“The World’s Best Jazz Festival” Makes Asian Debut in Hong Kong
HONG KONG, (June 12, 2014) – Twice hailed as “The World’s Best Jazz Festival” by JazzTimes Magazine, the North Sea Jazz Festival will be making its Asian debut in Hong Kong from 14 to 16 November 2014. The three-day world-renowned Dutch export will take place on three outdoor stages at the city’s stunning harbourfront. It will feature some of the biggest names on today’s international jazz and music scenes as well as offer a platform for emerging homegrown talent to shine.
The North Sea Jazz Festival has enjoyed a long and celebrated history in its native Netherlands since 1976. Many a jazz legend – Benny Goodman, Sarah Vaughan, Count Basie and Dizzy Gillespie – have graced its stages. Over the years the festival has presented ever-diversifying genres much to the delight of festivalgoers, including blues, soul, funk, hip-hop, world and pop. This year’s Rotterdam programme is scheduled to feature pop sensations Bruno Mars and Pharrell Williams. Although the full line-up for North Sea Jazz Hong Kong is yet to be announced, audiences have reason to look forward to a phenomenal auditory feast from over 30 concerts.
The festival organisers saw in Hong Kong an ideal counterpart to Rotterdam for the franchise’s first-ever Asian edition. “Calling Hong Kong home for the last three years, and seeing Hong Kong’s growing reputation as Asia’s cultural hub, I felt that this is the best time to bring the North Sea Jazz Festival,” said Robert van Hunsel, CEO and Co-founder of One2 Entertainment, the Dutch-Hong Kong company presenting the festival. “The idea for the future is then to connect more of the harbour cities of Asia – Shanghai, Singapore and Bangkok – with the North Sea Jazz Festival.”
Besides building musical bridges between the east and the west, the Festival will be accompanied by trade initiatives aiming to strengthen economic relations between the two great port cities of Rotterdam and Hong Kong. “This will be an unparalleled opportunity for Rotterdam and Asian harbour cities to strengthen existing connections and seek out creative new synergies in business,” said van Hunsel.
One challenge in bringing in a renowned festival is preserving its heritage while imbibing it with local flavour. Van Hunsel acknowledges no small effort of the event’s three-year planning went into getting the festival’s “body and soul” right. North Sea Jazz Hong Kong’s “local” twist will include pop-up performances in shopping malls, restaurants and public venues across the city, as well as an education initiative targeted at young musicians.
Tickets will go on sale in July. Day tickets will cost HK$960 and full weekend passes HK$2,300. An extensive array of hospitality is available at the Festival, including the North Sea Jazz Hong Kong Pavilion which will have all day food and beverage provided by a premium luxury food and beverage supplier.
全球最佳爵士音樂節North Sea Jazz Festival
首登亞洲載譽來港
香港，2014年6月12日—曾兩度被爵士樂權威雜誌JazzTimes Magazine譽為「全球最佳爵士音樂節」的North Sea Jazz Festival將會首次登陸亞洲，於本年十一月十四至十六日在香港舉行。這個以荷蘭為發源地，三十多年來蜚聲國際的音樂節將以香港美麗海港景色為背景，一連三日在三個大型戶外舞台上上演。屆時當今最膾炙人口的國際爵士及音樂界名字以及本地明日之星均會眾首一堂，實為難得盛事！
自1976年開始，North Sea Jazz Festival一直在發源地荷蘭享負盛名。多位曾叱吒一時的爵士樂經典人物如Benny Goodman、Sarah Vaughan、Count Basie 及 Dizzy Gillespie等都曾為North Sea Jazz Festival表演。而多年前開始，為迎合參加者口味，更加入多種其他音樂類型如藍調、騷靈、Funk、嘻哈、World Music及流行音樂等。今年在鹿特丹的音樂節更會有流行音樂天才Bruno Mars及Pharrell Williams等大駕光臨，可謂星光熠熠！雖然North Sea Jazz Hong Kong (「NSJ Hong Kong」) 的表演嘉賓尚未悉數公佈，但已經足夠令樂迷翹首以待，希望盡快欣賞來自超過30場表演之妙曲樂韻！
NSJ Hong Kong主辦單位One2 Entertainment看準了香港接鹿特丹的棒，作為亞洲版North Sea Jazz Festival的首站。One2 Entertainment行政總裁Robert van Hunsel表示：「我以香港為家已經有三年，看到香港作為亞洲文化樞紐的名聲越來越大，我認為現時是將North Sea Jazz Festival引入的最佳時機。我們希望將來可以為North Sea Jazz Festival連繫更多亞洲港口城市，如上海、新加坡和曼谷等。」
除了建立東方和西方之間的音樂橋樑，NSJ Hong Kong也在貿易方面有所貢獻，強化鹿特丹和香港兩大港口城市的經濟關係。Robert van Hunsel表示：「這將是一個無與倫比的機會讓鹿特丹和亞洲海港城市加強現有的關聯，並產生創新的協同效應，令商貿得以發展。」
引進這個著名音樂節的一大挑戰就是既要保持其傳統特色，又要同時加入本地元素。Robert van Hunsel表示這三年的規劃就是要確保NSJ Hong Kong的「肉體」和「靈魂」都有充足的準備。NSJ Hong Kong將有本地化的一面，透過商場、餐廳等公共場所的表演帶給香港的觀眾，亦會透過教育形式將不同類型的音樂知識灌輸給年輕新一代。
NSJ Hong Kong的門票將於七月正式發售。一日門票售價960港元；三日門票售價2,300港元。會場內的Festival Club和VIP Pavilion將會提供一系列特色商務接待和全天候餐飲服務。
