Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival (Willemsted, Curacao; Sept. 1-3)
Source: Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival
Depending on how you look at things, the first weekend of September is either the last weekend of summer, or the start of fall. If you’ve planned things well enough to be in Willemsted during the Curacao North Sea Jazz Festival, we’re willing to bet you probably fall into the former camp. A Caribbean spinoff of the North Sea Jazz Festival held in the Netherlands since 1975, Curacao North Sea Jazz is first and foremost a jazz festival, albeit one that leans more towards the genre’s easy listening side. You can count on a handful of jazz greats at each edition, mixed in with a diverse selection of international artists from many different genres. Representing the Caribbean this year are zouk pioneers Kassav’; Our Cuban Affair, an all-star salsa and timba band organized just for the festival by producer Sergio George; and Lenny Kravitz (did you know he’s half Bahamian?). Also set to perform are Colombian reggaeton star J Balvin, Burt Bacharach, Tom Jones, Branford Marsalis and Al Jarreau.