Rotterdam North Sea Jazz Festival

The North Sea Jazz Festival was created by Dutch Jazz promoter Paul Acket, who in 1976 started what would become the most prestigious Jazz festival in the world. From an initial audience of about 9000, the festival has grown into an international spectacle, with 16 stages presenting 220 acts over a period of three days and over 100,000 people in attendance held in Rotterdam, Netherlands. A second installment of the North Sea Jazz Festival is now held on the island of Curacao.

The annual event was pronounced "The World's Best Jazz Festival" by JazzTimes magazine in 1990 and in '92, the International Organization of Festival Organizers awarded the yearly celebration their prestigious "Fidof Dipolma." Over the past 30 years, participation has continued to grow with literally tens of thousands of musicians and hundreds of thousands of fans coming from around the globe.

The North Sea Jazz Festival has become world-renowned for the many musical genres which it offers each year, ranging from traditional New Orleans Jazz, Swing, Bop, Free Jazz, European House, Fusion, Avant Garde and electronic Jazz to Blues, Gospel, Funk, Soul, Grove, HipHop, R&B, World Beat and Latin.

Among the 2011 performing artists were Esperanza Spalding, Natalie Cole, Return to Forever IV, Clayton - Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Pharoah Sanders, Ahmad Jamal, Yuri Honing Acoustic , Joe Lovano, US Five, Chucho Valdes, Omara Portuondo, Larry Graham, Matt Schofield, Alain Clark, B.B. King, Paul Simon, Jonathan Jeremiah, Janelle Monae, Ruben Blades, Randy Brecker, Bill Evans, Robert Randolph, Jacky Terrasson, Kurt Elling, Jon Hendricks, Al Jarreau, Toots Thielemans, Madeleine Peyroux, Pharoah Sanders, Brad Mehldau, Joshua Redman, Charles Lloyd, John Scofield, Sergio Mendes, Chaka Khan, Seal, Candy Dulfer, Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, Selah Sue, John McLaughlin, Otis Taylor, Roy Ayers, Pete Rock, Robert Glasper, Trombone Shorty, Nikki Yanofsky, Adriana Calcanhotto, Joao Bosco, Buddy DeFranco, Antonio Farao, Arve Henriksen, Al Foster, George Mraz, Gerald Clayton, Fay Claassen, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Mulgrew Miller, Dave Holland, Lee Konitz, Dave Douglas, Anat Cohen, Eddie Palmieri, Branford Marsalis, Bootsy Collins, Dr John, Richard Bona, Mavis Staples, Barry Harris, Tom Harrell, Gary Burton, Tineke Postma and many more.

The 2011 event was held July 8 to 10.

Related Links:
• North Sea Jazz Festival Rotterdam - Official website of the event, products.
• North Sea Jazz Festival Curacao - History, artist line-up.
• North Sea Jazz Festival Curacao - Official website of the event, products.
• Other Jazz Festivals - AP4J Festival Guide