A multifaceted portrait of a unique singer
On Monday evening, 7 September, Dutch fans of Eva Cassidy’s (1963–1996) music were finally able to enjoy ‘The Essence of Eva’. This moving and illuminating documentary paints a fascinating and multifaceted portrait of this unconventional American singer and visual artist. Here you’ll find more audio and video material: After watching ‘The Essence of Eva’, you […]
Train trip to Norway
The QR code on our phones opens the ticket gates without a hitch. We set off from Rotterdam two minutes late. We discover that the seat reservations for the train to and through Germany haven’t been sent to us. I send an email to the train travel agency with ‘urgent’ in the subject line. Their […]
Lakecia Benjamin: ‘I live and die for the stage’
Lakecia Benjamin, who has been making quite an impression with her band for several years now, recently released her new album ‘We Dream’. To promote it, the saxophonist put on an energetic show at Rotterdam’s LantarenVenster on 20 June. Acoustic Jazz in the spirit of John and Alice Coltrane, uplifting gospel, Latin rhythms and electric […]
The boat to Bizarra
For more than fifty years, I thought my favourite childhood TV series would remain a memory of a distant past. Hardly anyone I asked knew of ‘Pipo on Bizarra’, and the footage was nowhere to be found. Recently, that changed. Not only was I able to watch the series with a modern-day perspective, but shortly […]
Fifty years North Sea Jazz
Friday 10 July 2026 Queen Máxima opens the fiftieth edition of North Sea Jazz. Upon arriving at the Ahoy entrance, she is handed a walkie-talkie. Her voice rings out loud and clear over the throng of people: ‘Are all stations ready to begin?’ Since the answer is affirmative the Queen begins to scan the first […]
Sonny Rollins always tried to perfect his music
When Sonny Rollins (September 7, 1930 – May 25, 2026) took the stage, his imposing presence was impossible to ignore. As soon as he began playing his tenor saxophone, his sound was so dominant that a chord instrument like a guitar or piano was no longer necessary. Although critics and fans praised him to the […]