Turkish-German vocalist Esra Dalfidan sings in several languages with her band FIDAN. (Image Credit: Courtesy of the artist)

Bremen may be best known for its love of soccer and Beck's beer, but every April, its Jazzahead! festival turns the German port town into a capital city of jazz for a weekend

What began as a small trade fair and showcase for German jazz nine years ago has grown into a four-day festival with more than 80 concerts and 600 exhibits, attracting 20,000 jazz fans and professionals. What sets Jazzahead! apart from other festivals — and makes it a magnet for young performers and industry insiders — is its focus on artist development. Organizers host matchmaking sessions that pair musicians with bookers, agents and the media.

"Everybody who comes gets that positive energy, because they meet, network and make plans about how to improve the situation for jazz together," says Peter Schulze, the festival's artistic director.

Jazzahead! has a European focus, but more and more visitors come from around the world. Many artists premiere new projects — and come from as far away as Finland, Albania and Brazil. A dozen acts are coming from the festival's partner country this year, Israel.

Since many of these artists aren't well-known in the U.S., I've been exploring the Jazzahead! roster at the jazz bee, WBGO's HD2 stream for emerging artists. WBGO is hosting an around-the-clock showcase of recordings by groups at this year's festival, and will broadcast concert highlights on producer Josh Jackson's weekly music magazine, The Checkout, on May 7 and 14. Here's a sneak peek at five acts which surprised me, and may surprise you.

The Queens College International Jazz Band performed live at WBGO in the eleventh in our series of student broadcasts for Jazz Appreciation Month. Click to hear audio from this concert, and at the bottom of the page for all of our 2013 JAM Student Festival broadcasts.

The group, directed by David Berkman with Jan Kus on tenor saxophone, Marius Duboule and Jorge Luis Mora on guitar, Tuomo Uusitalo on piano, Eduardo Belo on bass and Piotr Pawlak on drums, performed their own compositions and jazz standards. A full set list is below.

Enjoy this and all of our student broadcasts, as we introduce you to the next generation of jazz greats in Jazz Appreciation Month!

The Queens College International Jazz Band

Directed by David Berkman

live at WBGO 4/25/13

Set List

1. "Bye-Ya:          (Monk)

Solos: Piano, Guitar, Bass

David Berkman interview

2. "Inner Urge"    (Henderson)

Solos: Sax, Guitar, Drums

Tuomo Uusitalo interview

3. "Simple Song"     (Uusitalo)

Solos: Guitar, Sax, Piano

Marius Duboule interview

4. "Toku Chou"     (Duboule, based on "Nutty" by Monk)

Solos: Guitar, Piano

Jan Kus interview

5. "The Long and Shorter of It" (Berkman)

Solos: Sax, Guitar, Bass

David Berkman encore interview

6. "Lover" (Rodgers and Hart)

Solos: Sax, Piano, Drums

All 2013 WBGO JAM Live Student Broadcasts

4/1/13: NJCU Cedar Walton Combo

4/8/13: Rutgers University Jazz Ensemble I

4/12/13: William Paterson "Hawk Flies" Jazz Septet

4/15/13: Berklee Ralph Peterson Sextet

4/16/13: Juilliard Jazz Artist Diploma Ensemble

4/17/13: New School For Jazz Improv Ensemble

4/18/13: MSM Chamber Jazz Ensemble

4/19/13: LaGuardia High School Senior Band

4/23/13: SUNY Purchase Super Sophomores

4/24/13: NYU Karachacha Afro-Peruvian Ensemble

4/25/13: Queens College International Jazz Band