Reliving legendary jazz concerts in music, images and stories
In the '50s and '60s', greats like Miles Davis, Thelonious Monk, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan left a smashing impression in the famous night concerts at The Concertgebouw, a concert series that has gained an almost mythical status. After that, jazz took off in the Netherlands and we got our own musical heroes.
In the Dutch Jazz Heritage series, together with the Dutch Jazz Archive, we reconstruct these legendary performances, heroes and moments from jazz history - in the atmosphere of the time. You will see unique visual material, hear stories from eyewitnesses such as music journalist Bert Vuijsje and, above all, there will be lots of music. At each concert, we present well-known soloists and up-and-coming jazz talent. The JOC brings the jazz of the past to the present with new arrangements.
Podcast
In the podcast series Jazz at the Concertgebouw, we delve into the lives and work of jazz legends who gave illustrious concerts in Scheveningen and Amsterdam in the 1950s and 1960s. From Thelonious Monk to Chet Baker, in each episode we go back to the place where it all took place. Enjoy an hour of original music and conversations with special guests and music connoisseur Bert Vuijsje led by host Frank Jochemsen of the Dutch Jazz Archive.
Programmes
Sonny Rollins
Tenor saxophonist Gideon Tazelaar, together with the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, explores the influence of Sonny Rollins on Dutch jazz. The legend on the tenor saxophone has a special bond with the Netherlands and The Concertgebouw. Famous was his collaboration with Dutch bassist Ruud Jacobs and drummer Han Bennink. "It was a feeling of love" the now 93-year-old Rollins himself speaks of Rollins in Holland, perhaps the best recordings of his career. With soloists Gideon Tazelaar and Davide Sgarra.
Piet Noordijk
Benjamin Herman, being an alto saxophonist, has for years been an advocate of the legacy of his great predecessor: Piet Noordijk. Piet was "a monument" according to avant-gardist Misha Mengelberg, with whom he provided one of the highlights of Dutch jazz at the Newport Jazz Festival. Noordijk's career spanned no less than five decades and he developed himself as a bebop saxophonist to lead of one of Holland's most important big bands: the Metropole Orkest. With the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw, Benjamin honours his musical legacy like no other and gets help from young talent Adriana Calvo Anillo.
Jazz Divas
Leading jazz singer Fay Claassen draws inspiration from her Dutch predecessors together with the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw. She goes back to one of her sources of inspiration: Ann Burton. Alongside jazz vocalists Rita Reys and Greetje Kauffeld, Burton is one of the founders of vocal jazz in the Netherlands. Fay Claassen delves into the voice 'that tells a story' and the internationally successful album Blue Burton, which Ann recorded with pianist Louis van Dijk.
Miles Davis
Trumpeter Miles Davis released the groundbreaking Kind Of Blue in 1959, which features saxophonist and avant-garde pioneer John Coltrane, among others. When Davis and Coltrane gave concerts in the Netherlands that year, on 9 April 1960, many expressed outrage at the music. Now, sixty years later, Kind of Blue has taken a permanent place in many music lovers' record cabinets or Spotify playlists. Featuring top soloists on trumpet Ruud Breuls and Jan van Duikeren. Listen to the accompanying podcast about Miles Davis
YouTube video
Ella Fitzgerald
She was known for her unmistakable, pure sound and worked with all the greats of jazz. Legendary singer Ella Fitzgerald really needs no introduction. She enjoyed world fame with classics such as April in Paris, Love For Sale and duets with Louis Armstrong. Ella Fitzgerald performed at the Concertgebouw no less than 11 times and had Dutch audiences wrapped around her finger. In this programme, vocalists Marjorie Barnes and Anna Serierse put themselves in the shoes of the First Lady of Song. Listen to the accompanying podcast about Ella Fitzgerald
Gerry Mulligan
A swinging tribute by the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw to the Gerry Mulligan Big Band. In 1956, the saxophonist and his ensemble gave a legendary performance at The Concertgebouw. That atmosphere will literally be revived by saxophonist Jan Menu, veteran of the JOC and a connoisseur of Mulligan's oeuvre. Expect hits like Makin' Whoopee, Gold rush and The Lady is a Tramp. Listen to the accompanying podcast about Gerry Mulligan
Thelonious Monk
The iconic pianist Thelonious Monk was sometimes called the High Priest of Bebop. But Monk was a jazz innovator and made a very distinctive form of music that also extended beyond bebop. His Dutch debut was awaited for years and on 15 April 1961 he finally came to The Concertgebouw. The success was so great that organiser Lou van Rees promptly organised a second Monk concert, which also sold out in no time. Listen to the accompanying podcast about Thelonious Monk
Sarah Vaughan
American jazz singer Sarah Vaughan is considered among the greatest in the vocal jazz genre. Her voice has often been compared to that of an opera singer because of its great range. During her second Dutch concert at the Concertgebouw, she managed to force the entire hall into dead silence. When these 1958 recordings were released by the NJA on CD, NRC Handelsblad spoke of 'a maddeningly beautiful concert' more than half a century later.
Ruud Bos
An ode to a homegrown great whose name is perhaps less well known than his songs; think Telkens weer by Willeke Alberti, and the television music for De Fabeltjeskrant, De Fabriek and Zeg 'ns Aaa. The musical basis of Ruud Bos (1963) lies in jazz, and the orchestra he led between 1964 and 1969 reads like a who's who of the then Dutch jazz scene. The repertoire of this Secret All Star Band is as fresh as ever and revives with the soloists of the Jazz Orchestra of the Concertgebouw.
Art Blakey
Art Blakey is one of the greatest American jazz drummers and is among the inventors of the bebop drumming style. On 15 November 1959, he performed with his band The Jazz Messengers in the Great Hall. That band included trumpeter Lee Morgan and newly recruited tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter.
Count Basie & Sinatra
Like many other jazz greats, Count Basie crossed over to Europe in the 1950s and gave illustrious concerts in Scheveningen and Amsterdam. The concert by the famous big band leader and jazz pianist in 1956 was almost banned by the mayor because of fears of riots. It will be an evening of pure swing, with Peter Beets on piano and special guest Ruben Hein singing some highlights from the fruitful collaboration between Basie and Frank Sinatra, such as Come Fly With Me and The Lady is a Tramp.
Photo Miles Davis in Concertgebouw by Eddy Posthuma de Boer
Agenda
Thu September 19th 20:15 |
Dutch Jazz Heritage: 100 jaar Rita Reys ft. Trijntje OosterhuisHet Concertgebouw - Amsterdam |
Soon |
Tue January 21st 2025 20:15 |
Dutch Jazz Heritage: Thelonious Monk ft. Juraj StanikHet Concertgebouw - Amsterdam |
Soon |
Thu May 1st 2025 20:15 |
Dutch Jazz Heritage: Toots Thielemans & Rob Franken revisitedHet Concertgebouw - Amsterdam |
Soon |