North Sea Jazz Festival

The North Sea Jazz Festival is a Dutch jazz festival. Since 1976 it has been organized in The Hague, since 2006 in Rotterdam. Meanwhile, it is one of the best known and largest jazz festivals in the world.

The founder of this jazz festival is the Dutch jazz promoter Paul Acket ( 1922-1992 ). He began as a music publisher of magazines such as Luister, Muziek Expres and Popfoto. With the millions profits of its sale in 1974, he financed his Jazz Festival, which opened in July 1976 in The Hague in Congresgebouw. At that time came already 9000 visitors.

The music major event ( up to 70,000 visitors) always takes place annually on the second weekend in July from Fridays to Sundays. Meet here at over 100 concerts the world elite of jazz.

The music goes across the board from jazz, blues and the soul and pop. Participating artists in recent years have, including such well known names as Al Jarreau, Dianne Reeves, Carlos Santana, Marcus Miller, Patti Austin, Patti Labelle, Gino Vannelli, Incognito, Alicia Keys, George Benson, Eddie Palmieri, George Duke, Macy Gray Larry Carlton, Buddy Guy, Wynton Marsalis, etc.

Is on the North Sea Jazz Festival in recognition of the complete works of jazz musicians and those who rendered outstanding services to the Jazz, every year the Bird Award awarded, which was renamed Paul Acket Award 2006.

Sister event

Since 2000 is always in March / April in Cape Town, South Africa, which was founded as the North Sea Jazz Cape Town Cape Town International Jazz Festival.