International jazz conference to take place this September in Tallinn - Festival Jazzkaar

ADDRESS: Pärnu maantee 30-5, Tallinn 10141

PHONE: +372 666 0030

EMAIL: info(ät)jazzkaar.ee

17/05/2021 International jazz conference to take place this September in Tallinn

News

European Jazz Conference 2021, Shapes of Jazz to Come will take place from 16 to 19 September in Telliskivi Creative City in Tallinn, hosted by Europe Jazz Network, a Europe-wide association of producers, presenters and supporting organisations, together with Jazz Estonia and Jazzkaar Festival. The conference will bring to Estonia over 300 professionals in the field of jazz from Europe and elsewhere.

European Jazz Conference, this year titled Shapes of Jazz to Come, will turn its gaze to the future. Delegates to the event are mainly promoters, journalists and agencies of European jazz. The conference is a major annual event which most recently took place in Novara, Italy in autumn 2019, attended by more than 350 delegates. In 2020 the conference was cancelled due to the pandemic.

Tallinn also hosted the conference ten years ago as part of the Tallinn 2011 – European Capital of Culture programme. “Since 2011, Jazz Estonia and Jazzkaar have been consistently engaged in introducing the achievements of Estonian jazz on the international arena. While almost a hundred delegates participated at the gathering in Estonia in 2011, the number of participants has more than tripled in the last ten years, and unless the pandemic disturbs our plans, we expect to welcome a large majority of the main organisers of European jazz festivals and concerts, as well as agency representatives and journalists,” Jaak Sooäär, Head of International Relations of Jazz Estonia.

“The fact that European Jazz Conference 2021 will take place this September in Tallinn is a recognition of our hard work. We are most pleased that Estonian jazz musicians have proven themselves internationally. This is once again an excellent opportunity to demonstrate that Estonians are true jazz professionals – by introducing the best and most original Estonian artists to the promoters of European jazz as well as maintaining the high quality of organisation,” Anne Erm, Artistic Director of Jazzkaar Festival said.

The title of this year’s conference refers to the album The Shape of Jazz to Come by the American saxophone legend Ornette Coleman, the release of which in 1959 opened a whole new perspective in jazz music. We are still living in a time of drastic changes, therefore the conference will focus on jazz music and the opportunities and risks that the people associated with it encounter in this new situation where various limitations may affect and change our habitual activities for a long time to come.

As part of the conference, a music programme introducing Estonian artists will take place at Vaba Lava and Fotografiska Tallinn, with more than ten showcase concerts as well as late-night concerts at other venues in Telliskivi Creative City. This is definitely the best opportunity to introduce Estonian jazz music and musicians to the promoters of European jazz. The music programme of the conference will be compiled by Jazzkaar and Jazz Estonia in cooperation with an international jury consisting of members of the Europe Jazz Network. The final programme of European Jazz Conference will be announced in the beginning of July.

The major conference event will take place in accordance with the rules in force in September and, if necessary, in hybrid form, so that some delegates can attend the conference events from home.

European Jazz Conference is supported by the Ministry of Culture and the City of Tallinn. The conference is part of the programme to support Tallinn’s application for the UNESCO City of Music. The conference is organised by the Europe Jazz Network in cooperation with the Jazz Estonia and Jazzkaar Festival.