Today we announce the line-up of the upcoming edition of the NN North Sea Jazz Festival. Over 150 performances in total will take place in the weekend of July 12, 13 and 14, spread out over 14 stages. The full timetable is available on the website now.
As ever, the festival presents a number of special projects and collaborations. Pianist Michel Camilo is playing with the horns of the New Cool Collective Horns, trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire is performing with the Mivos String Quartet and rapper Nappy Nina for his five-star project Origami Harvest and the Metropole Orkest is featuring the singers Lizz Wright, Becca Stevens and Camila Meza on Saturday and guitarist Reinier Baas and alto saxophonist Ben van Gelder on Sunday. Singer José James is giving a one-off performance of his tribute to Bill Withers, Lean On Me, with the Dutch Noordpool Orkest.
On Friday avant-garde icon John Zorn will perform The Bagatelles, a five-hour-long, all-star marathon including Paul Acket Award winner Julian Lage. Saturday night Volga is completely dedicated to what’s been called One-on-One; no less than nine concerts by two heavy-hitters in jazz at a time. With pianist Kris Davis and saxophonist Ben van Gelder amongst others.
Legends
A number of musical legends can also be seen at the festival, including Burt Bacharach, Houston Person and Abdullah Ibrahim. Saxophonist Gary Bartz (78) is bringing a special project to the festival, looking back fifty years to the release of the album ‘Another Earth’, including Charles Tolliver en Ravi Coltrane. From the Chicago alternative jazz scene we have pioneer Henry Threadgill (75). Pianist Chick Corea is performing, his Latin colleague Chucho Valdés will be there, too, and so will singer Bobby McFerrin – returning to the North Sea Jazz stage after a long absence. Bebop pianist Rein de Graaff will this year retire as a pianist and organiser of what have turned out to be legendary tours. He is the éminence grise of Dutch jazz but he also stimulated Dutch talent, such as the three alto saxophonists with whom he will perform.
Composition Project North Sea Jazz
The North Sea Jazz Festival has been granting a free composition assignment to up-and-coming Dutch jazz composers since 2001. This year the honour goes to saxophonist Maarten Hogenhuis. Hogenhuis (1986) is one of the most important young Dutch saxophonists. He is a member of the exciting powerjazz group BRUUT! as well as Krupa & The Genes, and also leads the Maarten Hogenhuis Trio. He was chosen for this year’s Composition Assignment because he impressed the judges with his great melodic lines. His compositions are defined by slowly unfolding patterns with clear song lines, in which the roles of each band member are equal. The premier of the assignment will take place on Saturday 13 July in Yenisei.
Art
In addition to the music, art is a prominent feature at the festival with the RC Art Fair, the Art Bar and the exhibition Lust For Life By Ed Van Der Elsken in collaboration with the Nederlands Fotomuseum Rotterdam. It exhibits the important colour photographs by world famous Dutch photographer Ed van der Elsken (1925 – 1990).
