The festival programme kicked off last night, and today the focus shifts to the opening of the trade fair – the two combining to make jazzahead! the unique event it is: by Sunday lunchtime, 20,000 concert-goers are expected to attend 130 concerts on more than 40 stages throughout Bremen, while around 3,000 delegates from more than 60 countries will attend the trade fair.
Wednesday evening saw the whole event get under way with the Grand Opening at Congress Centrum Bremen. The large ensemble of Geneva-based guitarist Louis Matute brought an audience of 900 to their feet for a standing ovation. Matute rocked the stage with a fascinatingly varied musical programme and invited some stellar guests from partner countries Spain, France and Switzerland to join him: singers Célia Kameni and Gabi Hartmann, flautist Marta Mansilla and trumpeter Yelfris Valdés.
‘There was such great energy last night – I love having so many people around me on stage,’ said Louis. ‘Yelfris is from Cuba, Marta has Latin roots, Gabi and I met through our love of Brazilian music, and Célia is a very special personality. To grow as a musician, you have to get to know different people and styles, funk, samba, jazz, and then make something which is your own out of it.’
Just as Louis Matute’s music has no boundaries, the same can also be said of the jazzahead! concert programme. Jazz connects naturally with folk, electronica, soul and pop, but also co-exists easily with chamber music, Afrobeat, funk and Afro-Cuban sounds at the world’s largest industry gathering. That is especially the case in the 38 international showcases selected by four juries. These concerts continue into the early hours of Sunday morning.
The popular CLUBNIGHT takes place on Friday with 85 concerts in 35 venues – in regular clubs, on ships and in museums, churches, bars and hotel lounges throughout the city.
A new feature this year, thanks to the support by the city of Bremen, is the Jazzport at the Torfhafen, just a couple of minutes’ walk from MESSE Bremen. The open-air stage offers a free programme with international live acts. Starting tonight, international stars will perform here, beginning with the charismatic singer Max Mutzke (accompanied by the Matti Klein Soul Trio).
From Thursday until Sunday lunchtime, Bremen will once again become the epicentre of the jazz world!
MESSE BREMEN | M3B GmbH
jazzahead! Press Office
Jan Paersch
press@jazzahead.de