JUDGES

Fernando Rodriguez de Mondesert (Dominican Republic)

President of the judging panel. Member of the Jazz Journalists Association, journalist for Jazz Times Digital and various newspapers in the Dominican Republic. He is the Founder and Director of Jazz en Dominicana.

Howard Mandel (USA)

President of the Jazz Journalists Association, author, educator, editor, webcaster, blogger, print journalist and board member of the Jazz Institute of Chicago. Two-time winner of ASCAP's Deems Taylor Award for excellence in music journalism, [...]

Hiroki Sugita (Japan)

Jazz journalist for thirty-two years, Director of jazz website “PJ Portrait in jazz”. Contributor of the Japanese leading magazine “Swing Journal” (1990-2010) as reviewer, interviewer, discographer and member of a selection committee of Jazz Disc Awards.

Paul Pace (UK)

Music bookings coordinator at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London. Ronnie Scott's has remained a central constant in Paul's lifelong love affair with jazz. He first visited the club to see the seemingly effortlessly swinging US tenor sax legend Zoot Sims in 1972.

Andrea Keller (Australia)

Andrea Keller is a Melbourne-based pianist, composer and improviser. She is an active member of Australia’s contemporary creative jazz community through multiple roles as performer, composer, arranger, recording artist, researcher, teacher, mentor, and curator.

Irja Zeper (Netherlands)

Currently she is head of the Jazz Department at the Conservatorium Maastricht. Irja acquired her Bachelors Degree in Classical Piano at the Codarts Conservatorium Rotterdam with Michael Davidson. After this she studied at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht with Alan Weiss, where she graduated with a Masters Degree.

Jorge Grimaldos (Spain)

Film and television teacher and sound engineer with 40 years of experience in the audiovisual industry. He is also a musician and producer that has been presenting and directing the radio program and specialized web site Jazz Time Magazine for 20 years.

Ermanno Basso (Italy)

Ermanno Basso has been active in the world of international music for over 35 years where he has held various roles, covering all the roles of the music industry. Since 1997 he has been producer and label manager of the Kepach Music group based in Rome and New York, with a catalog of over 1000 titles for the labels: Cam Jazz, Black Saint, Soul Note, Dischi Della Quercia, Cam Jazz Presents.

Rob Adams (Scotland)

Rob Adams is a journalist, agent and publicist with a background in jazz promotion. Working in Scotland and London, Rob promoted dozens of concerts by musicians including saxophonists George Coleman and Bobby Watson, pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, [...]

Tor Hammerø (Norway)

Tor Hammerø is a reknowned Norwegian journalist. He has been working mainly with the biggest Norwegian commercial TV-channel TV 2 for almost 20 years.

Boris Jourdain (France)

More than 20 years in the jazz industry. Mainly booking agent (In Vivo Agency), also involved in management (Continuité du Torrent) and album production (Sound Surveyor Music).

Debbie Mari (South Africa)

Vocalist and pianist. She is a Lecturer in the Jazz Studies programme at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, School of Arts (Music). She is the Project Manager of the UKUSA Arts [...]