...a Saturday Night in the Hudson

North Sea Jazz Festival named their festivalstages after great world rivers like Amazon, Hudson, Nile, Maas, Missouri, Mississippi and Volga.

I decided to spend the Saturday evening for the 5 concerts in the Hudson. The hall is not soundproof and a lot of noise and undesirable sounds leak in to the Hudson. On the quiet moments that can be interfering for musicians and audience.

And well begun is half done. The Kenny Werner "Lawn Chair Society" Quintet starts off the evening at 17.30. The quintet has a great line-up with trumpeter Randy Brecker, tenorplayer David Sanchez, Scott Colley on double bass and Brian Blade hits the drums and they play a great set.

The second set: New to me is Michel Camilo. The Michel Camilo Trio is Michel Camilo on piano, Charles Flores on bass and Dafnis Prieto on drums. Camilo's powerplay doesn't hit me in the heart. Though it looks like I am almost the only one. The 53 years old Camilo hits the Yamaha piano as if he tries to demolish it. He will not succeed but he manages to break his pianostool.

The third concert is by the Randal Corsen Group. Randal Corsen is one of my favorite piano players. He mixes jazz with Caribbean influences and brings some very fine musicians on stage. On bass (again) Scott Colley and one of the worlds greatest drummers Horacia "El Negro" Hernández with percussionist Pernell Saturnino and as special guest Roy Hargrove.

Roy Hargrove stays on this stage to perform with his Roy Hargrove Quintet with his regular line-up Justin Robinson (alto sax), Danton Boller (double bass), Montez Coleman (drums) and new in this band Orrin Evans on piano.

Fifth concert on row is Horacio "El Negro" Hernández & Italuba. Italuba (combination of Italy and Cuba) are Cuban musicians living in Italy. Amik Guerra plays trumpet, Ivan Bridon piano and Daniel Martinez electric bass. Horacio played his first foreign gig 20 years ago on this same festival and since that time it is not possible for him to enter and leave Cuba on his own terms. This concert end up in a jam session with Roy Hargrove, Montez Coleman, Danton Boller and Ramon Valle.

Photos North Sea Jazz Festival (coming up) HERE.

North Sea Jazz Festival 2008 started

Maria Schneider

conducting

the Maria Schneider Orchestra

North Sea Jazz Festival

A unique, historic festival!

The first edition of the North Sea Jazz Festival took place in 1976 in the Nederlands Congresgebouw in The Hague. Some numbers in those early days: six venues, three hundred artists and about nine thousand visitors. In this very first festival year internationally renowned jazz legends performed, such as Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and Stan Getz, as well as most Dutch avant-garde artists.
In the intervening years, the North Sea Jazz Festival has developed into a major international jazz event. Over the years the numbers have increased to: fifteen venues, approximately thirteen hundred artists and a visitors number that varies between sixty-five thousand and seventy thousand every year. Since 2006 the festival has found a new and more spacious location: Ahoy Rotterdam.
North Sea Jazz is known all over the world because of the many musical genres it has to offer, ranging from traditional New Orleans jazz, swing, bop, free jazz, fusion, avant-garde jazz and electronic jazz; to blues, gospel, funk, soul, R&B, hip hop, world beat and Latin. All of which are presented during a single weekend: 11, 12 and 13 July 2008.
Besides familiar names like Nat Adderley, Erykah Badu, Paul Anka, Steve Coleman, Miles Davis, Candy Dulfer, Ibrahim Ferrer, Ella Fitzgerald, Alicia Keys, Lionel Hampton, Al Jarreau, B.B. King, Wynton Marsalis, Herbie Hancock, Jamiroquai and The Zawinul Syndicate, the North Sea Jazz Festival also gives young talent a chance to make it on a major stage. Some names of artists who were introduced to a European audience: Shirley Horn, Tania Maria, Roy Hargrove and Rachelle Ferrell.
This is what makes North Sea Jazz so unique – a festival where for three days the past, the present and the future of jazz music are presented, all under one roof.

http://www.northseajazz.com/