Arts Council England announces today that it will be supporting a UK stand at the world’s largest jazz showcase, trade fair and industry gathering, jazzahead!, which is held in Bremen, 24-26 April, 2025.
- UK registrants can apply and take advantage of a co-exhibitor rate on Stand 6A20 – details below
- A UK Clubnight, curated by Peter Conway is happening at the Bremer Shakespeare Company theatre on the Leibnizplatz will feature Mark Kavuma, Jo Harrop and Rebecca Nash, with Robin Phillips running a jam session
- A programme of speed networking sessions on festivals, touring and label contacts; several ‘meet the showcase artists’ sessions; discussions panels and presentations; and an informal daily networking reception will be hosted by Arts Council and its partners.
- The Arts Council’s new investment will also provide delegate bursaries and support, and a programme of showcase and platforming events.
- The press release states that “2025 England stand partners include: Jazz Promoters Network, UK Jazz News, Jazzwise Magazine, ECN Music, Peter Conway Promotions and British Underground.”
- The press release points out the important role played by jazzahead’s UK ambassador Nick Brown in bringing in the support of ACE
- Also… Artists in the showcases this year with UK connections are Henry Spencer, Sam Newbould and Norman&Corrie
- and… UK Jazz News will be represented at jazzahead by editor/publisher Sebastian Scotney, advertising manager Romy Summers and our new social media content creator Kathy Walmsley)
FULL TEXT OF ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND MEDIA STATEMENT – 12 MARCH 2025
(begins) Arts Council England announces new £25,000 investment supporting English jazz
Arts Council England is pleased to announce two new strategic investments in England’s thriving jazz scene:
- celebrating England’s diverse jazz talent through support for Breakthrough Act of the Year award at the 2025 Jazz FM Awards
- raising the visibility of England’s jazz artists on the world stage through enhanced presence at jazzahead!, a leading international jazz industry showcase and tradefair.
These initiatives recognise the achievements of individuals and groups within the vibrant UK jazz scene underpinned by Arts Council’s longstanding investment in leading English jazz organisations including Tomorrow’s Warriors, Jazz re:freshed, and the London and Manchester jazz festivals, all of which played a formative role in the success of Mercury and Brit Award winners, Ezra Collective, amongst others.
Building on the work of organisations across the English jazz sector, Arts Council’s new investment acknowledges the success of UK Jazz on the international stage – at jazzahead!, and elsewhere globally including SXSW, SIM São Paolo and more, signalling its commitment to supporting emerging talent in English jazz sector. This newly expanded English presence will sit alongside that of other UK nations represented by artists, promoters and others from across the full spectrum of jazz music.
Dr Claire Mera-Nelson, Director, Music at Arts Council England said: “Arts Council England is delighted to support these two strategic investments for English jazz. Celebrating the achievements and visibility of outstanding jazz artists on the world stage, our partnerships with Jazz FM and jazzahead! will enable England’s extraordinary and diverse jazz talent to make the most of the opportunities that await them, supported by a fantastic coalition of UK partners.”
Sybille Kornitschky, CEO at jazzahead! said: “As a platform for global jazz connections, jazzahead! is delighted to strengthen ties with England and the UK at the 2025 Trade Fair and Festival. The work of our UK & Ireland Ambassador Nick Brown has played an instrumental role in bringing this together, and we look forward to seeing England elevate its international presence, ensuring English artists and industry professionals take their rightful place on the global stage.”
Ros Rigby, Chair of the Jazz Promotion Network said “The Jazz Promotion Network (JPN) is delighted that there will be an English stand at jazzahead! 2025 where jazz musicians, promoters and others can gather, and that this will also provide an opportunity for discussion about how we all can work together to develop a more extensive presence in future years.”
Crispin Parry, CEO of British Underground said “British Underground understands that international showcasing can be transformative for musicians so we are excited to collaborate in the development of this new initiative at jazzahead! supporting new talent from England and their industry networks.”
Nick Pitts, Content Director for Jazz FM and Magic Classical said: “Jazz FM is delighted that Arts Council England is supporting the Breakthrough Act of the Year in this year’s Jazz FM Awards. Their dedication to nurturing emerging talent aligns perfectly with our mission to celebrate and elevate the UK’s jazz scene. This, alongside their support for English artists at jazzahead! in Bremen, underscores the vital role Arts Council England plays in championing jazz both nationally and internationally.”
Notes for Editors:
Jazzahead! is taking place in Bremen, Germany, 24-26 April 2025.
Arts Council England and jazz sector partners will have a stand at the 2025 event, providing an enhanced “shop window” for jazz from England and a vital point of contact.
A programme of speed networking sessions on festivals, touring and label contacts; several ‘meet the showcase artists’ sessions; discussions panels and presentations; and an informal daily networking reception will be hosted by Arts Council and its partners.
The Arts Council’s new investment will also provide delegate bursaries and support, and a programme of showcase and platforming events.
An English showcase club night event curated by English promoter Peter Conway (presented at the Bremer Shakespeare Theatre) will feature three leading English jazz acts: Mark Kavuma, Jo Harrop and Rebecca Nash. English jazz artist Henry Spencer will also present a showcase as part of the official jazzahead! showcase programme.
Producing partner British Underground – bringing their experience of managing music, tech and arts programmes on the international stage – will coordinate a small group of delegate bursaries for artists and managers new to jazzahead!
As a further benefit to English delegates, jazzahead! will announce a discounted co-exhibitor rate of €155 (plus 19% VAT) for delegates registering through the England stand (6A20). Delegates should use the discount code 25GEMTR1 via the co-exhibitor registration form.
Arts Council’s investment in the English stand and showcases at jazzahead! will test this new way of working with consultation with English delegates at and after the event to assess its effectiveness.
2025 England stand partners include: Jazz Promoters Network, UK Jazz News, Jazzwise Magazine, ECN Music, Peter Conway Promotions and British Underground.
The Jazz FM Awards 2025 with PPL and PRS for Music will take place on 24 April 2025.
Bauer Media’s Jazz FM launched the Jazz FM Awards in 2013 with the aim of celebrating the work of jazz, blues and soul musicians. They promote excellence, recognise distinction and commend those that have made an exceptional contribution to genres from rising stars to established British artists and international musicians.
Nominees across all award categories include artists whose careers began with, or have been supported by, Arts Council England supported National Portfolio Organisations, or other Arts Council funding programmes including PRS Foundation International Showcase Fund support.
Nominated artists whose career journeys have been supported through Arts Council England funded initiatives include Ezra Collective, Bryony Jarman-Pinto, Ferg’s Imaginary Big Band, Mark Kavuma, Nubiya Garcia, Queer Jazz and Alice Zawadski – among others.
About Arts Council England
Arts Council England is the national development agency for creativity and culture. Our vision, set out in our strategy Let’s Create,is that by 2030, we want England to be a country in which the creativity of each of us is valued and given the chance to flourish, and where every one of us has access to a remarkable range of high-quality cultural experiences. Between 2023 and 2026 we will have invested over £467 million of public money from Government, alongside an estimated £250 million each year from The National Lottery, to help ensure that people in every part of the country have access to culture and creativity in the places where they live. Until Autumn 2025, the National Lottery is celebrating its 30th anniversary of supporting good causes in the United Kingdom: since the first draw was held in 1994, it has raised £49 billion and awarded more than 690,000 individual grants.
Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisations working in, or alongside jazz include:
Brownswood
East Midlands Jazz
Jazz re:freshed
Jazz North
Kinetico Bloco
Manchester Jazz Festival
National Youth Jazz Collective
National Youth Jazz Orchestra
Serious Events (London Jazz Festival)
Tomorrow’s Warriors
Attitude is Everything
Black Lives in Music (ends)
One Response
Great news Sebastian….