Successful 13th edition of inJazz with international highlights

On 27 and 28 June, inJazz served as the official prelude to North Sea Round Town and two weeks of jazz in Rotterdam. During the conference, (inter)national jazz professionals enjoyed high profile panels and presentations. The winner of the Buma Boy Edgar Prize 2019 was announced at the end of the conference: saxophonist and composer Jasper Blom. On both nights, a selection of (inter)national artists – both promising new bands as well as more seasoned groups – performed live in several venues.

International conference with a focus on islands
International musicians, bookers, labels and media started networking during the ‘sold out’ Matchmaking Sessions. They shared tips & tricks as well as updates on recent developments in the jazz scene during the panels and presentations. The varied conference programme of inJazz at LantarenVenster focused on islands and what makes them so special to players originating there. From Iceland to the Baleares and from Cape Verde to Cyprus. In the panel ‘No scene is an island’ beautiful stories and insights in living and working in an isolated music scene were shared. Also popular during the conference was the ‘Elevator Jazz Pitch’. With short presentations, musicians tried to win the inJazz inCentive worth €1,000, a collaboration with Berthold Records. The winner is Gabriele di Franco, an Italian musician living in Belgium. This year’s conference was visited by 500 professionals from The Netherlands and abroad.

Adventurous festival with over 40 live-acts
On Thursday night 27 and Friday night 28 June, over 40 (inter)national acts conquered many hearts. Every year, even more locals know the way to the inJazz venues such as LantarenVenster and Kantine Walhalla as well as the new venues Room Mate Bruno and Foodhallen Rotterdam. The musicians performed for a mixed audience of local music enthusiasts and international jazz professionals. From stimulating and energetic improvisations to calm, sometimes even hypotising tunes by among others Teus Nobel | Liberty Group, Myrthe van de Weetering, LoLanders (GB/NL), Scott McLemore 4tet (IS), Agnes Gosling 4tet, ODELION ORCHESTRA en Daahoud Salim Quintet.

The Buma Boy Edgar Prize goes to Jasper Blom
The Buma Boy Edgar Prize, the most prestigious award for jazz and improvised music in the Netherlands, has been awarded to saxophonist and composer Jasper Blom. The news was announced at the inJazz conference at LantarenVenster. Jasper Blom (Geldrop, 1965) is regarded as one of the most pivotal tenor and soprano saxophonists in the Dutch jazz scene and is renowned for his compositional synthesis of jazz, pop, classical and improvised music. Excerpt from the jury report: “He never does anything for the sake of effect and has been ploughing his own furrow with unwavering integrity in various movements within the jazz idiom for thirty years. His tone is never harsh, but always brims with suspense and excitement, like a warm whirlwind stirring up things that the listener cannot predict.” As part of the award, the winner is invited to curate a concert evening at the BIMHUIS, during which he or she is presented with the award, which consists of a cash prize of €12,500 and a bronze sculpture by Jan Wolkers. Jasper Blom’s concert evening takes place on 4 December 2019.

Announcement 12 Points Festival and Sound Out
During the conference a number of important announcements were planned. In the morning, the Improvised Music Company, the Dublin based curators and producers of the award-winning 12 Points Festival, announced during the inJazz conference the 12 acts selected to perform at the 2019 edition of 12 Points. The festival will take place 25-28 September at BIMHUIS in Amsterdam. Selected are: Kasia Pietrzko Trio, Xavi Torres, Family Band, Robocobra Quartet, Katu Kaiku, Sketchbook Quartet, Filippo Vignato Trio, Trio Heinz Herbert, IKARAI, JUNO, No Tongues en The Brums. In collaboration with Dutch Performing Arts, BIMHUIS will also curate an exciting satellite programme during the festival named ‘ORANGE LINE’. Six promising and mainly young Dutch musicians whose international career is about to take off will be presented. Later during the inJazz conference, Sound Out announced the participating musicians for 2019-2020. Sound Out is a professional development and mentoring platform for creative musicians working in jazz and improvised music. Selected are: Aviva Endean (clarinet), Benedikt Wieland (bass & electronics), Inge Thomson (vocals & accordeon), Joanna Duda (piano & electronics), Lucia Cadotsch (vocals), Morris Kliphuis (horn), Ramon Landolt (keyboards) and Resina, alias Karolina Rec (vocals & cello).

inJazz 2020
The organization of inJazz is already looking forward to 2020. The event will again serve as the prelude to two weeks of jazz in Rotterdam. The 14th edition takes place on Thursday 25 and Friday 26 June 2020. This biggest Dutch network- and showcase-event consists of a conference for international jazz professionals and a festival for music enthusiasts.