BMW Welt Jazz Award 2018 starts off

Munich. This year, the #bmwweltjazzaward is celebrating its 10th anniversary. Under a yearly changing theme, six free Sunday matinees will take place at #bmw Welt’s double-coned structure between February and April 2018. Afterwards, the expert jury will nominate two ensembles to perform at the finale concert on June 9, 2018. The audience will also have a chance to vote for their very own favourite. For the kick-off, two ensembles will compete in February: The German ensemble LBT on February 18, and the Finish Jukka Eskola Soul Trio on February 25. This year’s theme will be “Jazz moves”.

Together with bassist Maximilian Hirning and drummer Sebastian Wolfgruber, pianist Leo Betzl regularly performs as the rhythmic group known as LBT. They started their trio three years ago, while studying at the University of Music and Theatre Munich. Since then LBT has produced music that surprises its audiences with drama and excitement alike. The trio likes to experiment and as such has won various awards including Steinway’s young talent award, Kurt Maas Jazz Award and Hansjörg Henzler Jazz Award. With their new programme featuring a combination of techno and jazz, the trio is asking for a dance at the #bmw Welt on February 18.

Over the past ten years, trumpeter Jukka Eskola demonstrated his versatility by joining renowned ensembles playing various kinds of music including dancefloor with Five Corners Quintet, expressionist jazz with the big band of Mikko Innanen and entertaining parodies of jazz with Jimi Tenor. Together with organist Mikko Helevä and drummer Teppo Mäkynen, the Jukka Eskola Soul Trio returns to the essence of jazz. Following its own rules and using a humorous approach, the trio will perform moving soul jazz as heard by Blue Note and Prestige in the 1960s and 70s, on February 25 at #bmw Welt’s double-coned structure.

Programme of #bmwweltjazzaward 2018

Matinees: 11 am to c.1:30 pm at the double-coned structure of #bmw Welt:

February 18, 2018       LBT

Febuary 25, 2018        Jukka Eskola Soul Trio

March 18, 2018           PUERTA SUR – Tangomoods. Arroyo/Schläppi/Engler

March 25, 2018           Andi Kissenbeck’s CLUB BOOGALOO

April 8, 2018                Beady Belle

April 22, 2018              BartolomeyBittmann progressive strings Vienna

Admission is free of charge but seating is limited. Tickets are subject to availability. Doors open at 10.30 am.

Grand finale at the auditorium of #bmw Welt at 7 pm:

June 9, 2018             Final concert featuring the two nominated finalists

Tickets for the grand finale on June 9, 2018, will be available as of February 18, 2018, at #bmw Welt and München Ticket. 

As in previous years, the programme will be hosted by Beate Sampson, jazz expert and editor at the German broadcasting station BR-KLASSIK.

Jury

The distinguished panel of expert jurors will be headed by Oliver Hochkeppel (journalist for music and cultural affairs at the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung) and will include the following members:

Roland Spiegel, editor at the music desk and jazz expert at the German broadcasting station Bayerischer Rundfunk BR‑KLASSIK;

Andreas Kolb, editor-in-chief of the magazines JazzZeitung and neue musikzeitung;

Heike Lies, musicologist, Music and Music Theatre Division of the Department of Cultural Affairs of the state capital Munich;

Christiane Böhnke-Geisse, Artistic Director of the international jazz festival Bingen swingt.