New Generation #JazzLab

Our 2023 edition of the JazzLab competition turned out to be a huge success: We received a total of 139 applications from 32 different countries, spread over 4 continents!

And these are the winners....

Daniel Migliosi 6tet

Six young European jazz lions with an average age of 21 years, Daniel and his band are ready to set the scene on fire, musically speaking.

Line-Up: Daniel Migliosi, trumpet - Sean Payne, alto sax - Adrian Gallet, tenor sax - Benedikt Göb, piano - Jan Blikslager, bass - Mathieu Clement, drums

Julia Richard Trio

Singing wonderfully and playing the bass along with her voice, Julia and her bandmates will take you on an unforgettable journey.

Line-Up: Julia Richard, voice/double bass - Nathan Mollet, piano - Philippe Dallemagne, drums

After spending 5 days being mentored by the internationally renowned Camila Meza (vocals/guitar), Aaron Goldberg (piano), Mattias Svensson (bass) and Gregory Hutchinson (drums), both bands will appear on the Dracula club band stand to give their very own concerts, on Friday, July 21. Not to be missed!

The Idea

In a time of crises it's easy to just rely on old and reliable things. Yet innovation must always find its way. Therefore we are proud to announce that our promotional award will be back in 2022 together with our Presenting Partner Jaguar.

For many young artists entering the music business is riddled with obstacles. Besides talent and luck, it needs an enormous amount of energy, perseverance, persistence, and time, to get the proverbial foot in the door. The New Generation #JazzLab wants to make this step a bit easier.

Jury-selected acts will be invited to this year's Festival da Jazz. They get to play, they win a substantiell cash prize and last but not least, they get to work with our illustrious round of mentors.  

The Mentors 2023

At the centre of the New Generation #JazzLab is the collaboration of the winning acts with various jazz greats. These «mentors» are renowned professionals who support the young talents in many ways. The Festival da Jazz deliberately chooses artists who distinguish themselves by their multifaceted work and curiosity.

Camila Meza

Camila Meza, equally prized as a vocalist, guitarist and composer, has brought a sound full of warmth, intricacy and rhythmic clarity to the New York jazz scene ever since her arrival from Santiago, Chile in 2009. Inspired by jazz, South American music and American popular song of many eras and genres, she has uplifted audiences worldwide with her rare combination of talents: assured and beautiful singing; highly advanced guitar (both self accompaniment and blistering solo work); and vividly colorful, melodic songwriting that reveals complex layers with every listen. In 2022 she was awarded #1 Female Rising Star Vocalist by the prestigious international magazine Downbeat.

Aaron Goldberg

“For over 20 years, pianist Aaron Goldberg has set himself apart as one of the most scintillating performers in jazz,” hails JazzTimes. Goldberg is widely heralded as one of the art form’s most compelling pianists, both leading his own trio and collaborating with many of the Jazz titans. Simultaneously swinging and embracing risk, his stylistically fluid, singular voice reveals that jazz is a tradition of innovation. He performed in bands led by a cross-generational array of icons including Betty Carter, Al Foster, Ron Carter, Freddie Hubbard, Wynton Marsalis, Joshua Redman, Mark Turner, Christian McBride, Tom Harrell, Cecile McLorin Salvant, Joe Lovano, Peter Bernstein, Ravi Coltrane, Carl Allen, Madeleine Peyroux, Kurt Rosenwinkel and Guillermo Klein.

Mattias Svensson

Svensson, known for his tasteful, highly swinging bass lines and melodic soloing, studied at the Malmö College of Music, Sweden and at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York where his teachers included Gary Peacock, Eddie Gomez, and Reggie Workman. He’s been touring with both The Jan Lundgren Trio and The Viktoria Tolstoy Group as a steady band member for years. Additionally he played/recorded with jazz great such as Johnny Griffin, Toots Thielemans, Clark Terry, Lee Konitz, Benny Golson, Ernie Watts, Randy Brecker, James Moody, Billy Harper, Eric Alexander, Joey Alexander, Bill Mays, Joe LaBarbera, Pat LaBarbera, Victor Lewis, John Guerin, Alvin Queen, Phillip Wilson and Rashied Ali.

Gregory Hutchinson

Jazz Magazine describes him as “the drummer of his generation” and indeed, Gregory Hutchinson is one of the most highly respected musicians of our time. His mastery of timing and expression of rhythms is at the core of his personal style. He is a musician’s drummer, soundly rooted in the jazz tradition he is able to approach all styles of music with supreme accuracy and imagination, decorating compositions with his natural feel and mind blowing innovation. Over the past 30 years Greg has been providing outstanding drumming for Red Rodney, Betty Carter, Ray Brown, Dianne Reeves, Wynton Marsalis, John Scofield, Roy Hargrove, Branford Marsalis, Charles Lloyd, Diana Krall, Harry Connick Jr, Joshua Redman, Christian McBride, Maria Schneider and many, many more.