Schedule

The world-renowned North Sea Jazz Festival features a wide variety of genres, including traditional New Orleans jazz, swing, bop, free jazz, fusion, avant-garde and electronic jazz, blues, gospel, funk, soul, R&B, hip hop, world beat and Latin. The festival was founded by entrepreneur and jazz fan Paul Acket, who sold his highly successful pop magazine publishing house to organize and fund the first edition of the festival in 1976. This broadcast from the North Sea Jazz Archives presents the legendary drummer Buddy Rich.

World-class Dutch jazz pianist Peter Beets has shared the stage with jazz greats Chick Corea, Wynton Marsalis, “Toots” Thielemans, Elvin Jones, George Coleman, Johnny Griffin, Benny Golson, and John Clayton. His mother a music teacher and his father an Oscar Peterson and Art Blakey enthusiast, Beets was surrounded by music from an early age. And though music was in their blood, neither parent associated the word “musician” with a career. In this broadcast, Peter Beets teams up with gipsy jazz heros Stochelo Rosenberg, Martin Limberger and Frans van Geest. The strength and precision of Van Geests' rhythms and tempo, and the ease with which Stochelo's lead guitar soars above them, make this band a cohesive collective - unique in their renditions of standards, Django's classic compositions, and original tunes composed by Stochelo himself.

Known outside jazz circles mainly for his film scores, French composer, arranger and pianist Michel Legrand has had a long and storied career in music. Interpreters of his compositions include jazz legends such as Sarah Vaughan, Stan Getz, and Bill Evans, as well as pop stars such as Barbra Streisand and Frank Sinatra. During this 1982 performance in the Belgian town of Spa, Legrand leads his orchestra through a number of original songs, including “The Summer Knows,” “What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?” and “Les Moulins de mon Cœur.” Singing either in English or French, Legrand delivers a spirited performance with plenty of romantic flair that is sure to capture your heart.

2006 closed with a spectacular festival of Argentinean music broadcast live from Buenos Aires. At the height of the Argentinean summer, the Orquesta Filarmónica del Teatro Colon under Daniel Barenboim (conductor & soloist) join bandoneon virtuoso Leopoldo Federico and his Orquesta Tipica for an extraordinary New Year’s Eve show with popular tangos and Latin American orchestra classics. The old master of tango, José Carli, created enchanting new arrangements of works by Argentinean artists Astor Piazzolla, Carlos Gardel, Julio de Caro, Alberto Ginastera and Horacio Salgán. Performances by leading tango dancers Mora Godoy and Junior Cervilla from Buenos Aires add atmosphere and round off the night.

Although its music might sound like the soundtrack of any 1970s American car chase movie, the band Sven Hammond Soul is from the Netherlands. This steaming soul machine is headed by Sven Figee, who prefers to attack rather than play his Hammond organ. In April 2012, the band was augmented with vocalist Jenny Lane. Today’s recordings were made at a steaming live performance at Utrecht’s Tivoli in 2012.

The North Sea Jazz Festival is the largest indoor music festival in the world, known globally as the event where the past, present and future of jazz are featured within three days. Next to a firm base of jazz as the festival’s staple music genre, many others, such as blues, soul, funk, or hip hop, pass by. In 1982, the Superstar Quintet, which consists of the otherworldly American trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, saxophonist Joe Henderson, drummer Tony Williams, bassist Ron Carter, and pianist Kenny Baron performed at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague. The star-studded fivesome put on a concert of cosmic proportions.

In 2019, the vibrant city of Sofia, Bulgaria, hosted the International A to JazZ Festival. Among the featured acts was the trailblazing jazz trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah. This genre-defying artist captivated the audience with his eclectic “stretch music”; an approach that incorporates hip-hop and reaches back through the American canon into African percussion and its rich melodic content. Trumpeter Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah’s quintet, which includes drummer Corey Fonville, percussionist Weedie Braimah, pianist Lawrence Fields, and bass guitarist Max Mucha, delivered a performance that defied boundaries and expectations.

'Münchner Klaviersommer' was an annual concerts series that took place from 1981 to 1998 in Munich, Germany. Although the festival's name suggests a strong focus on piano music, it featured countless famous musicians from jazz and classical music – not just pianists. The concerts were usually held in July at The Gasteig, home of the Munich Philharmonic. In 1988, vocalist Bobby McFerrin appeared at the festival. Known for his incredible vocal technique and unique approach to singing, McFerrin performed an unforgettable solo concert.

Every year, the Jazz en Baie festival takes place in the beautiful bay of Mont Saint-Michel Today’s broadcast shows a special gathering between two grandmasters of French jazz: pianist Jacky Terrasson and trumpeter Stéphane Belmondo. The two team up for an amazing concert in which jazz is combined with soul and a touch of chanson française. The Franco-American pianist Terrasson delights in travelling the world, collaboration with others and leading his own trio, quartet, or quintet. With his long-time friend, Stéphane Belmondo, Terrasson has produced wonderful CDs and beautiful concerts. One then finds the trumpeter on the pianist’s album ‘Gouache’; on another, the pianist guests on Belmondo’s ‘Ever After’. At the Jazz en Baie festival, the duo plays its amazing piano and trumpet music. Highly recommended!

Dino Saluzzi, one of Argentina's tango music masters, has been building his legacy since the mid-1980s. His accordion-like bandoneon defines Argentina's tango music. Saluzzi has explored many paths—paths along which he has rarely travelled more than once, despite some common threads. This rare, vibrant and intense performance is an intimate collaboration with Charlie Mariano (saxophone) and Wolfgang Dauner (piano) and features music ranging from tango and classical music to international favorites.

Amsterdam, February 6th, 2018 - The short documentary Rebirth in The Amsterdam Red Light District illustrates how brutal Richard Lems' life as an addict was and his struggle to unshackle himself from the shame. Filled with fierce, freighting, and sad moments, Richard relives his stabbing, stay in jail, drug test, and drug use. Richard expresses himself verbally but mainly relives the moments through drumming, which renders the documentary an intense and unique experience. Addiction doctor and musician Gerard Alderliefste: “If he dares to bottom out, he will see it was the drugs and not himself. Music can bring those emotions to the surface”.

The North Sea Jazz Festival is the largest indoor music festival in the world, known globally as the event where the past, present and future of jazz are featured within three days. Next to a firm base of jazz as the festival’s staple music genre, many others, such as blues, soul, funk, or hip hop, pass by. In 1978, the famed Chicago Blues All Star Band put on an electrifying performance at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague. In this short clip, they are joined by guitarist Eddy Clearwater who plays a stunning cover of "Everything's Gonna Be Alright."

Pianist Frédéric Gassita studied classical music and jazz, the latter at the famed Berklee College of Music in Boston. Apart from French impressionists, such as Ravel and Debussy, Gassita’s main influences are Chick Corea and Herbie Hancock, both of whom he met during his studies in Berklee. His body of musical work, however, is rooted in Africa, where the he currently resides. Today he’s a figurehead of jazz in Gabon, Africa. What's more, he scouts young musical talent and owns the local football club.

The mythical duo Arsenik is a rap group from France, made up of two brothers, Lino and Calbo. The team performs at Olympia Paris to celebrate their 20 years since their first album, Quelques gouttes suffisent… It’s a unique concert: Arsenik plays the entire album with numerous special guests for the first time. The album has sold over 300,000 copies in France. Today it’s being considered a classic, and it continues to be cited in the top five of the best French rap albums of all generations. Enjoy Arsenik’s live show in Olympia Paris!

Pianist Kenny Barron’s June 27, 2019 appearance at the Alfa Jazz Festival in Ukraine’s Lviv was a celebration of sublime jazz virtuosity. The revered elder statesmen of jazz piano brought his regular working trio of Kiyoshi Kitagawa (bass) and Jonathan Blake (drums), augmented by stellar jazzman Marcus Strickland (tenor saxophone) and young lion Riley Mulherkar (trumpet). Their seamless blend of classic bebop and modern explorations spoke of a deep, emotive connection to each note, captivating the Ukrainian audience with lyrical improvisations during this unforgettable concert.

This broadcast shows a rare appearance at the 1996 Germeringer Jazztage by the legendary flamenco guitarist Paco de Lucía and his sextet. Some may question the inclusion of a flamenco guitarist within a jazz festival. However, the similarities between flamenco and blues have been well documented: both are the outlet for a poor, disenfranchised minority, with a primitive strength, boundless capabilities for improvisation and a requirement for breathtaking virtuosity - all qualities shown by Paco de Lucía in this performance. Moreover, he has long been experimenting with jazz forms (evident even from his inclusion of bass, drums, and saxophone in his sextet), while still retaining the essence of the flamenco tradition. In his own words: “What I have tried to do is have a hand holding onto tradition and the other scratching, digging in other places trying to find new things I can bring into flamenco”.

The Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam is a world-renowned concert hall, known for its first-rate acoustics. It has attracted many famous performers over the years and is one of the Netherlands' most treasured musical institutions. On May 5, 1957, jazz impresario Norman Granz presented his Jazz at the Philharmonic tour at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The Canadian pianist Oscar Peterson and his trio of guitarist Herb Ellis and bassist Ray Brown are later joined by trumpeter Roy Eldridge and drummer Jo Jones. As an added attraction, American violinist Stuff Smith joins the proceedings. American singer Ella Fitzgerald, accompanied by pianist Don Abney, Ellis, Brown and Jones, hits her vocal peak in a stunning set that culminates in a jam session of It Don't Mean A Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing) with the entire ensemble.

New Cool Collective have been happily grooving on 24 years of fame thanks to their unique mix of jazz, dance, latin, salsa, afrobeat and boogaloo. As pioneers in the Dutch jazz scene NCC has received many awards and the band have toured the great expanses of Europe, Asia and North America. They not only play hipster jazz clubs but also such huge pop and rock festivals as Sziget, Lowlands (Netherlands) and the Aberdeen Alternative Festival. And they collaborated with many Dutch and international artists on tour and in the studio. During this show New Cool Collective is expended to the big band formation, expect energetic, danceable and great music!

Every year since 1970, the German city of Burghausen has been hosting one of the largest jazz festivals in the world. During Burghausen International Jazz Week, Burghausen becomes a 'Bavarian jazz mecca': guests from all over the world join the Burghausers to enjoy the most wonderful jazz performances as the colorful hustle and bustle of spectators and musicians shake up the city. One of the artists performing here in 2019 is Etienne Mbappé. This talented Cameroonian bassist and singer songwriter Etienne Mbappé surrounds himself with upcoming jazz talent from Paris in his band The Prophets. Their extremely melodic music is full of soulful, spirited grooves.

In this DJAZZ Belgium Sessions performance, which was recorded at AED Studios in Lint, Belgium, we witness Europe’s finest jazz musicians at work. A wide variety of international jazz musicians give a creative, up-close and inside insight into their art of playing jazz music. Young talent and established jazz musicians play to their heart’s content: take for instance this unusual performance by the Free Desmyter Quartet. Desmyter is an obstinate improviser with a very original and recognisable sound. His compositions are never contrived, nor revolutionary, for that matter, yet they are contemporary and innovative.