Jazz meets popular music
Jazz never stands alone. The music has always been intertwined with blues, soul, funk, and hip-hop. Or, as is often said: jazz is the teacher, funk is the preacher. What emerges from jazz finds its way to the dance floor, the radio, and a new audience. North Sea Jazz has been programming these worlds side by side for fifty years, and that is where the festival’s strength lies.
Jazz as a source: from soul to hip-hop
From the soul classics of the Isley Brothers to the fresh retro-soul of Jalen Ngonda, and the irresistible funk of Nile Rodgers & CHIC: this is music that comes straight from the same source. One of the highlights is the project centered around The Roots. With Questlove and Black Thought as the driving forces, this band has been defining the sound of hip-hop – and by extension, jazz – for decades. You can hear their influence everywhere from RH Factor to Robert Glasper. At the festival, they’ll bring different worlds together with artists like Bilal and Jon Batiste, who will also each perform their own sets. Questlove will also go deep with a set full of jazz influences, while Black Thought will demonstrate the power of rhyme and rap in a masterclass.
That influence is also easy to hear in soul and R&B. John Legend stands in the tradition of neo-soul, while GIVĒON demonstrates how jazz resonates today in a new generation of R&B: minimalist, warm, and strongly influenced by jazz harmony and phrasing. At the same time, new voices like kwn and Alex Isley are taking that development further.
Jazz always defies boundaries and so does the 2026 program! From the African roots of Youssou N’Dour to the global Afrobeats of Burna Boy and Adekunle Gold. Or closer to home, the Dutch rapper Frenna, who brings together R&B, hip-hop, and African influences.
Jazz op de draaitafel
The impact of 1990s DJ culture continues to breathe new life into jazz. By digging through old jazz records, new sounds are emerging in clubs and on dance floors. Labels like Talking Loud, featuring acts like Incognito, are bringing jazz and dance music together. Gilles Peterson, the man behind that sound, will also be at this year’s festival. In addition to his Friday masterclass, Liner Notes, where he will weave together and discuss 50 years of music history, he’ll be hosting one of the three special NSJ50 Afterparty DJ sets on Saturday. On Friday, Questlove will be spinning records as part of that series. And on Sunday evening, with Anderson .Paak as DJ Pee .Wee, the festival wraps up on the dance floor where it all comes together. What you’ll hear here isn’t a by-product of jazz but rather its legacy: jazz as a source that continues to fuel new music.
