JAZZ TRAIN TO MALMÖ & COPENHAGEN
Day one in Malmö
The Jazz Train network meeting generated new connections and fresh insights into the jazz scene across the Öresund, Fehmarn Belt, and Hamburg region. Simon Olderskog Albertsen spoke about both the advantages and challenges of living in the Malmö/Scania region as an internationally touring jazz musician. On the plus side, he highlighted affordable housing, a laid-back atmosphere, and the region’s strong potential as a place to produce music and then export it internationally.
At the same time, the local jazz scene received a gentle but honest critique. While Malmö has a solid jazz infrastructure with good clubs and strong artists, it has, over time, lacked a shared scene or venue that artists can truly call home. There is a sense that creative innovation and artistic risk-taking could be stronger. Perhaps Bullret’s young and vibrant audience could help establish Annelundsgården as a home for a more experimental and innovative jazz scene. Something is definitely cooking.
Hanns-Christian Gerth from Jazzbüro Hamburg brought a wide range of artists, innovators, and music industry professionals with him to Malmö for the evening. He presented a new initiative, GAGE+, a funding model for live jazz in Hamburg where the City of Hamburg matches the musicians’ fees: venues pay half, and the city covers the other half. This system resembles, to some extent, existing funding models in Denmark.
Gerth also introduced another initiative, CLUB FESTIVAL, in which Jazzbüro and the city council provide financial guarantees to venues that book artists during the festival period, while also offering discounted tickets for young audiences. Perhaps this is something worth testing in Malmö as well.
Day 2 in Copenhagen
JazzDanmarks jazz industry network day, JAZZ+ took place at lille Vega and this years topic had an international outlook plus new innovative development for the industry. The yearly Danish Music Award Jazz the handed out a handful of prices to danish jazz artists in a vibrant price ceremony event with live music and excellent hosting. Read more about the events here: