1 year ago
From Ian George
Jazz Festival Executive Director
Following on from the recent appointment of Ian George as the new Executive Director of Cheltenham Jazz Festival, he had the enviable task of heading to Holland for the North Sea Jazz Festival. Read how he got on and what inspires him for Cheltenham 2010…
All aboard…
How do you create a festival atmosphere in what from a distance looks like an aircraft hanger? Well Rotterdam’s answer is fill it with a fantastic mix of leading jazz names, indoor streets of bars, food stalls and shops, plus a programme that goes beyond jazz to welcome names such as BB King and Burt Bacharach.
Members of the Cheltenham Jazz Festival team experienced the North Sea Jazz Festival for the first time last month and it was a real treat. I often hear, as we did on this trip, that what makes Cheltenham special for artists and visitors alike is the intimate atmosphere but the feeling in Holland is somewhat different, with the biggest venue at a vast 10,000 capacity.
Where there was John Scofield in one corner, there was Jamie Cullum in another; when you’ve just discovered that Roy Hargrove’s Big Band is playing with Roberta Gambarini, you’re missing local sax hero Candy Dulfer. In my mind this is what makes a true festival, the gut wrenching decision process to pick your running order. A festival is also just as much about discovery as it is your preconceived must sees.
My discovery was at the Hilton late night/early morning jam sessions where I was wowed by the young Rotterdam jazz musicians who jammed with true conviction and showed the energy that comes from this exciting genre.
The British scene is just as exciting and Cheltenham has of course established itself as the platform for a creative hotbed of young British Jazz.
Lots of conversations are being held here at festival towers with some big names and some great ideas bouncing back and forth with our friends at BBC Radio 2… and beyond.
Bring on Cheltenham 2010…
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We’ve tagged this post with Ian George, jazz on Thursday 13 August 2009.
