North Sea Jazz Festival 2007
It was fantastic. I played there 3 times: With DJ Maestro (featuring Lex Empress (vocals), Lennaert (keys), and Femke Krone (perc)), as a guest with Wicked Jazz Sounds (feat. Berenice van Leer and Paul van Kessel (both voc), Gilian Baracs (keys), and Laurens Priem (git)) and with the Amsterdam Jazz Orchestra.
On first day I stepped out of the train at Rotterdam Central Station and who did I see stepping out of the Thalys? Johnny Griffin! He needed some help getting to the taxi and I was glad to be able to help this saxophone giant.
Friday I also went to the musicians after-session where I got to jam with Marcus Miller, Roy Hargrove and many more great people. I got to talk with some of my musical heroes such as Rodney Skeet Curtis, Dennis Chambers and Kirk Whalum.
I got surprised by a great female saxophone player I didn’t know yet. Sunday I stood talking to some friend, tired, not knowing which concert we should check out, we walked into the hall where Randy Brecker played and there she was: Ada Rovatti, a fantastic tenor player playing “Sponge”, my favourite tune by the Brecker Brothers!!!
And I saw the backstage arrival and depart of Sly from a 3 meter distance. It was a crazy circus with loads of photographers, camera men, famous musicians who couldn’t wait to catch a glimpse of mysterious Sly.
Snoop Dogg played right after Sly so I saw him arriving, too. He’s the coolest of all. He’s the only man on earth who looks cool with 2 braids and a (I call it) soup dress..
What more could I wish? I can’t think of anything. It’s been an incredible experience and I am already looking forward to next years’s North Sea Jazz festival.
X
Susanne