In 1979 beleefde het Amersfoort World Jazz Festival haar eerste editie onder de bezielende aanvoering van Amersfoortse jazzliefhebber Math Meester. Tijdens het festival, toen nog bekend als ‘De Amersfoortse Jazz Driedaagse’, presenteerden toonaangevende artiesten als Jean ‘Toots’ Thielemans, Rob Agerbeek, Greetje Kauffeld en Bart van Lier het beste van World Jazz. Inmiddels is het bescheiden driedaags jazzfestival uitgegroeid tot een dynamisch evenement met een internationaal bereik. Het festival is dé plek waar muzikanten en hun muziek centraal staan en waar intimiteit en verwondering bezoekers, makers en muziekprofessionals verbinden met de muziek, de stad en met elkaar. Er is aandacht voor verdieping, cross-overs en experiment. In verschillende programmalijnen presenteren hier levende legenden naast aanstormende talenten met een persoonlijk signatuur, vaak in samenwerking met partners uit het internationale World Jazz Network. Tot op de dag van van vandaag reizen muziekliefhebbers uit het hele land af naar de sfeerrijke binnenstad van Amersfoort om te genieten van hoogwaardige jazz- en wereldmuziek concerten.
Het festival brengt nationaal en internationaal jazztalent samen en manifesteert zich als de ontmoetingsplek voor musici, producers, journalisten en professionals binnen de World Jazz scene. Sinds een aantal jaar selecteren we jaarlijks een nationale en internationale Artist in Residence, die gedurende het festival in unieke samenstellingen presenteren en op deze manier extra in het zonnetje worden gezet. Van eigen bodem selecteren we ook een Exceptional Endorsed Talent, een uitzonderlijk aanstormend talent in de World Jazz scene.
Amersfoort World Jazz strives to bring the beauty of World Jazz to the attention of the widest possible audience. The definition of World Jazz is in fact all music with an improvisational element. At the beginning of the last century, this music often suffered from a so-called ‘tribal conflict’. Hard bop, Bebop, Impro, Free Jazz, Latin, Gypsi and many other music movements were, as it were, killing each other. For us, the World Jazz genre is in fact one sound that is made and consumed in different places around the world based on our own cultural traditions. It sounds and tastes slightly different everywhere. When we bring the musicians together in one place, all these sounds connect flawlessly into a beautiful interplay, making the festival saturated with sounds and rhythms from different corners of the world. The festival brings people into contact with new sounds. We want to achieve a long-lasting effect, so that the popularity and, above all, appreciation of this music movement increases and lasts locally, nationally and internationally.
Amersfoort World Jazz presents artists who provide an original addition to the event; with its own signature to the World Jazz palette as described above. So we are not a ‘one-movement’ or ‘gig’ festival. For us, the quality, craftsmanship and the artist’s drive to innovate are central. Each concert is unique and in fact a co-production with the artist. By bringing together artists who may not have performed on stage together before, we give a new direction to existing formations and bands. This often results in innovative and lasting initiatives. Innovation can be in the repertoire, the composition, the soloist and/or the co-productions as a whole. We try to portray artists in their own strength, to let artists add their own authenticity to something that already exists or to merge into something that did not yet exist. Challenging the artist to manifest outside his/her comfort zone is also part of this.
With Amersfoort World Jazz we want to contribute to global talent development and talent exchange. Our vision for talent development is to build a global mainframe to facilitate the visibility, audibility and mobility of exceptional talents worldwide and build a place in the world where the new talents can be seen and belong to the public and professionals who can further their careers. Our National Artist in Residence/ Exceptional Endorsed Talent 2022 Lucas Santana proves that we are making a successful contribution to this. He performed in five different settings during the 43rd edition of the festival and was able to present himself to a network of international professionals. As a result, the young saxophonist has performed at several internationally renowned festivals, including India, Thailand, Hungary, Italy, Spain, Poland and South Africa.
The organization is strongly committed to an inclusive festival where we recognize and cherish the rich diversity of World Jazz. We are not a ‘one-movement’ festival, but present the wide range of music movements that are all closely related to, or simply in good harmony with, World Jazz. At the same time we experiment with influences from, for example, classical music in combination with improvisational music. Thanks to the diverse offering, we also attract many people of all ages, backgrounds and beliefs. We are happy to celebrate this diversity.
The organization uses the Code of Culture as a guideline for developing the festival, based on the “four Ps”: program, audience, staff and partners.
Program
World Jazz is in itself extremely diverse, a genre that constantly mixes with other music styles. We strive for the broadest possible musical and cultural diversity in the program. We honor the living legends from all over the world and at the same time the new generation of professional makers by offering them a presentation platform.
Audience
The diversity of World Jazz is also reflected in the audience. Visitors from all corners of the world come together here, in Amersfoort, to be surprised by new sounds, new makers and new experiences. Thanks to the culturally broad offering, we reach communities that would normally not be attracted to a jazz festival. We see young and old, from local to international, enthusiast and layman.
Staff
The core team consists of a balanced mix of young starters, mediors and seniors from Western and non-Western backgrounds. Everyone has extensive knowledge of music and/or a great passion for music. The production is supported by World Jazz enthusiasts and is surrounded by a team of more than 100 volunteers from all walks of life who are more than happy to commit themselves to the city and culture.
Partners
The organization maintains close collaborations with various (local) cultural institutions and incubators that share our commitment to diversity, inclusivity and sustainability. Important stakeholders of the festival include Sena Performers and Dutch Performers House, interest groups that endorse the Codes in culture. There is also a lot of contact with the Kunstenbond and Bimpro. We are building on our collaboration with the Amersfoorts Cultural Festival Consultation. Together we strive to increase our impact and reach a broader audience.
The Amersfoort World Jazz Festival manifests itself as a Musicians’ Paradise: the place where musicians and the music take center stage. The festival facilitates all facilities for an optimal and successful performance and connects musicians with a broad international network of partner festivals and press. As Musicians’ Paradise we offer:
Fair and fast payment for every individual musician
An accessible and safe atmosphere during the festival
The opportunity for makers to sell their own albums and other merchandise without charging a commission.
Professional backlines, optimal sound and expert sound engineers
A production team of volunteers and crew who enthusiastically represent the festival at all times
Good hospitality, including a healthy meal, plenty to drink and massages for artists and crew
Access to an international network of professionals, partner festivals, bookers, journalists and artists.
Professional photos and audio and visual material from your own performances for use for your own promotion.
Program lines where artists are given the opportunity to present their album release. As a partner of the musicians, we help them to further this release.
The Amersfoort Jazz Foundation is the proud initiator of the World Jazz Network, an informal international network aimed at increasing international mobility for World Jazz makers and talent development. While that may sound complicated, we have been described in many different ways in the past; our International Laureate Festival is essentially a comprehensive international talent exchange program, curated by some of the most renowned festivals, venues and institutions around the world.
Our World Jazz Conference brings together the professionals behind these events and organizations to exchange ideas, experiences and of course music. The Network’s annual meeting at the Amersfoort World Jazz Festival in the Netherlands is a time-honored tradition, but partners have been known to cross paths elsewhere, often of course while representing their laureates abroad.
