View source for North Sea Jazz Festival

{{Short description|Annual music festival in the Netherlands}}
{{Infobox music festival
| name          = North Sea Jazz Festival
| genre         = Jazz
| dates          = July
| location       = [[Rotterdam]], [[South Holland]], Netherlands
| coordinates  = {{coord|51|55|N|4|30|E}}
| years_active =1976–present
| founders      = Paul Acket
| attendance  =
| image = Dutch Swing College Band photo.jpg
| image_size = 263px
| website       = {{Official website}}
}}

The '''North Sea Jazz Festival''' is a [[List of jazz festivals|festival]] held annually on the second weekend of July in the [[Netherlands]] at the [[Rotterdam Ahoy|Ahoy]] venue. The festival moved to [[Rotterdam]] in 2006 after the demolition of the [[Statenhal]] in [[The Hague]] where it was originally held. As of 3 November 2017, the festival is officially known as the NN North Sea Jazz Festival.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.northseajazz.com/en/news/nn-group-titelsponsor-north-sea-jazz/|title=NN Group title sponsor of North Sea Jazz|website=www.northseajazz.com|access-date=2017-11-21|archive-date=2017-11-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171120053022/http://www.northseajazz.com/en/news/nn-group-titelsponsor-north-sea-jazz/|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Biography ==
[[File:Mark-Ronson.jpg|thumb|right|[[Mark Ronson]] performing at the 2008 North Sea Jazz Festival]]
[[File:North Sea Jazz Festival 2012 - D'ANGELO 2.jpg|thumb|[[D'Angelo]] performs at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam in 2012]]
The founder of the three-day festival was Paul Acket, a businessman and [[jazz]] lover who made a fortune in the 1960s with his pop magazine publishing company.<ref name=apassion4jazz>{{cite web |url=http://www.apassion4jazz.net/nsjf.html |title=Rotterdam North Sea Jazz Festival |publisher=APassion4Jazz.net |access-date=2014-11-08}}</ref><ref name=muziekencyclopedie>{{cite web |url=http://en.muziekencyclopedie.nl/action/entry/Paul+Acket |title=Paul Acket |work=Biography |publisher=MuzikEncyclopedie.nl |access-date=2014-11-08 |archive-date=2014-11-08 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141108172736/http://en.muziekencyclopedie.nl/action/entry/Paul+Acket |url-status=live }}</ref> When Acket sold his company in 1975, he was able to start and sponsor the North Sea Jazz Festival. Acket wanted to present American jazz and European [[avant-garde jazz]]. In 1976 the first edition of the festival took place. It was an immediate success: six stages, thirty hours of music, and 300 performances drew over 9000 visitors. Acts included [[Count Basie]], [[James Brown]], [[Miles Davis]], [[Billy Eckstine]],  [[Stan Getz]], [[Dizzy Gillespie]], [[James Taylor]], [[Benny Goodman]], and [[Sarah Vaughan]] among others.

The Edison Jazz Awards and the Bird Awards are presented at the North Sea Jazz Festival.<ref name=artsholland>{{cite web |url=http://ww.artsholland.com/port-rotterdam-north-sea-jazz-festival |title=Port of Rotterdam North Sea Jazz Festival - Biggest indoor jazz festival |publisher=ArtsHolland.com |date=2010-05-16 |access-date=2014-11-08 }}{{Dead link|date=April 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

In 1990, two sub-festivals were introduced: North Sea Jazz Heats, a free festival performed in pubs throughout The Hague, and the more exclusive Midsummer Jazz Gala.<ref name=artsholland/> Both take place on the evening before the festival. Musicians that have performed at the Midsummer Jazz Gala include [[Tony Bennett]], [[Herbie Hancock]], and [[Oscar Peterson]]. [[Amy Winehouse]] performed at the festival in 2004 and [[Adele]] performed in 2009. [[Luis Miguel]] performed in the 2013 edition held in [[Curacao]].

The festival has grown to fifteen stages, 1,200 musicians, and about 25,000 visitors a day.<ref name=apassion4jazz/> The festival presents concerts in [[Dixieland|New Orleans jazz]], [[Swing (genre)|swing]], [[Jazz fusion|fusion]], [[blues]], [[gospel music|gospel]], [[funk music|funk]], [[soul music|soul]] and [[drum and bass]].

The festival is acknowledged as the "biggest indoor jazz festival in the world"<ref name=artsholland/> and has a reputation for showcasing different areas of jazz from all eras.<ref name=artsholland/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Official website}}

{{commons category-inline}}

{{Culture in Rotterdam}}
{{Jazz}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1976 establishments in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:Culture in Rotterdam]]
[[Category:Jazz festivals in the Netherlands]]
[[Category:July]]
[[Category:Music festivals established in 1976]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Rotterdam]]
[[Category:Festivals in Rotterdam]]
[[Category:Annual events in Rotterdam]]