Three days of jazz in the city

With over 70 acts spread over 18 venues, and the promise of wonderful weather, the Delft Jazz Festival looks set for three days of soul, song and syncopation. Former TU Delft student, Bram Stoeken, has been festival chairman for the past ten years, and he has continued to broaden the range of music played at each year’s event: “When the Delft Jazz Festival began in 1985, it was just one stage with guys in straw hats playing old fashioned music. That’s great but we’ve also built on that old tradition, gradually introducing more modern music like electronic jazz.”

This year, the Delft Jazz Festival will present fusion, funk, soul, big band, pop, hip-hop, swing and dance bands, featuring both established and up-and-coming acts like Benjamin Herman, Bruut, and new soul musician, Myles Sanko. The festival will also present Surinamese jazz and the Mexican pianist, Alex Mercado. “Jazz moves with the times”, said Stoeken, “and so should we.”

TU Delft students have been much involved in organising the festival this year, and this Saturday, afternoon shoppers in Delft city will also be able to boogie to the student jazz society’s Groover Big Band.

Jazz has always been big in the Netherlands, which hosts many festivals each year: mostly famously the North Sea Jazz Festival in July. “We have a long tradition of jazz”, said Stoeken. “Avant garde jazz for instance, started here in 70’s and then spread around Europe and the rest of the world.”

Running from Friday, August 21 to Sunday 23, this year’s Delft Jazz Festival will be one of the biggest yet: “Yeah, we’re growing”, said Stoeken, “and we’re finally becoming recognised as a serious jazz festival.”

And with so much live music being playing simultaneously throughout the city’s market places and meeting points, there’s a huge choice on offer. “With lots of smaller venues”, said Stoeken, “you can easily talk to many artists as they walk around the city. In fact it’s a big party actually!”