Carlos Santana, the guitar legend who needs no introduction, will come to the third edition of Curacao North Sea Jazz with his band! He will be festival headliner on Friday. The Mexican superstar gained his fame in the 60's and 70's when his band Santana pioneered with a fusion of rock, salsa and jazz. Ruben Bladés will again perform at the festival on Friday. Last year the popular Panamanian singer played the Sir Duke stage but due to the enormous interest, not all visitors were able to see his concert.

The third name we can announce is the Dizzy Gillespie™ All-Star Big Band. The band will play on Friday with many Gillespie alumni, such as Paquito D'Rivera who will lead the big band during the Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival. The in Havana born Paquito is considered the most creative Cuban jazz musician and one of the best clarinet players in the world. For Saturday, we can announce the presence of James Farm. The brand new band includes saxophonist Joshua Redman who teamed up with a great talent of the new generation of jazz, pianist Aaron Parks. They play with a superb rhythm section: bassist Matt Penman and drummer Eric Harland.

This year not just one, but two free concerts will take place before the festival. On Sunday, August 26th and Monday, August 27th Curacao can enjoy free concerts at the Brionplein. We will soon announce who the artists will be.

On its previous two editions Curacao North Sea Jazz has shown that it’s a world class event. International artists performed at the festival in the Caribbean. Media in various countries have reported about the atmospheric event and praise the hospitality of Curacao.

Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival is supported by Bon Intenshon Foundation. The rest of the artist line-up will be announced in the coming months. Currently, the programmers of the festival and Gregory Elias are talking with various artists in order to create a varied and attractive program.

CURACAO NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL
Friday, August 31 a.o. Santana, Ruben Bladés, Dizzy Gillespie™ All-Star Big Band & Saturday, September 1, 2012 a.o. Joshua Redman's James Farm,
World Trade Center, Piscadera Bay.

Ticket sales for the Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival begin at Monday, April 2
Tickets are available at outlets Mensing Caminada, Mobile Planet, Tik Tak (only credit cards and Maestro), 24 Uur Uit de Muur (credit card, cash and Maestro). It is possible to reserve tickets from February 1 through 522-JAZZ. Payment in instalments is possible with Nafl 15.00 adm. additional cost.

Tickets are $ 195.00 or Nafl 354.90, incl ob day.

International festival tickets sales start from February 1st
As of February 1, international visitors can book accommodations and festival tickets online. One can choose from the widest range of hotels and apartments on Curacao. There are additional services provided from festival tickets on arrival at the airport or hotel and transfer to the hotel. For visitors from The Netherlands and Suriname there are travel arrangements including flights, accommodation, transfers and festival tickets. For more information and reservations go to our exclusive travel partner Does Travel & Tours Cadushi, www.caribbean.nl, mail to tour@doescadushi.com.

The Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival is supported by: Bon Fundashon Intenshon

The full program of Curacao North Sea Jazz is known. The last artist that’s been added is Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings. The nine-member collective from Brooklyn brings a mix of soul, funk and gospel and are known for their energetic live performances. Music from the heart is also on their latest album 'I Learned the Hard Way.

This year is only the second edition of the festival but the success of the first edition immediately initiated the International Jazz Festivals Organization (IJFO) to have their annual board meeting in Willemstad in September. At the IJFO great and renowned jazz festivals attend like the Montreux Festival, Umbria Jazz, Monterey Jazz Festival, Istanbul Jazz and of course the North Sea Jazz Festival. The directors and board members of the top 16 festivals are at the island of Curacao during the North Sea Jazz festival.

The program:

Friday, September 2
Sting, Kassav ', Earth Wind & Fire, Danilo Perez Trio, Chic featuring Nile Rodgers, Branford Marsalis Quartet, Levi Silvanie, Poncho Sanchez and his Latin Jazz Band featuring Terence Blanchard, Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings

Saturday, September 3
Stevie Wonder, Juan Luis Guerra, Chucho Valdes Afro Cuban & Messengers, Ruben Bladés, Ronchi Matthew and his All Star Band, Roberto Fonseca and Dionne Warwick

The program will be introduced on the three stages by Jorgen Raymann, Howard Komproe and Kevin Carty.

The full program schedule is available at www.curacaonorthseajazz.com

Before the festival there is a free concert on Monday at Brionplein by Los Van Van. Eliane Elias plays on Thursday at Brakkeput Mei Mei

CURAÇAO NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL
Fri 2 & Sat 3 September 2011, World Trade Center, Piscadera Bay.

Advance ticket sales through the local addresses as 24 uur uit de Muur and 522-count No Jazz (5299) 522-blue (2583). It is possible to pay in instalments at 24 uur uit de Muur.
International online sales through www.ticketmaster.com. Travel arrangements are available through our exclusive travel partner Does Travel & Tours Cadushi www.caribbean.nl

Card Price: $ 185 incl ob or Naf 336.70.

The Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival is made possible by: Bon Fundashon Intenshon

Today at a press conference in Willemstad Curacao, the North Sea Jazz festival organizers announced that none other than Stevie Wonder will perform at the second edition of Curacao North Sea Jazz. Initiator Gregory Elias is extremely honored that he can announce that Stevie Wonder comes to Curacao to be the closing act of the festival. Stevie Wonder is, with his enormous music career, an icon and inspiration for many other artists.

Stevie Wonder's amazing music career has brought him 49 Top 40 singles, 32 number one hits, an Academy Award for I Just Called to Say I Love You, 25 Grammy Awards and a prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award. His participation in the massive "We Are the World” campaign against famine in Africa in 1985 was a milestone in the music industry. Also his involvement in fighting apartheid in South Africa is much praised.

Today we can also announce Branford Marsalis Quartet and Kassav who will both be performing on Friday. Earlier we announced more acts and Sting who is the headliner of the first festivalday. The program now looks like this:
 
Friday
Sting, Earth Wind & Fire, Chic featuring Nile Rodgers, Terence Blanchard and Poncho Sanchez, Danilo Perez Trio, Levi Silvanie, Kassav and Branford Marsalis Quartet

Saturday
Stevie Wonder, Juan Luis Guerra, Chucho Valdes Afro Cuban & Messengers, Ruben Blades, Roberto Fonseca, Ronchi Matthew and his All Star Band and Dionne Warwick

Monday the festival starts at the Brionplein with a free concert by Los Van Van. On Thursday Eliane Elias plays at Brakkeput Mei Mei.


CURAÇAO NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL
September 2 & 3, 2011, World Trade Center, Piscadera Bay, Curacao.
 
Ticket sale through the local addresses as 24 uur uit de Muur and by phonenumber: 522 No Jazz (5299) 522-blue (2583). It is possible to pay in installments at 24 Uur uit de Muur. International onsale begins today through www.ticketmaster.com. Maps and travel arrangements are available through our exclusive travel partner Does Travel & Tours Cadushi www.caribbean.nl

The festival is made possible by Bon Fundashon Bon Intenshon

After a very successful first edition last September, the program already looks promising and impressive for the next Curacao North Sea Jazz. We can now proudly present Juan Luis Guerra and we already received confirmations from headliner Sting, Earth Wind & Fire and Chic but also R&B/ soul legend Dionne Warwick and Latin jazz and salsa singer Ruben Blades. Ticket sales start today. The program now looks like this:

Friday
Sting, Chic featuring Nile Rodgers, Earth Wind & Fire, Terence Blanchard and Poncho Sanchez, Danilo Perez Trio, Levi Silvanie

Saturday
Dionne Warwick, Juan Luis Guerra, Chucho Valdes Afro Cuban & Messengers, Ruben Blades, Roberto Fonseca, Ronchi Matthew

At least six other artists will be confirmed in the coming weeks including the headliner of Saturday. More news will follow in the coming weeks. For Curacao the festival actually begins on Monday, August 29th with a free concert on the Brion Plaza with amongst others  Los Van Van. On Thursday, concert pianist Eliane Elias performs at the Brakkeput Mei Mei.  There are also concerts at the Avila Beach Hotel and Mambo Beach.

Curacao North Sea Jazz will be held again at the World Trade Center in Piscadera Bay. The setting of the festivalsite is slightly different from last year as the Sir Duke Stage will move backward. This creates more space so that more people can stand in front of the Sir Duke Stage.
 
Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival is an initiative of Fundashon Bon Intenshon. The net proceeds from the festival are for a good cause!

CURAÇAO NORTH SEA JAZZ FESTIVAL
2 & 3 September 2011, World Trade Center, Piscadera Bay, Curacao.

Ticket sales start on March 1st through Cadushi Does Travel & Tours www.caribbean.nl and local sales locations such as 24 uur Uit de Muur and at phone nr. 522-Jazz (5299) 522-blue (2583). Ticket Price: $ 185 incl ob or Naf 336.70. It is possible to pay in instalments via 24 uur uit de Muur.

We are very honoured that we can announce Sting for this second edition of the Curacao North Sea Jazz festival. Sting is not only known as the lead singer and bassist of The Police but also for years as solo artist with a strong repertoire such as Englishman in New York and Next to You. In his songs you hear influences of jazz, classical and world music.

Chucho Valdés is one of three Cubans who will come to the island for the second edition of the Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival. He is a pianist, bandleader, arranger and composer and founder of the famous group Irakere. Earlier this week he won his fourth Grammy. Poncho Sanchez was born in Laredo Texas. He is one of the most famous figures of the Latin jazz scene and has recorded 45 albums. In the past people tried to get him to the island, but all these attempts failed. However, this year he is on stage with us. Together with special guest trumpeter Terence Blanchard it promises to be a special and memorable concert. In 1999 he won a Grammy Award. Danilo Perez is also, like Ruben Blades who has been announced earlier as one of the impessive acts on the program, from Panama and a three time Grammy Award winner. He played with several major jazz heroes and has recently played with our own Pernell Saturnino.

The pianist Eliane Elias is one of the greatest pianists of Brazil. She recently launched an album with beautiful bossa nova, where her roots were very well reflected. Local talent Levi Silvanie will perform among the international artists on Friday and Saturday.

The week before the festival, there will be performances at various places on the island (Brakkeput May May, Avila Beach Hotel, Mambo Beach). On Monday, August 29 we start with a free concert by Los Van Van from Cuba at the Brionplein.