Although blues fans are not exactly spoiled this weekend, there is a blast waiting for you today that no one will want to miss. There is great anticipation for the performance of CHRISTONE ‘KINGFISH’ INGRAM, who, at the age of 25, can be called a relative newcomer, but with whom the organization is certainly throwing a heavyweight into the fray.
Two years ago he made a stunning impression during his debut at the festival in the Congo, after which a jam session was started in which Eric Gales, Trombone Shorty and Cory Henry participated. In America it all seems to have gone at a rapid pace with pages in Rolling Stone, praise from famous fellow musicians, extensive tours in which the big halls were packed and with the winning of a Grammy Award.
Europe now also seems to have fallen for the charismatic musician from Clarksdale, Mississippi, who plays ‘Been Here Before’ with a careless look in his eyes, as if he hardly seems impressed by the enormous crowd.
The programmer estimated this correctly because the stage is set up across the width of the Maas and the floor, the first and second rings are even completely filled on both sides. His live reputation has clearly preceded him and they can now talk about it at every renowned festival.
The exciting ‘Midnight Heat’ sounds impressive and bombastic at the same time, while ‘Hard Times’ initially takes on an extra charge with an organic but then with a futuristic synthesizer sound. All that is possible at NSJ, although this will not make all blues purists extremely nervous. After all, they’ve all been through it before. However, they will also have to recognize how the blues is brought into the present here and we can conclude early on that ‘Kingfish’ is someone we really have to take into account in the coming years. In the meantime, when the band lays low for a moment, he manages to silence even the upper rings entirely on his own with his enchanting guitar solos, making this performance a highlight so early in the day.
As usual, on Saturday, the second day of the festival, the Paul Acket Award will be presented by North Sea Jazz, the prize for an artist who deserves more recognition and a larger audience for his or her extraordinary musical quality. This year’s winner is the Brit Kit Downes, the musician who has specialized in just about every instrument with keys such as church organ, piano and harmonium. He receives the Paul Acket Award ‘Artist Deserving Wider Recognition’, named after the founder of the festival. It is worth noting that Downes suffered an injury to his left hand several years ago and composed a piano piece with his right hand during every day of his recovery. A process that ultimately yielded 52 pieces.
Stimulating artists through a prize or award is of course nice, but the most important thing is that the musician has a stage to present himself to an audience.
A good example of this can be seen at the outdoor stage of the MISSISSIPPI, where an educational project can be attended and where the future of jazz is busy making concentrated music. It is PROJECTO JAZZ FOR KIDS from Aragon, Spain, in which fourteen young talents in a big band formation welcome the audience with a tense look in their eyes. The repertoire consists of jazz mixed with Spanish folk music, Argentina and Brazil, which can be conveniently described as Latin Jazz. We see proud parents when Julien from Zaragoza gets his minutes in the spotlight and performs a beautiful solo from his clarinet. Sometimes it seems like the kids have been working together for years, but that is absolutely not the case. They are simply very good, gain experience and learn a lot from the cultural encounters with other young big bands in the world.
Een heel ander geluid komt er op dit moment vanaf het dak waar ‘DJs On The Roof’ optreden. AYS is Ayshia Ahmed, komt hier vandaan en draait haar favoriete tracks vanaf vinyl. ‘Never Miss A Thing’ klinkt op het dakterras maar de jazzy funk van Don Blackman doet de temperatuur nog niet toenemen. Het is bewolkt vandaag en de zon komt er nauwelijks doorheen. Met Joe Coleman en ‘Family Tree’ van Sharon Brown slaagt de DJ er uiteindelijk toch in om met warme klanken in ieder geval de sfeer te verhogen. Dat lukt overigens uitstekend want wie al enige tijd op het terrein aanwezig is merkt dat iedereen, zowel publiek als artiesten, gretig zijn en er vandaag gewoonweg enorm veel zin in hebben.
When you walk around a large international festival like North Sea Jazz, you sometimes even forget that this is all taking place in the Netherlands. It is particularly special that the performance by ANOUK & METROPOLE ORKEST also opens in Dutch. The song is called ‘Get used to it’ and is a perfect introduction for people who don’t know her yet. Anouk wrote it about six years ago and until then had never written something so personal that was so far removed from what she was ‘normally’ used to. The subdued sung piece of music with soft strings and strings showed her truly vulnerable side for the first time, showing that behind that tough rock chick there was also a very sensitive person. “You can hate me, talk behind my back, I am who I am, I’ll just stand still, yes, get used to it,” it sounds sincere, while the musical accompaniment of the great orchestra repeats the feeling many times over. strengthen. Perhaps unconsciously the idea arose here to package her songs in a different arrangement and perform them with an orchestra. For the release of ‘Deena & Jim’ last autumn, she went fully symphonic with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra for the first time. Preparations started last February with the Metropole Orchestra, led by the British Simon Dobson. No one could have dreamed that this has now become such a huge success, with the Ziggo Dome sold out three times. In addition to this ode to Hollywood films, many of the singer’s other songs also appear to go well with this enormous backing band consisting of almost seventy people. Special mention also goes to the great choir in which we once again find Shirma Rouse. “I played it to pieces here yesterday afternoon and now it’s just with me, I love you,” it sounds lovingly. It turns out that the sensitive ‘For Bitter or Worse’ performed orchestrally with this choir in such a large, cold hall remains rock solid. ‘Lay It Down’ also has absolute added value in such an impressive performance.
As expected, ‘8 Days’ and especially ‘Birds’ sound truly magical. Anouk is positioned modestly, to the right of the orchestra. Of course, as a true resident of the residence, she can’t resist: “My first time was 28 years ago, when it was still in The Hague. And I still think it was only intended for intellectuals. I never saw myself standing here. You couldn’t imagine that, could you? Moreover, I was once too commercial, too pop, then too metal and then this and then that. Just imagine, the first racist at North Sea Jazz. You know, I’ve been through so much shit and now have such a consumed soul in my body that I only now think that I fit in here perfectly,” it sounds sharp and uncomfortable at the same time, but also somewhat bitter.
The Metropole Orchestra plays so strongly and convincingly that even a vocal powerhouse like Anouk sometimes threatens to be drowned in this orchestral violence. More often, however, the collaboration sounds enchantingly beautiful and the proud looks of the orchestra leader and singer are telling when the enormous applause thunders through the Nile. She had to wait 26 years for this debut but it is worth the wait.
“I put on a mask, that’s how I go through life, so that no one knows me. I have given up hope,” are the words that continue to reverberate even after this truly impressive performance.
The contrast initially seems great when a performance starts in nearby Murray by a talented singer who is only 22 years old and is already making her debut here. Yet there are indeed similarities with the above-mentioned established singer. She comes from the Netherlands, calls herself SWAN and released her debut EP titled ‘Underneath My Facade’ last year. She writes her own lyrics and also has a group of excellent accompanists behind her on stage. She has also hidden behind a mask for a long time and reveals herself with sincere and partly poetic lyrics. It is a crash course in how to convert vulnerability into strength, but in a musically beautiful way. With the announcement of ‘Disgustingly Gourgeous’ she effortlessly drew all the attention to herself. The dream she expressed to her father last year when they visited this festival together, that they might be able to perform here in a few years, came true prematurely. The moment when she announces ‘3 A.M.’ reminds us of last night when Raye shared her bad experiences and feelings with the audience in ‘Ice Cream Man’. Maybe we will see SWAN here again one day with such a beautiful orchestra.
This edition, and especially today, the program once again contains many singers with a message. The Nile features JAZMINE SULLIVAN, who is now quite established internationally with several Grammys under his belt.
She has also been through a lot and now it appears that the man has shown his worst side. When the next song is dedicated to all the dark women present here, it may seem a bit uncomfortable for many visitors. In contrast to the music, it is accessible R&B with a touch of hip-hop and a bit of soul, so it is easy to digest. It is also striking that the ‘Dutch Disease’, or chatter during the performances, has mainly moved to the stage. Almost every artist today has a song with a deep emotional background and the audience needs to know exactly where the story originated, including all kinds of nasty details. The fact that her mother recently died of lung cancer and that the song has taken on a different meaning is of course downright tragic, but you almost no longer dare to enjoy the music and the beautiful show. Samples of ‘You’re All I Need To Get By’ and ‘Killing Me Softly’ are of course always included. Sullivan takes her own break when the background singers are allowed to act in the foreground for a while. Vocally everything is fine, but it is difficult to pay attention to the music when so much information is released.
Then things become a lot more relaxed in the Maas when MASEGO arrives with an unprecedented charm offensive. The man gives out kisses, throws roses and shows his holiday photos of the most beautiful women in little clothing in the most beautiful exotic locations. Very sweet, super smooth and yet completely ‘transgressive’, but the audience loves it. Secretly, the girls who are pressed against the fence at the front love a ‘bad boy’ like this American multi-instrumentalist with Jamaican and African roots. MASEGO moves smoothly through the set of progressive R&B in which he plays the saxophone, sings and raps. It is a sophisticated and strongly constructed set that offers little musical depth, but in which the entertainment makes up for a lot. It is busy and warm in the hall where the band plays a match that has been won early.
You can then relax and sweat it out at BOUKOU GROOVE on the small Congo Square stage. The wonderfully languid instrumental funky grooves with matching low tones from Donnie Sundal’s heavy Moog bass synthesizer attract more and more spectators during the two sets of the New Orleans band. Although it is a bit chilly outside, it is very pleasant to spend time on the attractive square.
Unfortunately for these Americans, a major migration of people cannot be avoided when the British JESSIE WARE is about to start her performance in the NILE. No one seems to want to miss this. It’s Saturday evening and there is a great need to swing, jump and belt out the ultimate dance killer ‘Free Yourself’. When at 9 p.m. a loud “North Sea Jazz Are You Ready!!!?” sounds, the intentions of artist and audience are immediately clear. The album ‘That! Feels Good’ contains many tracks that could work well on an evening like this. Danceable, quite thick and bombastic disco sounds sound more cumbersome than refined and the two dancers seem to pay more attention to each other than to actually adding anything to the show. Their love shines from the big screens. Ware asks whether an old or new song should be played. Audience wants old but gets new. Only after an hour of muddling through does something like a party seem to have started. With ‘Beautiful People’, Cher’s famous ‘Believe’ and of course ‘Free Yourself’, the singer has great trump cards and it finally seems to be happening, but unfortunately the hall is already half empty.
The performance of LIZZ WRIGHT in the packed Amazon is a breath of fresh air. Wright has never given a bad performance here and there is nothing wrong with her passionate musical accompanists tonight. Perhaps a missed opportunity by not inviting Meshell Ndegeocello to contribute during ‘Your Love’, but this performance may have been even better than the studio version of her last album. She succeeds in adapting ‘Old Man’ by Neil Young and guitarist Adam Levy seems to lose himself wonderfully with atmospheric and perfectly fitting solos. The happy faces on stage have an infectious effect on the audience, who enjoy it to the fullest. She knows how to effortlessly transform that large, beautiful room into an intimate setting. Partly helped by the great acoustics, it all sounds extremely neat. “I Still Got the Same Sweet Feeling For You”, she sings with her warm soul voice in a sensitive acoustic rendition of the song made famous by Candi Staton and it really seems as if she is singing it for you. Lizz Wright’s performance is therefore a highlight of the festival for the umpteenth time.
For many visitors, the highlight of the day has yet to happen when they wait for JOSS STONE to hang around the stage well before the start to get the best possible view of the singer who is celebrating an anniversary this year. Stone has been in the business for 20 years and this is being celebrated with the release of the live album ’20 Years of Soul’. The expectation that the set has many similarities with everything that can be found on this live album turns out to be correct, but in the end everyone here wants ‘You Had Me’ and ‘Super Duper Love (Are You Diggin’ On Me?)’ to belong. This may be about the fifth time she has performed here and she knows better than anyone how to captivate the audience. Even the press pit is not safe if after a few minutes a leap is taken and the front row is given ample opportunity to touch her. Not everything that is sung is flawless, but with her relaxed manner she steals the hearts of her audience. Anyone who still doubted whether Stone still has enough soul will be presented with proof with ‘(For God’s Sake) Give More Power To The People’. It is a party for both the singer and the audience in which the music is central and that is more than welcome in times like these.
If you haven’t finished partying yet, you can join the closing party outside on the Mississippi stage, where QUIQUE will make you forget all your worries for a while with cheerful reggae, funk and worldly music. There are dancing people everywhere, who look even more beautiful in the atmospheric outdoor lighting than during the day.
