Once a year in springtime, you’ll find thousands of music professionals making an annual pilgrimage to the historic city of Bremen in Northern Germany. The birthplace of Beck’s beer, this rather charming city is home to a beautiful UNESCO-listed Town Hall and two popular universities whilst nourishing a thriving arts and cultural scene. There is more than enough in Bremen to lure in musicians. However, the reason the flock descends over one particular weekend is the largest international jazz trade fair in the world, jazzahead!
For those of you wondering exactly what this is, jazzahead! was created in 2006 by Ulrich Beckerhoff, Peter Schulze, and Hans Peter Schneider to build a central hub for jazz networking, booking, and promotion globally. Since its inception, this annual trade fair has played a critical role in fostering international connections, supporting emerging artists and promoting jazz as an art form. The weekend also hosts concerts in the form of Club Nights and showcases, both giving artists an important opportunity to perform for an industry audience and hopefully move their careers forward.
The gathering of around 3000 professional participants and more than 15,000 visitors annually makes jazzahead! exactly what you’d expect: large, vibrant, and absolutely humming with activity and music.
Advice like “pace yourself” and “drink water” is wisely shared as participants pour in through the polished glass doors at 10 am, a coffee in one hand and business cards in the other. By 4 pm they’ll find their way back to their hotels, faces sore from smiling and throats rough from chatting all day.
This year was my second go at jazzahead! and I enjoyed it immensely. I wasn’t a debutante as I’ve been a part of this extravaganza once before, when I popped into the city on a whim after a handful of gigs in Germany. I’d been living in Paris for only two years at the time and the idea of visiting a jazz trade fair by train (even if it is Deutsche Bahn) was too much to resist. I admit back then my first time was peppered with excitement, German sausages and too much wine. I had nothing to ‘sell’, as of course there is much selling going on at a trade fair, and so unfettered from expectations I enjoyed buzzing from booth to booth, catching up with old friends, sipping free drinks, and laughing a lot. On my return this year, older, wiser, and perhaps more battle-scarred by life, I omitted most of the wine, but I certainly leant into the laughing.
The first morning of jazzahead! began with a rather long walk around a fairground which had settled down proudly in front of the conference centre. A trade fair and a fair-fair both happening at the same time. As the neon rides rested, hundreds of people of all ages and nationalities joined a long line to get their wristbands and begin their weekend. Some people were reserved, though I, being myself, was not, and managed to make some friends as we waited in line and I spent my morning coffee buzz chatting to a charming young Polish pianist and a French tour manager. This is what it’s all about, both life and trade fairs, and although not everyone will like you, you can certainly learn a thing or two if you pay attention.
I had the immense pleasure of being a part of the Australian booth, ably organised by the impressive and passionate Larry Heath from Sounds Australia. The landing point for a diverse group of rather brilliant Aussies, our corner booth could be found comfortably sandwiched between Romania, England, and Scotland. The benefit of being close to the tea, scones, shortbread, and Islay whisky was not lost on me. A handful of Australians had made the enormous journey from our beautiful country and were bravely forging ahead through a fog of jet lag, whilst others, like me, had a much less intimidating journey to be there. Having the opportunity to spend a little time outside of ‘gigs’ with these musicians and professionals was a joy, and I’m proud to know the diversity and spirit of Australian jazz are shining brightly on the global stage. We also handed out Tim Tams and Iced Vovos, smuggled into Germany with the solemnity of state secrets, which, in fairness, they almost are.
At jazzahead! the days are full and not as artist-centric as some reading this may imagine. Many professionals working adjacent to performers take the opportunity to catch up with far-away colleagues and network with others who work on the infrastructure of the industry. So, as an artist, you’ll quickly realise not everyone is interested in hearing about your latest album or helping you get a gig. This, whilst I have your attention, is another fact worth considering in life as well as trade fairs. However, if you can step aside from your own agenda, there is much to learn, as the days are full of ‘meet and greet’ networking events hosted by different booths and panel discussions on topics as diverse as ecological challenges for festival curators, AI and machine improvisation, and jazz education versus the professional working field.
Business cards are exchanged freely, alongside QR codes for artists’ new albums. Colourful flyers are strewn across tables and artist posters shine down from the walls. Voices echo around the large space as people discuss the shared goal of maintaining our beautiful jazz ecology whilst keeping a roof over one’s head and the wolf from the door. Coffee is drunk, snacks are snacked, and bratwursts turn lazily on a rolling hotplate as lunchtime approaches.
As music is the reason this trade fair exists in the first place, I must tell you about some I enjoyed. Shalosh, a trio from Israel, played a sparkling showcase in an atmospheric factory venue and closed with a brilliant arrangement of ‘Take On Me’ by A-ha, which blew the roof off the place. At the Nordic Club Night, I drifted away to a dreamlike duo called Fermented Friendship from Iceland, and danced to a vibrant young quintet from Finland called Peela, whose great music and wide smiles charmed the room. To illustrate just how far people travel for jazzahead!, that night we also had the pleasure of Go from the Faroe Islands, who rocked out with squelches and effects frothing like foam on a tidal wave of bass.
Alongside the music and the snacks, the standout moments were the random conversations: sometimes about music, sometimes about business, and sometimes about life. Being in a room with people who love this music, whether they can hold a tune or not, is immensely inspiring. So is being surrounded by people who are proud of their country, proud of their scene, and happy to stand up and back it.
I learned many things, and the most important one of all is that we’re not islands even if we come from one.
From festival to booker, from manager to artist, we’re all working towards a common goal in our own distinct way. Hearing about people’s passions, challenges, and how they carve out time for creativity was as unexpectedly nourishing as the currywurst.
So in closing, yes, it’s a trade fair, and as a singer I can say that going to jazzahead! might not be for every artist. Performing in a club night or showcase would be enormously beneficial, but for some, the day-to-day schmooze might push you out of your comfort zone. No one’s going to hand you a gig just because you’re wearing a nice hat. But if you’re curious, self-starting, and enjoy eavesdropping on how jazz is supported from all perspectives, it’s worth the trip. You’ll learn things. You’ll meet people. You’ll feel part of a global community. You might even find yourself bonding over Icelandic dried fish (smells bad, tastes nice) or Finnish candy (a bit like Fantales) with someone who gets it. And sometimes, that’s all you need.
