Friday
May072010
North Sea Jazz Festival
May 7, 2010 * * * * * Posted by: Petra 
Every year I am looking forward to the second weekend of July, when I go on this ‘short holiday break’ called the North Sea Jazz Festival. This festival was founded by Paul Acket and started in 1976 in The Hague, but moved to Rotterdam a couple of years ago. This 3-day festival with about 13 stages, big and small is one of the biggest jazz festivals in the world with about 1300 artists and 65.000 visitors. Apart from all kinds of jazz, the festival also hosts blues, soul, funk, world and hiphop nowadays.
My schedule is like this: On Friday I leave home at 3pm, don't want to be to late and get stuck in traffic, the first concerts start at 6pm but the doors open at 5pm and the music goes on until 2am. I go home, muse about the wonderful performances I have seen, sleep, have brunch and go back again. Saturday: same timetable and Sunday it starts at 4pm and goes on until 12.
An overdose of live-music and I love it.
Over the years I have seen so many musicians perform: Ray Charles, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Stan Getz, Chaka Khan, James Brown, Diana Krall to name a few. The best moments are when a musician hops in at somebody else’s concert and joins in for 1 or 2 songs. My all time favourite jazz-singer is Carmen McRae, I consider myself very fortunate to have seen her perform a couple of times (she died in 1994). She can 'deliver' a song !
The festival terrain is like a small village, apart from music there are shops, films, art exhibitions and so many different eating facilities, from chique restaurants to pancakes; Indonesian or fish (even oysters) and a greengrocer selling fresh fruit. A coffee and cake shop and of course burgers, Chinese and so on.
Over the years I can say that I have become an experienced festival visitors and learned a couple of important lessons. Good shoes, easy clothing, preferably no bags to carry (so only a small point&shoot), and most important: moving around at the festival is far easier on your own, than it is as a group. With a group you'll get discussions about which concert to visit next and that just takes up far to much time, apart from the fact that I don't want to compromise, I want to go to my favourite and so does my husband. So at the entrance we say 'bye, have fun' and we each go our separate ways. I go for all the (female) singers and he likes fusion, like Lee Ritenour. Nowadays we textmessage and meet for a drink or a quick bite in between concerts.
This year will be my 22nd time and a week ago the line-up was published, so the northseajazz-fever has captured me again and I am getting in the mood and looking forward to Corinne Bailey Rae, Macy Gray, Joss Stone, Diana Krall and Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings. As for Sharon Jones, that is her in this picture, I took it in 2008, and that concert was fantastic, she is a great performer that gets the crowd going (here is a clip of that concert) and I am looking forward to seeing her again this year.
I'll update you after the Festival about my highlights of 2010.
Reader Comments (14)
What a spectacular event!!! Reminds me of the annual Montreal Jazz Fest...except that the North Sea one sounds much more exciting and with many more well-known and famous singers. Lucky you to be living so close as to be able to enjoy!!!
and - I can almost hear the music coming thru that image. Wonderful!!!
Wow, Petra. I am contantly getting my education about Holland through your posts! I immediately tell Astrid about what you have written and then we discuss what SHE knows about it. She just told me she knew all about the festival when it was in The Hague and is aware that all the big names are there, even from America. But she has never been. Hmmm. Rotterdam is much closer to us than to you! Thanks for the tip. Not that we'll bump into you but you never know. Sounds like fun...if you like jazz and aren't afraid of crowds!
I have been to a concert of Stan Getz when I was I think 12, it was in the RAI in Amsterdam and my dad and I were a great fan of him.
I grew up with that kind music, my dad was a great trumpet-player and no need to say he has many records of Louis Armstrong.
He even played with Rita Reys before she became famous, they played at Café Spoor in Hilversum, together with Pim Jacobs and Wessel Ilken.
To tell you the truth I know about the North Sea Jazz Festival, however I never went there, I guess too crowded to my liking.
For you I am excited that you really are a die-hard when it comes of going there.
I know you will have a great time this year and I am looking forward to your after-story.....
Sounds wonderful! I love jazz, and there is not much of it around where I live. Love the photo, it makes me feel like I am there. I love Diana Krall and Corrinne Bailey Rae, and then I love saxophone... Sonny Rollins is wonderful in concert, Ben Webster plays in my garden almost every time I am out there, and Billie Holiday, she stops by often, too...have a wonderful time when you go!
Sounds like a wonderful time, Petra! I would love to see Macy Gray in person, so I'm totally jealous. A neighboring town (60 miles away) has a blues festival every July, but I never remember it until after it's over. This year (thanks to you) I've got it entered into my calendar. They don't have big names like the festival you'll be attending, but it should still be fun to go to. Can't wait to see and hear about your event this year! Have fun!!
Sounds like a wonderful festive time during this Jazz festival. Love the image there is so much energy there.
Oh LUCKY! It sounds like a glorious way to spend a day.
Great picture - that guitarist looks like he is straight out of the 70's! Whew, 13 stages -- sounds like you get your exercise and have to strategically plan where to go to next!
What a fun tradition! I loved your description of the festival--I almost feel like I'm there. And wishing I could be!
Great shot! Its good to see, you can show your passion for music in it!! (And than you didn't even show your passion for, drawing, painting, your dog, your friends ;-)
Love the shot! Would have loved to see and hear Stan Getz! Did not know about this festival - sounds like a great one!
My goodness...this festival really draws some BIG names and sounds like a great time. Love, love, LOVE jazz!
I got a kick out of you talking that you preferred to wander alone to the various stages. That sounds just like ME. And, I like your idea of texting your husband to meet from time to time. Great plan!
Staat er goed op
hi petra, oh i am so envious of your experiences....i so wish i could have heard even one of those people you list. on sunday we had a jazz 'jamming' session up on the farm; all my musician friends trekked up to us with guitars, saxophones etc. the music, and singing, went on long into the night. it felt like a festival.. it was fabulous!! :)