Although the NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL officially takes place every year in the second week of July, it kicks off much earlier throughout Rotterdam with a fantastic program that will get music lovers excited about everything jazz and related styles.
For the 20th time, over 350 concerts will be held under the banner NORTH SEA ROUND TOWN at various unique locations, showcasing the best jazz, soul, R&B, funk, hip-hop, and pop, as well as all sorts of electronic and improvised sounds.
A tribute to Rotterdam’s history and musical innovation go hand in hand here. Music plays everywhere, and banners and flags are displayed, further drawing attention to this wonderful event. On Saturday and Sunday, the entire city center transforms into one giant music stage. You simply can’t miss it.
The epicenter of the music was once again in Ahoy and the surrounding complex last weekend, where no fewer than 90,000 visitors, spread over three days, had the time of their lives.
Rotterdam is clearly proud of this enormous event, which, after all those years in The Hague, has now truly become part of the beautiful city on the Nieuwe Maas. BluesMagazine has once again attempted to capture an impression of the 49th edition here…
On the atmospheric terrace of the Mississippi, the stage is barely big enough to accommodate all the members of DEKOOR X USBB.
No fewer than two top ensembles, the Utrecht Student Big Band and Dekoor Close Harmony, have joined forces here to kick off the festival with the vibrant energy of the big band and the vocal power of the pop-jazz choir, and to offer the first visitors a musical welcome.
Make no mistake, the men of DI-RECT have happily been accompanied by the choir before, and even The Rolling Stones could never have made “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” sound so beautiful at Pinkpop eleven years ago without this talented ensemble.
The spirit of The Rolling Stones, who last played here in 2003, still lingers. For a moment, it even sounds like “Can’t You Hear Me Knocking” resounding from the large Nile. Even the percussion and beautiful sax solo by Bobby Keys are present.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The powerful guitar intro, however, comes from Pablo, who’s here with DEWOLFF giving a smashing performance during their tour, which includes all the major festivals. DEWOLFF’s bizarre, wild ride in Festivalland almost came to an end last week.
A packed Stadspark in Groningen, awaiting the Teskey Brothers, watched the passionate musician make a completely failed stage dive during the opening act, subsequently tearing his ankle ligaments. The Rock N’ Soul Revue—we’ll leave the Roll part aside for now—fortunately made it to Rotterdam after all.
Imagine it happening to you, almost missing out on one of the most important festivals. The guys have played here before, and you certainly don’t want to miss this opportunity. “I always thought sitting was chill, but it’s not. It just sucks!” he says, both sincere and disappointed, from his wheelchair.
“Everything’s in different places,” he says, trying to swap his guitar for yet another beautiful one. “You’ve been on stage for eighteen years,” he says, looking at Robin and Luka. “I feel sorry for you.”
The healing power of the New Orleans sound and the influence of Reverend Al Green during a previous visit to Memphis still seem to have a lasting effect.
He cautiously stands up, then, with his guitar, “takes advantage” of the situation… no, turns necessity into a virtue by being wheeled through the hall in a wheelchair.
We were already familiar with “Wheelchair Groupies,” but riding through the audience with that cart while singing and playing is quite an experience. Meanwhile, the brass section resonates strongly within the overall sound, including a flute. Originally a trio, but now with an expanded XL version, DEWOLFF knows how to shake the Nile.
The expanded version also features an addition of the two backup singers, who are introduced with the addition of “+1,” so apparently, little wolves are expected later.
The Limburgers bring New Orleans to the Nile with a touch of black soul from the southern states of the USA, followed by a spicy Latin sauce that gets the audience moving. They’re pulling out all the stops, everything is allowed, and with a band like this, it all fits together seamlessly.
Besides, we’re at a jazz festival, where you can create music without limits, enjoying it endlessly.
The possibilities are also limitless when the organizers assign you the honorable position of Artist in Residence. This year, JACOB COLLIER will be on stage for all those days, each day with a different project of his own choosing. Tomorrow he’ll give a clinic, and on Sunday he’ll close the show with the Metropole Orchestra.
Today he’s playing with his own band. The British singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist is only thirty years old, but he already brings a wealth of musical experience with him. He was here in 2016 and was invited back the following year, which also marked his major international debut.
Expectations were already high then. They still are, but that’s mainly due to the excitement and curiosity about what he’ll be doing today. The man can truly do anything and wants to do a lot, sometimes too much.
The interactive performance is fueled by energy and dynamism, with the audience playing a significant role in the show. It can get a bit crowded at times, but the enthusiasm quickly spreads through the audience, creating a truly delightful party early in the festival.
And for parties, you should hire THE PHILHARMONIK and set them up in the Congo tent. It’s Friday afternoon, after all, and for many visitors, the workweek is over, and they want to dance to the funky and soulful grooves of the band fronted by singer/keyboardist Christian Gates.
The sound has plenty of low notes that make your pants vibrate. Exactly how funk should sound. There are frequent harkens back to the seventies and to music from great artists like Outkast, Roots, and the Black Eyed Peas from the early days, which the American grew up with, but at the same time, it doesn’t feel dated at all.
The cozy and catchy “Fuck You, Pay Me” quickly gets stuck in your head. No problem. The band is making its debut here today, and it will certainly have a sequel at North Sea Jazz, where the atmosphere has really heated up.
It’s especially warm on the festival’s smallest stage in Congo Square, where JERRON PAXTON wipes the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief as he does his soundcheck. He performs entirely solo, mostly sitting, and has brought along two banjos, an acoustic guitar, and an electric organ.
“I would have liked more trees and shade,” he says as he tunes his guitar. “I tune, because I care,” he checks the pedals on his organ. “Gas, breaks…” he jokes, as if it were a car. The sun is shining directly on his face, but he enjoys the attention around him. Paxton takes his audience back in time with blues as it was played a hundred years ago.
It’s seemingly quite simple, even primitive, yet also incredibly powerful and, above all, sincere. It comes from a time that was anything but easy, “Hard Times,” but the music kept many poor people going. So too are his ancestors, and to whom he dedicates “How I Got Over”: “I’ll take you to Macedonia Mississippi Baptist Church where my grandparents always sat in the front row.”
Besides the worn-out string instruments, he also proves to be a fantastic keyboardist with a very pleasant voice. For younger audiences, his album “Things Done Changed,” full of pre-war blues, is an excellent foundation for learning to embrace blues music.
Ultimately, it’s likely they’ll eventually encounter the music of JUDITH HILL, who, not entirely coincidentally, is playing in the adjacent tent to a rapturous audience. She’s unknown to many, but that makes sense when we go back in time, when she primarily operated as a sidekick or background singer on “20 Feet From Stardom.”
She even received a Grammy Award for the documentary of the same name, a wonderful distinction for a talented artist who is largely overshadowed by a big name. In her case, that meant a role in the entourage of Michael Jackson and Prince.
After a love affair with the latter, she was eventually labeled a “black widow,” and that subsequently proved to be the basis for the music released on her album “Letters from a Black Widow.” What she and her band present today is full of emotion, dedication, inspiration, and above all, musicianship.
Funk, soul, R&B, and even blues all come together in this performance, where her rendition of “Cry, Cry, Cry,” with those enormous vocal outbursts in the finale, can be considered a highlight of the show.
It’s a small step to the show that will take place at the Nile, because there will also be someone who had a more than just musical connection to Prince. The performance of SHEILA E. AND THE E-TRAIN FEATURING PETE ESCOVEDO has been eagerly anticipated.
We’ve seen fathers and sons play at the festival, but there are also daughters and fathers who once shared the stage here. We remember the beautiful duets between Candy and Hans Dulfer, but also the duet “Father and Friend” by Alain Clark with his father, Dane.
Sheila E. has brought her father, and he’s already anticipating his birthday, which will take place the next day. Pete is turning ninety, but apparently he hasn’t forgotten how to play the drums.
The percussionist brings a wealth of experience to the table. He once performed alongside Carlos Santana. His daughter is immensely proud of him and expresses her appreciation to the audience: “You have no idea what this means to us.
That we can do this feels like a great gift. We’ve always wanted to keep the music of great heroes like Santana, Tower of Power, and Sly Stone alive, and thanks to you, this has been made possible.
Without you, we would be nothing. Music is our life.” It’s almost embarrassing. Anyone who only knows Sheila E. from her eighties hits and arrives early will be somewhat surprised when the beginning of the set consists mainly of experimental jazz, Latin, and fusion. Fortunately, her hits are not missing tonight.
“Do you know what my favorite love song is?” Cheers erupt at the intro of ‘Love Bizarre’. For ‘Glamorous Life,’ they have to be patient and endure a very extended drum/percussion solo. It’s all very much based on rhythm, but things can sometimes get a bit shaky when enthusiasm takes over.
There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but if you want to see a tight drummer at work, you’re better off going to LADY WRAY at the smaller Darling, where the sound is much better tuned. The singer not only chose the most striking outfit of the day but also the warmest one to wear.
“Is it a star? Is it a ‘Melody’? This one’s for the mothers.” She’s the proud mother of a 7-year-old daughter. Accompanied only by a guitar, her powerful voice is fully showcased. “Piece of Me” is also from the previous album of the same name, but we can already look forward to the new material on “Cover Girl,” which will be released in September and which already provides a taste that will leave you wanting more.
“You’re Gonna Win” is soulful, beautifully sung, and tightly accompanied. We’re leaving with “Guilty,” but we don’t feel guilty for a moment because we know for sure we’ll see her again on the next tour following the new release.
Through the warm-blooded jazz sounds with African influences of the PETER SOMUAH GROUP, the band surrounding the trumpeter with his beautiful, dark voice, we walk to another stage where we would have loved to see GRACE BOWERS & THE HODGE PODGE, but where Bospop previously announced their absence this weekend, NSJ has now also had to find a replacement.
With JON CLEARY, they certainly succeeded admirably. We’ve seen Cleary here before, and it’s clear everyone is enjoying this reunion.
The atmosphere is already fantastic even during his soundcheck. The UK-born American brings New Orleans to the Mississippi but also doesn’t shy away from a cheerful Latin tune with a cowbell in hand.
The life of the party has an important question for the audience: “Are you feeling good?” The square slowly but surely fills up for Cleary and his fine musicians, who prove themselves a worthy replacement for the aforementioned act.
It’ll never be as packed as HERBIE HANCOCK’s Amazon. You’d have to queue an hour beforehand to get in, and even the second-largest hall has a sign: “De Maas Is Op Dit Moment Vol” (The Maas Is Currently Full) when THE EZRA COLLECTIVE’s performance begins.
A whopping 8,000 visitors don’t want to miss a thing with this enormous musical collective from London that made waves a week earlier at the legendary Glastonbury Festival. They’ve been here before, but today the hall could easily have been filled twice over. They’ve clearly made great strides, and you can safely assume they’re among the biggest acts at the festival.
The Afrobeats are a hit, but the heavy dub-reggae sounds are also impressive. “Out in the streets they call it murder” is sung along to en masse. Angie Stone’s famous ‘I Wish’ also gets a special EZRA treatment and it quickly degenerates into an intense grooving state where almost no one can manage not to move along to the beats.
At that moment, something similar is happening, albeit on a slightly smaller scale, in the Congo with ARP FRIQUE & THE PERPETUAL SINGERS.
It’s Friday night, so it’s time to dance to a wave of funk, soul, and dance. The singers look dazzling. And so does Arp’s glitter jacket. He’s the musical director, in charge of everything that happens on stage.
He himself plays keyboards and guitar. Among the singers, it’s Mariseya who regularly takes center stage. They all get to introduce themselves by singing. Charmaine might be the best, or maybe Jerelee? “Do You Wanna Know My Name?” But the introductions do slow down the show.
As if a true queen were wearing a grand crown, anyone who’s seen her trophy cabinet can hardly deny that she remains the most important female artist in soul, R&B, and hip-hop of the past thirty years.
However, the set struggles to get going, and the sound seems to be completely out of whack, but the audience loves it. Rapper Method Man is unfortunately missing from the duet on “I’ll Be There For You/All I Need To Get By,” which was recorded thirty years ago, leaving plenty to criticize about Blige’s return to the Netherlands.
There’s really nothing new to report, and anyone looking for an update on all sorts of war situations will have to keep a close eye on the big screen. Anyone waiting for “No More Drama” will have to wait until the end of the set. By then, we’re already heading home. It was a wonderful first day.
