History

Maastricht has a long history with jazz music. It started in the 40-ties and 50-ties due to several enthusiastic jazz musicians. Some important events like Jazz Mecca and Music Nights Maastricht even reached the status of international fame, but in spite of excellent programming they were not meant to stay.

Jazz Maastricht has arisen from a small annual musical event that took place in some of the bars in the old Jeker city-quarter. This event has been embraced in 2002 with the purpose to develop Maastricht into a living jazz city. The original formula with the pub stages was maintained and a small main stage was added to the concept. Both program elements – main stage and pub stages - showed tremendous growth and improvement, and have developed into two separate festivals: the Jazz Masters and the Jazz Promenade.

Today, Jazz Masters is considered by the national press as one of the best and most original jazz festivals in the Netherlands. Established names have been playing the Maastricht stages: Tania Maria, Steve Houben, Ngyên Lê, Glenn Corneille, Toots Thielemans, Brussels Jazz Orchestra & Maastricht Symphony Orchestra, Maria João, Richard Galliano, The Yellowjackets, Diane Schuur, Enrico Rava. An important part of the program is dedicated to important innovators as well as new, young and talented musicians, preferably from the Euroregion (Aachen, Hasselt, Liège, Maastricht),

The Jazz Promenade is mainly devoted to local and young talent, although the contribution of celebrities is increasing. The autumn festival takes place in the magnificent inner city on many dozens of free stages. In 2008 the festival presented half of all the top musicians in the netherlands and attracted 50.000 visitors.
Also see the Artist Gallery on this site.

Apart from festivals, Jazz Maastricht is programming throughout the year with concerts and sessions and educational activities like the Jazz By Kids improvisation workshops,

All these permanent activities contribute to a constant growth of the jazz culture in town and region.

Jazz Maastricht is one of the originators of Eujazz – a Euroregional association of the festival organisations of Maastricht, Liège, Aachen and Genk. Its aim is to promote jazz to a large audience in this international region. For more info: www.eujazz.com

Among the supporters of Jazz Maastricht some well known names can be found. In 2004, the late Dr. W. Duizenberg, first president of the European Central Bank, accepted the ambassadorship of the foundation. At this moment, the musicians Toots Thielemans, André Rieu and Willy Claes – equally minister of state and former secretary general of NATO – are ambassador of Jazz Maastricht.