CultureWorks | Donau Universität Krems, Zentrum für Zeitgenössische Musik | GLP George Leitner Productions GmbH | Jazz Big Band Graz | Graz – City of Jazz | Kompost 3 | Inntöne | Jazz & The City | Kunstuniversität Graz, Institut für Jazz | Matilda Leko | marmota.agentur | mica-music austria | Christian Muthspiel | Natango Music | ORF | RomSchaererEberle | Session Work Records | Sounddesign Austria | Triart | Wiener Konzerthaus
Official figures of jazzahead! 2014:
- Exhibiting companies: 708
- Expert visitors: 2,811
- Nationalities: 50
- Total festival visitors: 15,971
- Showcase bands: 44
Links:
jazzahead! | www.jazzahead.de
Kompost 3 | www.laubrecords.com/kompost3
Rom/Schaerer/Eberle | romschaerereberle.com
For further reference:
- 5 concerts of the European Meeting on ARTE
http://concert.arte.tv/de/jazzahead-2014 - Der Standard, Vienna, 05/02/2014, article by Andreas Felber (in German)
http://derstandard.at/1397522350477/Jazzjahrmarkttreiben-im-globalen-Dorf - Weser Kurier, Bremen, 04/28/2014, article by Christian Emigholz (in German)
http://www.weser-kurier.de/bremen/kultur2_artikel,-Riesige-Jazz-Palette-gezeigt-_arid,837753.html
