Program Curaçao North Sea Jazz

Below you can find the names that have been announced so far. More names and the timetable will be published in the coming period.

Thursday 3 September

Gente de Zona

Put your dancing shoes on, because Gente de Zona is coming to Curacao! The Cuban reggaeton duo consists of musicians Alexander Delgado and Randy Malcom Martínez. Founded in Havana by Delgado in 2000, the group had already known several lineups before Martínez joined in 2013, having played with the renowned timba ensemble Charanga Habanera previously. Together the new duo took Gente de Zona to a whole new level after collaborating with Enrique Iglesias on the smash hit single Bailando – which garnered them a Latin Grammy, a Latin Billboard Award and international exposure. After that, they worked with many more well-known artists, such as Pitbull and Marc Anthony. With the latter they scored their biggest hit to date with La Gozadera, which has been described as “Latin America's official hymn.”

Friday 4 September

Rubén Blades Fotografías Tour with Roberto Delgado Big Band

Rubén Blades is a man of many talents. As an actor, he has worked with the likes of Robert de Niro and Jack Nicholson, and at home in Panama, he has been a lawyer, a political activist and has even run for president. But above all else, Blades is a composer and vocalist, and one of the world’s most successful Latin artists. His socially engaged lyrics are a characteristic feature of his music. His ‘thinking man’s’ salsa, sometimes combined with jazz and rock, has won him many Grammy Awards and Latin Grammys. For his latest album Fotografías (2025), he collaborated with the Roberto Delgado Big Band, and not for the first time: Blades and Delgado have worked together for decades. The songs on their latest effort have one common trait among them: they will make it impossible to stand still. After all, people don’t call Blades ‘the poet of salsa’ for nothing!

Toto

Formed in 1977, American band Toto will be able to celebrate being around for half a century next year! They need little introduction: with their music combining elements of pop, rock, soul, blues, jazz and many more styles, they have built a fan base all around the world. The band has released 14 studio albums, sold over 50 million records worldwide, received several Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum. Their hit singles are numerous, including Africa, Hold The Line, Rosanna, and many more. Individually and collectively the bandmembers have worked with a variety of artists, including as session musicians, across all genres. Now led by guitarist Steve Lukather and lead vocalist Joseph Williams, the band features a collection of virtuoso musicians, but perhaps more importantly, lifelong friends. Fun fact: their audience ages down continually – more than half of their billion annual streams are plays from listeners 34 years or younger!

Saturday 5 September

Jon Batiste

Jon Batiste is een echte alleskunner: de Amerikaan is zanger, componist, multi-instrumentalist, bandleider, televisiepersoonlijkheid en acteur. Hij heeft al acht Grammy Awards op zijn naam (uit maar liefst 25 nominaties), waaronder die voor Album van het Jaar voor We Are uit 2021. Batiste komt uit Louisiana en groeide op als onderdeel van een heuse New Orleans muzikale dynastie met minstens 25 bekende artiesten. Zelf speelde hij al op zijn achtste percussie en drums in de Batiste Brothers Band. Drie jaar later stapte hij over naar de piano en al op zijn 17e bracht hij zijn eerste album uit. Batiste werkte met veel artiesten samen, uiteenlopend van Prince en Stevie Wonder tot Willie Nelson en Mavis Staples. Ook was hij jarenlang bandleider op televisie, bij de Late Show van Stephen Colbert. Zijn muziek is net zo divers, muzikaal zwevend tussen gospel, soul, pop, blues en rock-’n-roll. Al die invloeden laat hij horen op zijn recentste album, Big Money uit 2025.

Kassav’

Founded in 1979, the lively music of the band Kassav’ draws on the rhythms of Guadeloupe’s gwo-ka and Martinique’s ti-bwa. What came forth was zouk, a new Afro-Caribbean style which quickly conquered Latin America, followed by Africa, Europe and even Asia. Based in Paris, the group of musicians and singers have toured extensively since the eighties. The quick, jittery drum rolls and pointed horn sounds were a welcome counterpart to disco and new wave. The group has released over twenty albums, often rewarded with gold and platinum discs. They all have modern carnival music at their heart, sometimes with politically engaged lyrics. There have been guest performances by Stevie Wonder and several reggae artists. Today Kassav' is still the same mesmerizing band giving original African rhythms a modern and Caribbean twist.