This article focuses on a series of regional, national and international jazz competitions organised by the Jazz Club de Belgique between 1932 and 1939. In the early 1930s, contests for amateur jazz bands began to emerge in various European countries such as the UK, the Netherlands, and Belgium. Using the Belgian competitions as a case study, this article demonstrates that these were instrumental in the development of certain local jazz scenes, not only by offering budding talents an opportunity to be discovered, but more importantly in establishing a much-needed network of amateur and professional musicians, intermediaries, critics and fans. Furthermore, the argument is made that these events foreshadowed the first European jazz festivals to appear in the 1950s. Overall, it aims to demonstrate that the jazz contest is a valuable yet under-researched site for the promotion, socialisation, mediation, dissemination and popularisation of this music.

中文翻译：

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1932-1939 年比利时爵士乐比赛的作用和功能

本文重点介绍 1932 年至 1939 年间由比利时爵士俱乐部组织的一系列地区、国家和国际爵士乐比赛。 1930 年代初期，业余爵士乐队比赛开始在英国、荷兰等欧洲国家兴起和比利时。本文以比利时比赛为案例研究，证明这些比赛有助于某些当地爵士乐场景的发展，不仅为崭露头角的人才提供了一个被发现的机会，更重要的是建立了一个急需的业余和专业音乐家、中介、评论家和歌迷。此外，有人认为这些事件预示了 1950 年代出现的第一个欧洲爵士音乐节。全面的，