CURAÇAO NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL 2015
3 •4 •5 SEPTEMBER 2015
WELCOME TO CURAÇAO NORTH SEA JAZZ!
Dear music lovers, visitors, and friends,
“Music touches us emotionally, where words alone can’t.” “Beethoven tells you what it’s like to be Beethoven and Mozart tells you what it’s like to be human. Bach tells you what it’s like to be the universe.” “If it weren’t for music, I would think that love is mortal.” “Music can change the world because it can change people.” These are very famous one-liners of influential art and science geniuses whose words have touched all our hearts. We are proud to be able to support and enhance, in a very modest way, that magic feeling that music transpires in all of us with our festival. During the past five years you have shared the joy, the tears of happiness, and excitement this wonderful medium brings to mankind and we can only hope to count on your continued support for many more years to come. This year, again, a palette of extraordinary and wonderful talents will be performing to enlighten and fill the three festival nights with bright and shining musical sparks that will make these days resonate for a long time and become unforgettable. Fundashon Bon Intenshon & Mojo Concerts 3
TABLE OF CONTENTS BETTYE LAVETTE CASSANDRA WILSON CHARLES BRADLEY EMELI SANDÉ ENRIQUE IGLESIAS GREGORY PORTER JOHN LEGEND LIONEL RICHIE
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
TIMETABLES 14 RANDY NEWMAN 16 THE ISLEY BROTHERS 17 THE POINTER SISTERS 18 THE STANLEY CLARKE BAND 19 USHER 20 WYCLEF JEAN 21 HOT 8 BRASS BAND 22 CONCERT PRIOR TO THE FESTIVAL BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA 23 FREE CONCERTS JUANES 24 OSCAR D’LEÓN 25 FESTIVAL MAP
26
FESTIVAL INFORMATION Curaรงao North Sea Jazz takes place at the site of the World Trade Center Piscadera Bay near Willemstad. The festival is organised by Fundashon Bon Intenshon and Mojo Concerts. Tickets are $ 195.00 or ANG 354.90 per day including ob and are available at the following ticket outlets: Mensing Caminada Mobile Planet Tik-Tak (credit card and Maestro only) 24 Uur uit de Muur (credit card, Maestro and cash) Phone: 522-JAZZ Web: www.ticketmaster.com Payment in installments is available via 522-JAZZ, with an additional cost of ANG 15.00.
5
BETTYE LAVETTE
SATURDAY CELIA STAGE
Although soul singer Bettye LaVette made her first record at age sixteen, she achieved only intermittent fame until her 2005 album I’ve Got My Own Hell To Raise. In her autobiography A Woman Like Me she writes openheartedly about the star status that appeared to be so close, but slipped through her fingers after some bad decisions. But that is all in the past: the singer-songwriter has known success for many years now. In 2009, she performed together with Jon Bon Jovi at the Barack Obama inaugural celebration - if that doesn’t get an artist the deserved attention, what will? LaVette has a voice drenched in gospel and blues that has retained the same power over the past fifty years, in which she has sung about her sorrows. Her latest album, Worthy, was released earlier this year. 6
CASSANDRA WILSON
FRIDAY CELIA STAGE
Between her mother’s love for Motown and her father’s dedication to jazz, vocalist Cassandra Wilson’s parents sparked her early interest in music. Although known as a jazz artist, the singer has expanded the playing field by incorporating blues, country, and folk music into her work. Wilson learned a lot in the 1980s in the New York M-Base improvisation collective centering on saxophonist Steve Coleman. She found her musical identity in the years following in the many albums that she recorded. Through mostly acoustic works - including standards - she has developed an individual recognizable style that seems to reflect her soul. Her latest album, Coming Forth By Day, a tribute to Billie Holiday, was released earlier this year. Wilson has won two Grammy Awards. 7
CHARLES BRADLEY
FRIDAY SIR DUKE STAGE
The story of singer Charles Bradley reads like a book: he was homeless for a while, worked as a chef for many years and started his career as a James Brown impersonator before he was finally discovered as an original artist and handed a recording contract by Daptone Records. His first album No Time For Dreaming was released in 2011, two years later saw the release of its successor Victim Of Love. In between, the story of Bradley was the subject of a documentary called Soul Of America. Bradley has a powerful and gravelly voice that is ideally suited to conveying raw emotions. He sings tender soul ballads as well as rough, up-tempo soul-funk and gives memorable performances with his band, The Extraordinaires. Although 66 years of age, retirement seems a long time away for this natural artist. 8
EMELI SANDÉ
FRIDAY SIR DUKE STAGE Singer-songwriter Emeli Sandé started singing at an early age. She was awarded an intercalculated degree in neuroscience which was her backup plan in case a career in music didn’t pan out, but she hasn’t had to use her degree yet! The soul singer had a breakthrough with hits such as Next To Me, Read All About It (Part III) and Beneath Your Beautiful (with Labrinth). Her debut album Our Version Of Events (2012) was Number 1 on the UK Official Albums Chart for 10 weeks and was also the year’s biggest-selling album. A year later, she won two Brit Awards: Best British Female Solo Artist and Best British Album of the Year. Besides all that, Sandé wrote hits for other artists as well. In 2012, she performed at both the Opening and Closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games in London. 9
ENRIQUE IGLESIAS
FRIDAY SAM COOKE STAGE
His famous last name is no coincidence: singer Enrique Iglesias is the son of Julio. But moreover he’s a worldwide superstar in his own right, having secured his first record contract under an assumed name (Enrique Martinez) as he wanted to succeed without the use of his well-known name. And it worked! Iglesias got his breakthrough in the late 90s when he started singing in English as well as Spanish. In the following decade especially he scored hit after hit, for instance with Bailamos, Rhythm Divine, Could I Have This Kiss Forever (with Whitney Houston), Hero, Escape, and Can You Hear Me. To this day he has ten albums to his name. Last year saw the release of his latest, Sex And Love, including hit single Bailando. Iglesias has sold over 137 million albums, making him one of the bestselling Latin artists in the world. 10
GREGORY PORTER
FRIDAY CELIA STAGE
In less than four years’ time, Gregory Porter has grown into one of the greatest jazz vocalists in the world. And anyone who has ever seen this friendly giant perform will immediately understand why. Porter sings soul songs enhanced with jazz and blues; his disarming style of singing and his wonderful baritone voice command both respect and emotion. Last year, he won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album for his album Liquid Spirit (2013). It was his third album. With his first two, 2010’s Water and 2012’s Be Good, he mainly found success in The Netherlands. Not surprisingly, the 43-year-old American is a regular guest at the North Sea Jazz Festival in Rotterdam, where he performed three years in a row. In Curacao, he previously performed at Brakkeput Mei Mei in the week before the festival. 11
JOHN LEGEND
SATURDAY SAM COOKE STAGE John Legend is a rare multi-talent: he has a voice containing a stunning range, writes excellent songs both for himself and others, and plays the piano beautifully as well. He made his debut with 2004’s Get Lifted; since then, he has sold over seven million albums and received no less than nine Grammy Awards. Together with The Roots he made the album Wake Up in 2010, on which he displayed a social responsibility. Legend also launched the Show Me Campaign, an initiative that focuses on education as a key to break the cycle of poverty. With his hit single All Of Me, which was released last year, Legend broke worldwide sales records. This year, he and rapper Common received an Academy Award for their song Glory, from the soundtrack for the movie Selma. 12
LIONEL RICHIE
FRIDAY SAM COOKE STAGE Singer and composer Lionel Richie has sold over 100 million albums all over the world and received prestigious awards such as Grammy Awards, American Music Awards, a Golden Globe and an Academy Award. His career started in the Commodores, a student band which grew into a regular hit machine. Richie wrote many of those hits, such as Three Times A Lady, Brick House, Sail On, and Easy. In the early 1980s he released his first solo album and scored many successful singles, among which All Night Long, Hello, Say You Say Me and Dancing On The Ceiling. His latest album Tuskegee was released in 2012 and named after his Alabama hometown. It contains duet sung reinterpretations of his songs with several well-known artists. This year, he is traveling the world with his tour All The Hits All Night Long. 13
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 4 1800 DOORS OPEN 1815 1830 1845 1900 1915 1930 1945 2000 2015 2030 2045 2100 2115 2130
SAM COOKE CELIA SIR DUKE
ENRIQUE IGLESIAS CASSANDRA WILSON CHARLES BRADLEY
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 5 1800 DOORS OPEN 1815 1830 1845 1900 1915 1930 1945 2000 2015 2030 2045 2100 2115 2130
SAM COOKE CELIA SIR DUKE
14
JOHN LEGEND BETTYE LAVETTE STANLEY CLARKE BAND
Program subject to change.
2145 2200 2215 2230 2245 2300 2315 2330 2345 0000 0015 0030 0045 0100 0115 0130 0145
LIONEL RICHIE GREGORY PORTER EMELI SANDÉ
THE ISLEY BROTHERS
2145 2200 2215 2230 2245 2300 2315 2330 2345 0000 0015 0030 0045 0100 0115 0130 0145
USHER RANDY NEWMAN WYCLEF JEAN
THE POINTER SISTERS
For up-to-date information please see www.curacaonorthseajazz.com
15
RANDY NEWMAN
SATURDAY CELIA STAGE
Singer-songwriter, pianist, composer and arranger Randy Newman has made quite a name for himself. He wrote a vast number of hits for other people, climbing the charts himself as well with songs such as Short People (1977) and The Blues (with Paul Simon, 1983). Since the 1980s, Newman has mostly dedicated himself to writing film scores and creating soundtracks for movies such as Awakenings, Meet The Parents and Disney movies including Toy Story (parts 1, 2, and 3), A Bug’s Life, Cars, and Monsters, Inc., winning an Oscar for the latter. Newman was born into a musical family; two of his uncles were well-known soundtrack composers. At seventeen he already worked as a professional songwriter for a publishing company in California. 16
THE ISLEY BROTHERS
FRIDAY SIR DUKE STAGE
The Isley Brothers have charted hit records in five different decades, starting in 1959 with their first hitsingle Shout. In the beginning, the band was a vocal quartet consisting of brothers O’Kelly, Rudy, Ronald and Vernon Isley. Later on, the now-deceased Marvin and Ernie also joined. The band has collaborated with or influenced the music of many artists such as Rod Stewart, R. Kelly, Snoop Dogg and The Beatles. A review of their music is like a trip down memory lane with hits like Twist & Shout, This Old Heart Of Mine, Love The One You’re With, Who’s That Lady and Harvest For The World. In 2014, the Grammy’s honored the Isley Brothers with a Lifetime Achievement Grammy. Ronald and Ernie Isley are the two brothers left in the band. 17
THE POINTER SISTERS
SATURDAY SIR DUKE STAGE
The career of R&B group The Pointer Sisters already spans over five decades. At the start, the group consisted of just sisters: first, June, Anita, and Bonnie formed a trio; later, Ruth made the group a quartet. They were hugely successful in the 70s and 80s especially, scoring no less than 13 Top 20-hits in the US between 1973 and 1985 as well as receiving three Grammy Awards. Songs such as Jump (For My Love), Fire, Slow Hand, and I’m So Excited were huge hits. Bonnie was the first to leave the group; in the 90s June, who has since passed away, was replaced by Ruth’s daughter Issa. Nowadays, the band consists of Anita, Ruth, and Sadako, Ruth’s granddaughter. In the last few years, they have had much success performing with symphony orchestras. 18
THE STANLEY CLARKE BAND
SATURDAY SIR DUKE STAGE
He played with the biggest jazz names and is now being called a “living jazz legend” himself. Stanley Clarke has been one of the world’s best and most innovative bass players for many decades, and the first bassist in history who doubles on acoustic and electric bass with equal ferocity. The 63-year-old American composed many film and TV scores, introduced the traditional double bass into the rock scene and firted with such styles as pop, R&B and even classical music in his long career. Even so, jazz has always remained a first love for the four-time Grammy Award winner. His latest, swinging album was 2014’s Up, on which The Police drummer Stewart Copeland and Chick Corea participated. Creating his 21st studio album, Clarke described the recording process as “nothing but fun”. 19
USHER
SATURDAY SAM COOKE STAGE Usher Raymond IV (1978), better known as just Usher, was signed by L.A. Reid after participating in televised talent show Star Search at age 13. Part of his first album, Usher, was produced by P. Diddy. His big breakthrough came in 1997 with his second album My Way and hit singles such as You Make Me Wanna and Nice & Slow. The album sold over seven million copies worldwide; its two successors, 8701 (2001) and My Confession (2004), sold even more copies. Usher has worked with many music greats and built on his imperium: still an active artist, he also found success as an actor in both films and television series and as a producer and record label owner for Justin Bieber, among others. He was a coach on TV show The Voice and is currently working on his eighth studio album, UR, due for release this year. 20
WYCLEF JEAN
SATURDAY SIR DUKE STAGE Wyclef Jean is a Haiti-born rapper and musician who grew up in the US. Having become famous as one-third of hip hop group Fugees and hits such as Fu-Gee-La, Killing Me Softly, and Ready Or Not, Jean began a successful solo career afterwards. As an artist, he climbed the charts with hits including Gone Till November, 911 (with Mary J. Blige), and Hips Don’t Lie (with Shakira). He was also part of the producing team behind No No No, the hitsingle which started the career of Beyonce’s Destiny’s Child, and either produced or composed songs for artists as varied as Simply Red, Whitney Houston, Cypress Hill, Carlos Santana, and Mick Jagger. These days, Jean is also known as an actor and a politician in his native Haiti. 21
HOT 8 BRASS BAND
ARTISTS ON THE MOVE
The Hot 8 Brass Band was founded in New Orleans in 1995. Although most current members started playing music together in high school, over time the lineup inevitably changed and continues to do so. The members, driven by band leader and tuba player Bennie Pete, have been influenced by artists such as Tuba Fats, Louis Armstrong and Stevie Wonder, and have individually recorded and performed with many well-known musicians. Hot 8 Brass Band have known their share of adversity: four band members have died, three of which due to violence, causing the group to become active in the anti-violence campaign Silence Is Violence. Having survived Hurricane Katrina, the band members’ focus now lies with keeping the problems of their city on everyone’s minds as they travel around the US and the world. 22
BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA
WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 2 BRAKKEPUT MEI MEI Blind Boys of Alabama are a five-time Grammy Award winning gospel group from Alabama. They first sang together in 1944. Since then, the group’s career has spanned seven decades of tours and appearances and shows no signs of diminishing. The Blind Boys have earned praise for their remarkable interpretations of everything from traditional gospel favorites to contemporary spiritual material by acclaimed songwriters such as Curtis Mayfield, Ben Harper, Eric Clapton, Prince and Tom Waits. They have appeared on recordings with Bonnie Raitt, Lou Reed, Peter Gabriel, Solomon Burke, and many others, as well as having released an immense collection of their own albums.
23
FREE
JUANES
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 3 SAM COOKE STAGE Juan Esteban Aristizábal Vásquez, better known as Juanes, is a Colombian singer, guitarist and composer. Formerly a member of well-known heavy metal band Ekhymosis, he has also known great success as a solo artist. His debut album Fíjate Bien earned him three Latin Grammy’s, but it was the third, 2004’s Mi Sangre, which became an international bestseller, not in the last part due to the hit single La Camisa Negra. He has won a vast array of prestigious prizes, among which no less than 20 Latin Grammy’s and two Grammy Awards, and sold over 15 million records worldwide. Juanes is also known for his humanitarian work, especially with aid for Colombian victims of land mines. Access only with a valid ticket. For information on free tickets: www.curacaonorthseajazz.com 24
OSCAR D’LEÓN
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 3 SAM COOKE STAGE Salsa singer Oscar D’León is one of the world’s leading Latin musicians with a career spanning over forty years. At the start of his career, he balanced singing with a job as a taxi and bus driver in Caracas, but he soon exchanged passengers for large audiences. D’León taught himself to play the bass. In 1973 he formed his first band, La Dimension Latina, and they quickly scored their first hit. In the 1980s he paid a lengthy visit to Cuba, the country which he says is the source of all his musical influences and achievements. He is known as the most Cuban of all non-Cuban singers. Last year, he brought his charismatic show to North Sea Jazz in Rotterdam. Access only with a valid ticket. For information on free tickets: www.curacaonorthseajazz.com 25
PI SC AD ER AW EG
26
MAIN ENTRANCE
FOOD COURT WORLD TRADE CENTER CURAÇAO
CELIA
STAGE
TICKET/ BOX OFFICE
SAM COOKE
STAGE
2015
INDOOR STAGE
MARKET
INFORMATION
FIRST AID
TOKENS
DRINKS
FOOD
BEACH
SIR DUKE
STAGE
27
PRODUCTION:
MOJO CONCERTS
WWW.CURACAONORTHSEAJAZZ.COM
GRAPHIC DESIGN: WWW.BARITE.NL • FESTIVAL PHOTOGRAPHY: ANDREAS TERLAAK