We are proud to announce the complete line up of this year’s edition. New additions to the program include Grace Jones, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Mary J Blige and The New Power Generation ‘Celebrating Prince’. Over 150 performances in total will take place in the weekend of July 7, 8 and 9, spread out over 14 stages. This year special attention will be given to the Chicago music scene, the progressive PI Recordings label and 1917, a special year for jazz.
One of the special themes of this year’s festival is Chicago. The third largest city of the United States, Chicago has a rich history when it comes to blues, jazz en soul. The city has been the base of a surprisingly opulent stream of exciting music in the past few years. With performances by Muhal Richard Abrams, Makaya McCraven, Greg Ward, Marquis Hill, Steve Coleman, Mick Jenkins, and Noname, the city will be widely represented.
The year 1917 will be also highlighted, as it has been one of the most crucial years in the history of jazz. For example: the first jazz record was released in 1917. The diversity of the music of the past century will be highlighted during the insightful cross medial project Jazz - The Story, bringing top notch musicians together, including Jon Faddis, Vincent Herring and James Carter, among others, to deliver an exciting history lesson. In addition, the festival will host some special concerts, some featuring young drummer band leaders, to commemorate the 100th birthday of jazz legends such as Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Mongo Santamaria, and Buddy Rich.
Composition Assignment
Each year the North Sea Jazz Festival commissions a promising Dutch jazz composer to write a free composition. In 2017, the honour goes to horn player and composer Morris Kliphuis. The jury motivates its decision to award Kliphuis this assignment as follows: “We find it impressive how Kliphuis shows a very distinct personal signature, despite a great diversity in lineup and timbre.” Morris Kliphuis will premiere his composition, ‘Dimlicht’, on Friday, July 7.
