Past projects
Introduction
Jazz Danmark develops and initiates pilot projects with the aim of creating value and inspiring new initiatives. Some projects are gladly handed over to other stakeholders who can continue and sustain their long-term success. Other projects naturally reach their conclusion. On this page, you can learn about some of Jazz Danmark’s past projects.
The purpose of Danishjazz.com was to enhance the promotion of Danish jazz both in Denmark and abroad through a digital platform featuring photos and videos presented in English. As part of the project, five new music videos featuring contemporary Danish bands were produced. These bands were selected through an open call. Additionally, 30 key international jazz professionals were invited to participate in an online launch event.
View videos here:
Mathias Heise Quadrillion, – Bad Luck
Claudia Campagnol – Everything’s ok
At a time when access to live concerts was limited due to Covid-19, Danishjazz.com served as a valuable tool for generating awareness and strengthening the promotion of Danish jazz internationally. From 2021 to 2024, Danishjazz.com also functioned as an entry point to Danish jazz for over 3,000 visitors at Denmark’s booth at jazzahead!, where the web platform was made accessible.
Supported by Augustinus Fonden
The Artist in Residence Program consisted of artistic residency programs organized by Jazz Danmark. The visiting artists’ schedules were planned in collaboration between Jazz Danmark, local musicians, and partners.
From 2013 to 2023, international stars such as Aaron Parks, Gilad Hekselman, Melissa Aldana, and Sasha Masakowski stayed in Denmark with the aim of developing collaborations with local musicians.
Jazz Danmark’s artists in residence program:
- 2010: Andrew D’Angelo
- 2011: Bill McHenry
- 2012: Bob Moses
- 2013: Tyshawn Sorey
- 2014: Aaron Parks
- 2015: Gilad Hekselman
- 2016: Melissa Aldana
- 2017: Clarice Assad
- 2018: Sasha Masakowski
- 2019: Byunggil Choi & Eunhee Choi
- 2020: Eva Klesse
- 2021: Toma Gouband
- 2023: Rachel Eckroth
Supported by Danish Arts Foundation’s Project Funding Committee for Music
In 2022-2023, JazzDanmark collaborated with other genre organizations and MXD in a partnership with the Danish Embassy in Germany on a major Danish music initiative called Neustart. As part of the initiative, JazzDanmark organized activities at #hashtagJazz in Bremen, implemented a German industry program at SPOT Festival in collaboration with Sun Ship, and hosted a label night at Cologne Jazzweek.
The project’s outcomes and history can be explored here: https://neustartmusik.org/.
Supported by the Danish Arts Foundation’s Project Funding Committee for Music and the Danish Embassy in Berlin.
KIDS CAN was a four-year EU-funded project that brought together young European musicians and child journalists for jazz tours in Estonia, Portugal, and Denmark. The aim was to rethink the teaching and promotion of jazz for children and young people.
KIDS CAN combined innovative music education methods with a vision to revitalize the way jazz is presented to and experienced by children. The project featured tours with young jazz talents and a group of accompanying child journalists who covered and reported on the concerts, making the musical experience something created for, with, and by the children themselves.
The project was primarily funded by the EU’s Creative Europe program, supporting the cultural and creative sectors across Europe.
In 2022, Jazz Danmark contributed to the editorial work of the special issue Sounding Women’s Work, which also marked the establishment of a new Nordic network. This network aims to strengthen Nordic collaboration by actively commissioning, discussing, mapping, and sharing knowledge about female artists. The goal is to amplify their work, impact, and historical contributions across the Nordic region.
During the pandemic, when people were confined indoors, either alone or with their closest companions, music lovers across the country missed out on countless live concert experiences, and musicians lost critical income. In response, JazzDanmark partnered with several organizations to create a concert concept that aimed to help musicians recover some of their lost earnings while also providing a small beacon of hope in a dark time.
Baggårdsjazz (Courtyard Jazz) was launched on March 20, 2020, just nine days after the country went into lockdown.
In total, 45 courtyard concerts were held across Denmark, all of which were livestreamed on JazzDanmark’s Facebook page. The videos were viewed more than 200,000 times, and the project garnered coverage in several national media outlets.
Partners: Seismograf.org; Kristine Ringsager, Department of Arts and Cultural Studies, University of Copenhagen; Stina Hasse, IT University of Copenhagen
Supported by the Nordic Culture Fund
Unlock Music – Jazz walks with outdoor concerts – was launched in July 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and restrictions on gatherings. The project explored how live concerts could take place despite the limitations on public assembly.
Unlock Music invited hundreds of people to guided walks in the open air across more than six cities over two years. Each walk featured 3–5 different jazz concerts along the route, offering a unique and innovative way to experience live music.
During the pandemic, when people were confined indoors, either alone or with their closest companions, music lovers across the country missed out on countless live concert experiences, and musicians lost critical income. In response, JazzDanmark partnered with several organizations to create a concert concept that aimed to help musicians recover some of their lost earnings while also providing a small beacon of hope in a dark time.
Baggårdsjazz (Courtyard Jazz) was launched on March 20, 2020, just nine days after the country went into lockdown.
In total, 45 courtyard concerts were held across Denmark, all of which were livestreamed on JazzDanmark’s Facebook page. The videos were viewed more than 200,000 times, and the project garnered coverage in several national media outlets.
Impro for Asylbørn (Improvisation for Refugee Children) was an innovative music project aimed at children and young people aged 9–17 at five asylum centers in Denmark. The project featured musicians and educators Mija Milovic and Oliver Laumann.
The initiative demonstrated that teaching methods based on improvisational music could create a creative safe space that transcended diverse languages and nationalities. This approach sparked the children’s joy in music and strengthened their ability to collaborate. Together with the two educators, Jazz Danmark witnessed significant interest in the workshops and a strong sense of community among participants.
The website https://improforasyl.com/ is freely available and includes teaching materials, which are also used by instructors in the JazzCamp for Girls project.
Supported by the Tuborg Foundation, the William Demant Foundation, and Creative Europe.
Danish Vibes was a Danish showcase event in Hamburg designed to promote jazz and roots music to the world’s third-largest music market, Germany. The project provided a platform for selected bands to break through on the German music scene through preparatory workshops and a major showcase event at Reeperbahn in Hamburg.
The participating musicians were chosen by a panel of German industry professionals, and the project was organized by Jazz Danmark and Tempi in collaboration with local partners in Germany.
Supported by: The Danish Arts Foundation’s Project Funding Committee for Music and the International Culture Panel (IKP).
Fabula was a Nordic improvisation camp for children, bringing together musical talents aged 9 to 13 each year for a four-day workshop held in a different Nordic country each time.
The Nordic children were divided into mixed groups and taught improvisation methods by a skilled team of instructors. Fabula represented a completely new approach to teaching children’s improvisation, positioning it as a core element of an intensive four-day program rather than as an ‘add-on’ to traditional, melody-based rhythmic group lessons.
As a caravan-style camp, Fabula was deeply embedded in cultural exchange, with each host country hosting a vibrant and well-rooted experience that strengthened Nordic musical collaboration and cooperation.
Supported by: The Nordic Culture Fund, Nordic Culture Contact, and others.
JazzStrings was a talent development project aimed at young string students on violin, viola, and cello, introducing them to the world of improvisation. Designed for string students aged 12 to 18, JazzStrings served as a supplement to the talent programs offered by music schools. Participants were in the capable hands of two respected string musicians from the Danish jazz scene: Bjarke Falgren and Alexander Kraglund.
Over two years, the project held more than 10 workshops across the country.
As a result of participating, 75% of the students had shifted their perception of jazz and improvisation.
One instructor noted after the camp that, “Many of the students were unable to play anything they made up when they arrived on Friday, but by Sunday afternoon, they were confidently experimenting with various improvisation concepts.”
Supported by: The Danish Arts Foundation’s Project Funding Committee for Music and the Gangsted Foundation.
