The NN North Sea Jazz Festival, the world’s largest indoor music festival, has announced the first wave of artists for its hugely-anticipated return to the Ahoy Centre in Rotterdam this July. Taking place from Friday 7 – Sunday 9 July 2023, this year’s event will present a lineup bursting with huge international stars from across the worlds of jazz, blues, soul, pop and beyond.
Amongst over 60 artists announced today are superstar UK rapper and singer Stormzy, multi-Grammy-winning singer Lizzo, music royalty Tom Jones, visionary singer and songwriter Van Morrison, the truly legendary blues singer and guitarist Buddy Guy, captivating soul trio Gabriels, R&B and neo soul powerhouse Jill Scott and gospel phenomenon Mavis Staples amongst many others.
The festival has also confirmed an array of some of the world’s most celebrated jazz artists including South African pianist Abdullah Ibrahim, revered trumpeter and educator Wynton Marsalis with his Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, pioneering guitarist Pat Metheny with Side-Eye, Norwegian saxophonist Jan Garbarek, Maria Schneider & The Oslo Jazz Ensemble, Bill Frisell, Hermeto Pascoal, Stanley Clarke, Yussef Dayes, Ezra Collective and many more. Visit the event’s official website for further information.
Welcoming more than 75,000 music fans each year, the North Sea Jazz Festival has built an incomparable reputation since its inaugural year in 1976 hosting a string of musical icons over the years from Miles Davis and Count Basie to Amy Winehouse and Adele. This summer the festival expects more than a thousand musicians, spread out over 150 performances and fifteen different stages. Less than an hour’s plane-ride away, a direct train from London St Pancras or ferry ride, the North Sea Jazz Festival is easily accessible from the UK and perfectly suited for a weekend retreat.
NN North Sea Jazz Festival 2023 – Rotterdam Ahoy Centre:
Friday 7 July: Alabaster DePlume; Andrew Cyrille Quartet; Bill Frisell FOUR ft. Greg Tardy, Gerald Clayton, and Jonathan Blake; Buddy Guy – Dammn Right Farewell; Cha Wa; Fergus McCreadie Trio; Jasper Blom Quartet with Pablo Held; Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis; Kenny Barron Quartet; Linda May Han Oh; Marco Mezquida Trio; Maria Schneider & Oslo Jazz Ensemble presents ‘Data Lords’; Mavis Staples; Mette Rasmussen Trio North; MonoNeon; Stormzy; SuperBlue: Kurt Elling & Charlie Hunter with the Huntertones Horns; Terri Lyne Carrington; The Teskey Brothers; Van Morrison; Yussef Dayes; Zwangere Guy & Lander Gyselinck.
Saturday 8 July: Anna Webber Simple Trio; DeWolff & Dawn Brothers present Double Cream; Eloise; Fred Hersch, Drew Gress, Joey Baron; Gard Nilssen’s Supersonic Orchestra; Jacob Banks; Jan Garbarek; Jill Scott; Kenny Garrett Quintet; Kokoroko; Lucas Santana 5tet; Marcus Miller; Olivia Dean; The Staples Jr. Singers; Tom Jones; Trondheim Jazz Orchestra & GURLS; Vloeimans Goudsmit Fraanje ‘Fugimundi’.
Sunday 9 July: Benny Sings; Branford Marsalis Quartet; Cymande; EZRA Collective; Gabriels; Hermeto Pascoal; Kandace Springs; Latanya Alberto; Laufey; Lizzo; Oded Tzur; Pat Metheny Side-Eye; Samara Joy; Sampa The Great; Son Little; Stanley Clarke N’4Ever; Teis Semey Quintet.