Florence Adooni

Florence Adooni comes from Kumasi, the second-largest city in Ghana. Kumasi is seen as the epicenter of highlife music and the vibrant gospel of the local ethnic subgroup Frafra. However, Adooni’s contribution to this scene deviates from the traditional way music is played in northern Ghana. She surrounds herself with highlife musicians from the city and combines the soul of the northern savannah with the sound of the rainforest region, blending both cultures. Her eye for talent, charm, and soul have ensured that her debut single “Mam Pe’ela Su’ure” has received much appreciation in Ghana and around the world.

Shane Koppers

Super Sonic Jazz

Imaginarium

Y.O.P.E.

Siegfried Hart

Brintex Collective

Tallulah Rose

halfpastseven

Helena Casella

Together with OSHI and Steppin’ Into Tomorrow, Super-Sonic Jazz is introducing a brand new two-day festival at Paradiso: Super-Sonic Showcase Fest. In addition to the annual Super-Sonic Jazz Festival in November, this new initiative offers a stage to emerging talent that pushes the boundaries of jazz, soul, funk, and hip-hop—with a strong focus on the local scene.

Super-Sonic Showcase Fest brings together creators and music lovers, with a line-up that embodies the future of jazz. Expect innovative sounds, artistic cross-pollination, and an energetic atmosphere where talent and creativity take center stage. It’s a festival for curious listeners who want to explore what’s alive, growing, and blooming in the Dutch music scene.

Super-Sonic Showcase Fest is not just a platform for musical talent, but also a meeting place for artists, listeners, and lovers of music. A space where musicians can connect, spark new collaborations, and exchange ideas. Here, the local scene is not only celebrated but also strengthened—a space where the future of the scene becomes tangible.

Wednesday, July 2
Live: Brintex Collective, Siegfried Hart, ii
DJ’s: Pelanoir & Abiba, Mo Wrights, Lucas Benjamin

Thursday, July 3
Live: Imaginarium, Helena Casella, Y.O.P.E., halfpastseven featuring Tallulah Rose
DJ’s: SIEM, KC The Funkaholic, Shamis

On both days, make sure to browse the Wicked Wax vinyl market—the perfect place to expand your record collection.

Super-Sonic Showcase Fest: Celebrate Your Locals

SIEM

Shamis

Lady Wray

Lady Wray, born as Nicole Wray, is a versatile American soul singer. Last year, she released her critically acclaimed album Piece of Me on Big Crown Records. Her debut album in 1998 showcased her soul and R&B skills, but on Piece of Me, she combines these with a heavier dose of soul and elements of late ’90s R&B. Nicole Wray’s musical journey reflects her life, from her early discovery by Missy Elliot to her evolution into Lady Wray, where she now charts her own course as a mother and wife. Her story illustrates the transformation from a young singer from Virginia to a confident artist who follows her own path and leaves a unique mark on the music scene.

DON WEST

Riding the waves of the soul revival, DON WEST creates coastal-soul music in his own unique style. Inspired by icons like Marvin Gaye and Curtis Mayfield, as well as modern artists such as Jalen Ngonda and Thee Sacred Souls, the Sydney-based singer-songwriter is leaving his mark on the genre. His debut EP, set for release in November 2024, includes tracks like Small Change and Friends, which are already gaining global success. On Saturday, September 6th, he’ll bring his sunny sounds to Tolhuistuin.

Mulatu Astatke

Mulatu Astatke is known as the father of Ethiopian jazz, and that’s for good reason. He plays on all the important instrumental albums from the heyday of Ethiopian jazz in the 1970s. The now 81-year-old musician received his musical training in London and New York, and in Boston, Astatke was the first African student at the renowned Berklee College of Music. There, he combined jazz, Latin, and traditional Ethiopian music. Back in his home country, he introduced instruments like the vibraphone, keyboard, congas, and bongos into the music. But it is especially the grooving, Ethiopian melodies that Astatke brought into American jazz that he is praised for. He performed on stage with legends like Duke Ellington and Alice Coltrane. His music still inspires many musicians, and his songs are frequently used as samples by artists such as Nas, Damian Marley, and Kanye West. Astatke broke through to a large international audience (again) when, starting in the late 1990s, the Ethio-jazz reissues from the ‘Éthiopiques’ compilation series were released, and his music was used in the soundtrack for Jim Jarmusch’s 2005 film Broken Flowers.

In 2025, he will start his farewell tour and release Mulatu Plays Mulatu, a retrospective of his legendary career. “I wanted to spread Ethio-jazz worldwide, and I have succeeded,” he says – a legacy that will undoubtedly live on.

Surprise Chef

Surprise Chef creates atmospheric, instrumental jazz-funk with influences from 1970s soundtracks, funky jazz, and hip-hop samples. Their distinctive sound comes from endless hours in the studio, studying the great masters, and a unique perspective shaped by their geographic distance. The band describes their music as “moody shades of instrumental jazz-funk,” where sharp drums, infectious keys, rhythmic guitar in the style of Studio One, and flute lines reminiscent of Blue Note come together. Last year, Surprise Chef performed at London Calling, and on Tuesday, September 16, they will return to Amsterdam for their own headline show at Tolhuistuin.

Mereba

The alternative R&B rapper, singer-songwriter, and producer Mereba learned to play guitar from a folk guitar teacher when she was a young teenager in North Carolina. This has shaped the way she writes her songs. Her focus is on simple stories from everyday life, metaphors related to nature, melancholic tones, and criticism of the system.

Through her debut album The Jungle is the Only Way Out, many doors opened for Mereba. This even led to a connection with the icon Stevie Wonder, who mentored Mereba around the same time. She has also collaborated extensively with rappers like JID, Earthgang, and 6lack.

This year, Mereba released a brand-new album: The Breeze Grew a Fire. The album is a loving, inspiring return to her roots, where Mereba lets go of a painful past, moves into future possibilities, and flows with the current of life. Surrounded by the warmth of relationships and memories, Mereba feels empowered, both as an artist and as a mother.

Move 78

Move 78 is a Berlin-based band that blends the raw energy of jazz improvisation with heavy hip-hop beats. Their sound is both spontaneous and layered, where live performance and technology merge into something unpredictable and captivating. The name refers to a legendary Go game in which a human player surprised AI with a brilliant, unpredictable move. It became a moment where human creativity and intuition surpassed the power of artificial intelligence. This idea – the unexpected, spontaneous, and human versus the calculated and mechanical – is exactly what Move 78 explores in their music. They combine jazz improvisation and hip-hop rhythms with technology, with each recording emerging from a process of experimentation, erasing, and rebuilding. Much like the legendary Go game, they seek a balance between human and machine, leaving room for surprises. Since 2021, Move 78 has released three studio albums: The Algorithm Smiles Upon You, Automated Improvisation, and Grains, and on Friday, September 26, the band will perform at Paradiso for the first time.

Everything Yes

Everything Yes is an American jazz fusion band that brings a fresh take on the genre while staying true to the roots of jazz. Led by drummer Zack Graybeal, known as ZackGrooves, the band combines virtuosity and experimentation to create a unique sound. With influences from funk, blues, and contemporary jazz, they create a dynamic mix of complex compositions and infectious grooves.

The band members, each with impressive backgrounds in performance and composition, share a deep musical chemistry that is the heart of their sound. Everything Yes guarantees energetic live performances, at 6 with you can experience this in real life in Tolhuistuin.

🪩 Party

🏀 Active

🎨 Cultural

🍿 Chill

Adam

Maggie

Christie

Eric

Anna

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We are an Amsterdam-based non-profit platform for exciting artists who move within the universe of jazz. We release music on our independent record label, and in collaboration with Paradiso we organize concerts, jams, and the annual Super-Sonic Jazz Festival.

Calling our artists, crew, and visitors ‘family’ isn’t something we do without intention: It’s our goal to unite, connect, and inspire each other. Apart from organizing events and releasing music, we share background stories about the artists we love and extend knowledge about past and present music. We are building this community together.

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(Text and image)
https://www.supersonicjazz.nl/

Super Sonic Jazz

100+

Florence Adooni

Super-Sonic Showcase Fest: Celebrate Your Locals

Super-Sonic Showcase Fest: Celebrate Your Locals

Lady Wray

DON WEST

DON WEST

Mulatu Astatke

Surprise Chef

Mereba

Move 78

June