What’s Happening, Martyna van Nieuwland?

The Artistic Director of Tampere Jazz Happening 2026 opens our interview series this autumn. In the interview, Martyna talks about, among other things, why the Netherlands is such an exciting country for jazz right now.

What’s Happening?

Thank you for asking, all is well, at least as well as possible in this not-very-peaceful world.

You were born and raised in Poland, where you completed your first university degrees twenty years ago. Even so, you have a special and long-standing connection with Finland, the Finnish language and Finnish culture. That is probably one of the reasons why you are now the Artistic Director of Tampere Jazz Happening, isn’t it?

I hope that it helped. I think it might have helped. Language skills allow us to communicate on a higher level and, more importantly, to understand culture and the way people think in a better way.

You have lived in Poland, Sweden, Switzerland, Finland and the Netherlands. Based on your experiences, is jazz precisely the kind of music that can bring people together without explanation, people who do not share a common language, a similar cultural background or a common worldview? And what is it about jazz that lies at the heart of its appeal for you?

This question is excellent. It made me think a lot.

Jazz is different in Brazil, Senegal, Norway or Bulgaria. We have different definition of jazz depending on different boroughs of NYC… I don’t even try to go there while trying to think of all different generations, variations, types and categories. Too much and too hard.

However, what this global community of jazz gave me personally, it’s one of its kind – dedication, friendship and expertise of people and music – connected for decades. Especially Europe Jazz Network that is a gate opener for many people, sitting on different sides of this big jazz table.

Good question, complex answer.

This year, the theme country of Tampere Jazz Happening is the Netherlands, where you yourself spent three years as the Artistic Director of the Music Meeting Festival. Here in Northern Europe, Dutch jazz musicians are perhaps best known through the distinctive improvisers of the older generation, such as Han Bennink, Willem Breuker and Misha Mengelberg, all of whom have also performed in Tampere. What sort of jazz country is the Netherlands today, if indeed it can be called one at all?

For me the strong side of jazz in the Netherlands is its diversity and international character. Amsterdam is a cultural hub of continental Europe, but music scene in Rotterdam or Groningen is also interesting.

We see these global influences in new generations of musicians who chose Amsterdam as their new home. Brilliant artists like Teis Semey from Denmark and Pedro Nobre from Portugal come to Tampere representing the Netherlands. Ibelisse Guardia Ferragutti and Frank Rosaly come from Americas, Chaerin Im from South Korea. And those born in the country, like Benjamin Herman or Kika Sprangers, look for inspiration and cooperation outside the country which makes them open and curious. So whoever goes for “Dutch first” in the music scene (and the last couple of years I saw that tendency clearly), needs to just chill.

What’s going to happen?

There is this song by the Kills “Future Starts Slow”. I find this title quite relevant for these times. But the song’s lyrics are as follows: “But I’ll never give you up. If I ever give you up, my heart will surely fail”.

Don’t give up jazz, people, whatever happens. That’zz it.