‘50 Years of North Sea Jazz Photography’ showcases work by Paul Bergen, Rico D’Rozario and Andreas Terlaak
North Sea Jazz is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. To mark this milestone, the Kunsthal, in collaboration with North Sea Jazz and its main partner, Nationale-Nederlanden, is presenting the exhibition ‘50 Years of North Sea Jazz Photography’. From 5 September, HAL 7 at the Kunsthal will showcase work by photographers Paul Bergen, Rico D’Rozario and Andreas Terlaak, who have documented the festival over the years.
Her Majesty Queen Máxima opened the anniversary edition of the NN North Sea Jazz Festival this summer, which took place on 10, 11 and 12 July at Ahoy Rotterdam. The first edition was held fifty years ago at the Nederlands Congresgebouw in The Hague. The initial figures: six concert halls, three hundred musicians and nine thousand visitors. The festival has since developed into a major international event. It is renowned for its line-up featuring the biggest names in jazz history, including Miles Davis, Sonny Rollins, Herbie Hancock and Wynton Marsalis, alongside well-known soul and blues artists such as James Brown, Ray Charles, Prince, Erykah Badu, Alicia Keys and B.B. King.
The festival also provides a platform for new talent. Artists who would later make a name for themselves, including Roy Hargrove, Jacob Collier, Ibrahim Maalouf, Gregory Porter and Amy Winehouse, made their festival debut at North Sea Jazz and performed in one of the festival’s many small venues at the start of their careers. Adele and D’Angelo also made their Dutch festival debut at North Sea Jazz. The exhibition‘50 Years of North Sea Jazz Photography’ takes visitors to the Kunsthal on a journey through behind-the-scenes images and photographs of iconic performances.
The photographers
Paul Bergen (1957) started out as a general press photographer, but has now been one of the best-known Dutch music photographers for decades. He is renowned for his live photographs and portraits of artists. Major pop and rock stars such as Nirvana, David Bowie, The Rolling Stones and U2 have appeared before his lens, as have jazz artists such as Herbie Hancock and Sonny Rollins. His work has appeared in a wide range of newspapers and magazines and has also featured in TV documentaries. He also works on commission for the ANP press agency. Bergen has published several photo books, including *Nineties Spirit* and *Zero’s Heroes*.
Rico D’Rozario (1944) started out as a musician, but discovered that his talent lay more behind the lens than behind the drums. His work has received numerous awards; for instance, he has twice won the Portrait Prize at the Zilveren Camera. Major music stars have appeared in front of his camera, from Mick Jagger and Miles Davis to Prince and Beyoncé. He has worked for various magazines, including the pop magazine OOR, published several photography books and taken photographs for hundreds of record and CD covers.
After completing his training, Andreas Terlaak (1976) decided to combine his talent with his great passion for music and became a concert photographer. He captured countless live concerts and experienced many highlights in his career. For example, he was Neil Diamond’s regular tour photographer for many years and worked with Prince on his shows at Paradiso in Amsterdam. Later in his career, he expanded his field of work to include Formula 1 and dance. Much of his work is published by the daily newspaper NRC and the concert organiser MOJO. Terlaak won first prize twice at the Zilveren Camera awards, for his photographs of Amy Winehouse and the dance company Conny Janssen Danst.
