About GLOBAL JAZZ COMPETITION

International Internet-TV contest of jazz improvisation MJF – Global Jazz

Brief summary of the project

Mission of the festival-contest:

Spotting the best improvising jazz performers and ensure wide audience recognition of their talent.

This project combines seriousness of professional competition and unique atmosphere of the jazz festival.

Unique character of the festival and its novelty:

Not jazz-bands, but inpidual musicians-improvisers, who form various ensembles by drawing lots, are invited for participation in «Master-Jam Fest».

Concept of the festival-contest:

Festival-contest is based on jam session principles. Aggregate results of all contest days determine winners (Grand Masters) in each instrumental category and they form the best jazz ensemble of the Festival.

Project Goals

General Information

Master-Jam Jazz Fest is an International Festival-contest of musicians improvisers. Realization of this project has a significant impact upon popularization of jazz music and promotion of the importance and role of jazz performers in the musical community.
Master-Jam Jazz Fest also has a positive impact on development of general musical culture. This is largely achieved through the Internet and TV shows for which the scenario presented below can become one of the most top rated among musical shows. And this is due to the jazz jam sessions exclusive features — improvisational competitiveness, dynamism and expression. These features of jazz have a large potential and are able to attract a large part of Internet users and TV viewers, including youth.

«Master-Jam-Festival» is a unique event,
one of a kind in the world!
Project is protected under copyright law

Concept of the Festival-Contest

The concept of Master-Jam Festival is based on the image of jazzmen as professionals who differ from other musicians by their ability to spontaneous improvisation and adapting quickly to unfamiliar musical lineups. These are the aspects of the professional activity of jazz artists at the Festival that are presented to the attention of jazz fans and can be evaluated to a high degree of accuracy.

International format of the Festival helps to identify the «best of the best» jazz musicians and draw attention of wide audience to this event all over the world.

Participants of Master-Jam Fest can be both known musicians and beginners, regardless of their age.

Since the Festival-contest is aimed at determining jazz Grandmasters — the most talented and promising jazz performers — not the bands or ensembles but inpidual performers are invited to participate.

The contest is held in two phases: 1) qualifying and 2) final round live in th city of Kazan.

The jury of the festival selects performers on the basis of video recordings in at least two different jazz styles.

For participation in the Festival-contest musicians have to:

  1. Register on the «Master-Jam Fest» website. Registration is free.
  2. Provide links to video recordings of their performing in ensemble (or solo) during registration or send to the e-mail address specified on the website (masterjamfest@gmail.com).).

Recordings will be listened to and evaluated by the jury of the Festival-contest.

Five candidates in each instrumental nomination will be selected for the final.

Travel, accommodation and feeding of final round participants are covered by the Festival Organizing Committee.

Festival participants and jazz connoisseurs will be able to get acquainted with all the information on the website.

The Final of the Festival-contest is held in the format of jam session. Each day of the contest is dedicated to several jazz styles.

Every day, jazz performers — the finalists of «Master-Jam Festival» — are joined together by lot in 5 ensembles of 8 or 9 performers. During three contest days the finalists will demonstrate to the public and jury their improvisational and ensemble capabilities, multi-stylistic abilities within the main stages of jazz music development from the «Swing Era» to the present days. Order of performances for ensembles is also determined by lot.