At the first meeting for this fest in 1968, there was a sign at box office saying “jazz critics pay double.” There was also an unwritten rule that bands appearing at the event had to be from Europe—the aim is to promote European jazz, which was otherwise permanently in the shadow of its more glamorous American partners. The rule was dropped in the mid-1990’s and the event now attracts big names from the international jazz scene, with the emphasis on free jazz.