Copenhagen Jazz Festival
Sankt Peders Stræde 28C, 2nd Floor
1453 København K
Phone: +45 3393 2013
General press/accreditation → press@jazz.dk
Kasper Stougaard → kasper@jazz.dk
Communications Officer
→ Sign-up for our press list here.
→ Live photos from Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2019 (DOWNLOAD)
Photos by Kristoffer Juel Poulsen, www.jazz.dk
Logo:
→ Copenhagen Jazz Festival (download)
→ Vinterjazz (download)
“For the sheer expansiveness – regarding styles of jazz, show selection, variety of venues throughout the city and musicianship (much homegrown, Denmark arguably having the second most significant jazz history to the US) – there’s really no comparison. Copenhagen Jazz Festival is a true treat to attend and absorb as much as you can, from the early afternoon (if not earlier) into the wee hours of the following day every day for almost two weeks straight. Sleep is definitely secondary.” – Laurence Donohue-Greene, The New York City Jazz Record
“A jazz lover can find well-known names in huge arenas sharing public attention with alternative performances in small places. Both newcomers and the more experienced can find something they’d love. Literally, there is a spectrum from traditional jazz to anything else that a jazz lover can imagine in the streets of Copenhagen during the Jazz Festival. (…) Yet jazz is nothing special for Copenhagen. This music is so linked to the city’s culture, that nobody is surprised to find so many venues hosting all the various events. To dive into jazz is natural for Copenhageners.” – Yahvé M. de la Cavada, Cultura en El País
“Going to the Copenhagen festival is a thrill for the jazz curious, though, requiring some advance planning and transit strategy to catch the various shows in venues spread around the city. The very act of “doing the Copenhagen fest” is a fine way to learn about the city’s neighborhoods and its venues.” – Josef Woodard, Downbeat,´
Next event: Copenhagen Jazz Festival 2020 takes place July 3-12 2020.
Every single summer since 1979 Copenhagen Jazz Festival has been taking over Copenhagen as one of Europe’s most important international music events based on eminent artistic quality and a sharp focus on new departures in both Danish and international jazz. Lasting 10 days, the festival envelops the Danish capital, offering a sumptuous musical feast to the 250,000 guests who join us year after year. Enjoying live jazz on the city’s streets, in its clubs cafés and concert halls, and at open-air night venues – all in the very heart of historical Copenhagen.
Copenhagen’s legendary status as one of the jazz capitals of Europe grew in the 1950s and 1960s, when a whole host of leading American jazz icons had their creative base in the city. Among those who have called Copenhagen home are Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, Ben Webster, Stuff Smith, Ed Thigpen, Thad Jones and Kenny Drew. Each and every one of them has drawn inspiration from Denmark’s jazz scene and the era’s most important jazz club: Jazzhus Montmartre. This was also the time when some of Denmark’s best musicians had their international breakthrough, musicians like Alex Riel, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen and Palle Mikkelborg.
Copenhagen’s unique jazz history is a key factor in the exceptionally high level of the Copenhagen Jazz Festival, something that can be experienced at the many free open-air stages strategically located throughout the historical city centre. Together with Copenhagen’s record number of cafés and music venues, these stagers create a unique atmosphere, bringing the city alive with jazz from early morning to late at night.People don’t only come for a fantastic musical experience, but for the unique atmosphere throughout Copenhagen when jazz takes over the city.
Facts
– Established in 1979
– 10 days, 100 venues, more than 1200 concerts
– One of Europe’s biggest jazz festivals
– Always starts the first Friday of July and last 10 days
– The concerts takes place at clubs, cafes, bars, concert halls and open-air stages in the city’s parks and squares and along the harbour front.
– The programme is available in 70.000 copies, in the official app and at Jazz.dk
– The festival office engages more than 200 volunteers
Visitors
– During the course of the 10 days the total audience numbers to more than 250,000 people.
– The visitors are divided evenly among the age groups 0-35 years, 36-55 years and 56 years or older.
– Nine out of teen visitors are Danish. The foreign visitors are primarily Swedish, Norwegian, German, British and American.
– Copenhagen Jazz Festival generates approximately 80 million Danish kroner in revenue from tourists and locals for the city of Copenhagen (Source: Wonderful Copenhagen, Nov. 2011)
Next event: The 20th Vinterjazz takes place all across Denmark on February 6-29 2020.
Vinterjazz is a nationwide music festival that takes place in February each year. The festival spans three weeks featuring more than 600 concerts, 100 venues and 25 independent organizers from all across Denmark – from Aalborg, Aarhus, Odense and Esbjerg to the historic jazz capital of Copenhagen. The combination of the festival’s length and the countrywide aspect makes Vinterjazz an opportunity to meet international stars on tour, new Danish award-winning projects and concert themes like Jazz for Kids, Future Sound of Jazz / Something Else, Jazz Remixed, Impressions of.. and Jazz’n ‘Poetry.
What makes Vinterjazz a special music event is, that it is a national collaboration between venues and organizers, musicians and audience, the big cities and the outskirts of Denmark – a national initiative created and taking place locally. For instance, when Vinterjazz presents a series of concerts in cities like Sorø, Silkeborg, and Sønderborg which are organized by local non-profit communities, or when Vinterjazz move into the new concert halls of Musikkens Hus in Aalborg, DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen or Kulturværftet in Helsingør, which offer some of the festival’s biggest stars.
Vinterjazz is first and foremost a club festival that kick-starts the season for the many Danish jazz clubs that create an environment where jazz can develop and live year round. Therefore, it is with great pleasure that Vinterjazz this year sets a new record with more than 100 venues. Especially we would like to welcome you to the many new venues in the programme.
“Vinterjazz brings attention to jazz. It has the same function as the Copenhagen Jazz Festival in the summer. It creates a curiosity, interest of the media and increased public awareness of a genre that besides a few big names have paradoxically low audience numbers compared to the vast pool of talent it contains. The music thrives as a result of [the festival’s] understanding of how to get the audience and the press to talk. Not just in the summer in Copenhagen, but also across the country in February, during Vinterjazz.” (Thomas Michelsen, music editor of Politiken)
“Vinterjazz is a potluck, created by jazz clubs and touring musicians during the festival. The more places are participating outside of Copenhagen, the closer it gets between the Vinterjazz activities, so there is still room for more active players and organizers in the country’s remote areas. Vinterjazz aims to focus on the Danish jazz and in particular, on the dedicated venues, independent organizers and jazz associations around the country, and we do this by kick-starting the season and creating a festival feeling among the audience, venues and musicians, “(Kenneth Hansen, festival director Vinterjazz and Copenhagen Jazz Festival)
