Copenhagen Jazz Festival

Copenhagen Jazz Festival

Location(s)	Copenhagen, Denmark
Years active	1979 - present
Date(s)	begins first Friday of July (10 days)
Genre	Jazz

Copenhagen Jazz Festival is an annual Jazz event, taking place in Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, each July. The first Copenhagen Jazz Festival was held in 1979. According to reports^[1], around 240,000 people attended the festival in 2004. The 2006 edition comprised around 850 concerts^[2], while the number of concerts in 2010 rose to more than 1000 concerts during the festival week with approximately 250,000 guests - making it one of the largest music events in Europe.

Musicians who have performed at the Copenhagen Jazz Festival include Sonny Rollins, Oscar Peterson, Ray Charles, Michel Petrucciani, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Keith Jarrett, Wayne Shorter, Dizzy Gillespie, John Scofield^[3], Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Michel Camilo, Svend Asmussen Quartet, Richard Bona, Tony Allen and Chick Corea.

The 2011 edition of Copenhagen Jazz Festival took place from July 1st to July 10th. Artists included Keith Jarrett, Sonny Rollins and Bobby McFerrin. The 2012 edition of Copenhagen Jazz Festival is scheduled July 6-15, 2012.

History

The founding of Copenhagen Jazz Festival in 1979 is closely linked to the jazz scene that evolved in Copenhagen in the 1960s^[4], when the city served as a European home for American jazz musicians like Dexter Gordon, Ben Webster and Kenny Drew. An inspired music scene attracted even more American musicians and educated and inspired the whole Danish scene as well.

Through the 70s jazz music expanded in terms of genres and audiences, and reaching 1978 lawyer and project manager Poul Bjørnholt (from Københavns City Center) took the initiative to Copenhagen Jazz Festival, when realizing how local jazz clubs, public spaces, theaters and large venues could contribute to this collabarative event.

From 1979 and until the 90s the festival grew at a steady pace - making room for both international artists and local bands - and today Copenhagen Jazz Festival is its biggest ever with more than 100 venues in Copenhagen and over 1000 concerts. That makes Copenhagen Jazz Festival one of Copenhagens most important public festivals, attracting a broad international audience.

Venues

• Jazzhus Montmartre
• Tivoli Gardens
• Statens Museum for Kunst
• Royal Danish Theatre
• Copenhagen Opera House
• Copenhagen Jazzhouse

Recent headliners

Year	Headliners
2000	Roy Haynes, Toots Thielemans, Michael Brecker, Pat Metheney & Natalie Cole
2001	Peter Brötzmann, Marylin Mazur, Wayne Shorter, Terence Blanchard, Mike Stern, Ray Charles, Richard Bona & Bill Frisell
2002	Palle Mikkelborg, Ed Thigpen, Finn Ziegler, Maceo Parker, Randy Crawford, Django Bates & Joe Lovano
2003	Dianne Reeves, Tony Bennett, Tomasz Stanko, Herbie Hancock, Dee Dee Bridgewater & Svend Asmussen
2004	Danilo Perez, Gilberto Gil, Tomasz Stanko, NHØP & John Scofield
2005	Chick Corea, Madeleine Peyroux, Curtis Stiger, Pierre Dørge & New Jungle Orchestra & Yusuf Lateef
2006	Herbie Hancock, Svend Asmussen Quartet, Salif Keita, Tony Allen, Gotan Project, Pat Metheny, Michel Camilo, Richard Bona, Sergio Mendes, Brad Mehldau & Dianne Reeves
2007	Joshua Redman Trio, Kenny Garret Quartet, Jan Garbarek Group, McCoy Tyner & The Zawinul Syndicate
2008	Ornette Coleman, Wayne Shorter, Cassandra Wilson, Denmark's New Jungle Orchestra, Joe Lovano, Ravi Coltrane, Dave Liebman, Brad Mehldau Trio, Angelique Kidjo, David Murray Black Saint Quartet, Maceo Parker, Jason Moran, Charles Loyd Quartet & The Zawinul Syndicate
2009	Chick Corea, Blind Boys of Alabama, Dianne Reeves, Lizz Wright, Angelique Kidjo, Simone[disambiguation needed ], Palle Mikkelborg, Bajofondo & Spanish Harlem Orchestra
2010	Herbie Hancock, Martha Wainwright, Joe Lovano, Caetano Veloso, Marcus Miller & Esperanza Spalding
2011	Sonny Rollins, Keith Jarrett Trio, Bobby McFerrin

References

1. ^ Copenhagen Jazz Festival - Publikumsundersøgelse og økonomisk analyse, Danmarks Turistråd (2004) (Danish)
2. ^ Copenhagen Jazz Festival - About the festival
3. ^ Copenhagen Jazz Festival - en international københavnerbegivenhed (Danish)
4. ^ Christian Munch-Hansen (2008). By Af Jazz, Copenhagen Jazz Festival i 30 år. Thaning&Appel. p. 22. ISBN 9788741309750.

External links

• Copenhagen Jazz Festival official website
• Copenhagen Jazz Festival Facebook