Photographer and travel writer Lola Akinmade sends IT an exclusive dispatch from the Stockholm Jazz Festival, currently celebrating its 25-year anniversary and one of the oldest music festivals in Scandinavia.
Soulful, rhythmic music wafting from Abraham Burton’s saxophone permeates the warm summer evening air, casting a spell over patrons who observe in a trance-like state. The open-air, yet surprisingly intimate, waterfront setting is Skeppsholmen (one of 24,000 islands in Stockholm’s impressive archipelago), awarding a panoramic backdrop of Stockholm’s picturesque harbor.
Tower of Power—an “urban soul” band from Oakland, California—takes the stage, instantly energizing the modest crowd with their old school mix of funky and jazzy grooves. But the real draw tonight was Mary J. Blige—one of many international artists headlining the Stockholm Jazz Festival’s silver anniversary, including Patti Smith and Van Morrison. Therese and Ann Britt, native Swedes from Stockholm, couldn’t hide their excitement. “I can’t wait to see her!” Therese emphasizes. “I missed the last two festivals, but I couldn’t miss it this year!”
The Stockholm Jazz Festival attracts a diverse clientele. Yonas—a software developer, native Eritrean, and now a naturalized Swedish citizen—attended his sixth show this year. “I had to bring him along!” he references his friend, Yemane. “I’ve been here the last six years and always have a great time. And yes! I can’t wait to see Mary!”
Mary J. Blige struts out to an ecstatic crowd chanting, “Mary! Mary!” In true form, she delivers an amazing performance that left us craving more.
The festival is internationally renowned, drawing top-notch contemporary and jazz artists to the shores of Ladugardslandsviken, on the island of Skeppsholmen. Sting, Chaka Khan, Stevie Wonder, B.B. King, Ella Fitzgerald, as well as Scandinavian artists like Peter Asplund and Bobo Stenson, have all graced the stages of the festival over the course of its history. The festival showcases the finest in Scandinavian jazz, a merger of traditional folk music and melodies with popular jazz rhythmic styles. Alongside celebrations of its 25th anniversary, the Stockholm Jazzathon aims to set the world record for longest jam session with a five-day, 24-hour jazz concert that features more than 100 musicians.
The festival will end July 19. Over the course of four days, more than 40 performers and jazz musicians will take center stage, performing for an audience of about 25,000 people.
Photo: Mary J. Blige at Stockholm Jazz Festival, by Lola Akinmade
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Am I missing the play on words or should the title be o-blige-d
You're right John!