The eyes closed, the head moving to the rhythm and the fingers almost automatically finding their way over the instruments. While some visitors were carried away by the music, the musicians also seemed to forget everything around them. Khemeia created an atmosphere that focused on listening, while Yoran Vroom’s Group of Friends with its fusion sounds took the audience to a musical friyari oso. Both acts were part of the Wednesday evening meet and greet in the Courtyard by Marriott, where visitors got a taste of the Suriname Jazz Festival on Sunday in Roeli’s Event Venue.
Text and image Sharon Singh
Khemeia, consisting of Icelandic guitarist Mikael Máni Ásmundsson and Italian singer Aurora Marchese, combines jazz harmonies with singer songwritermusic and layered acoustic sounds. The duo’s debut album, released on RNC Music, was nominated for ‘Best Album’ at the 2026 Icelandic Music Awards.
“We are grateful to the jazz lovers who were able to keep the event alive”
Rolinzo Rent
For Yoran Vroom and his band members, the visit to Suriname has a special meaning. Although the group is in Suriname for the first time as a collective, the visit feels like a homecoming for the musicians. The band members live and work in the Netherlands, but almost all have Surinamese roots. “We are here for the first time as a collective, but it is one homecoming for us. We are happy to be here,” says Vroom the True Time.
He is back after twelve years. “Time did not allow me to come back in between. But we are here and we are very happy with it.”
Vroom says that special preparation for the ensemble is not necessary. The musicians have been playing together for quite some time. Some have even known each other since childhood and have gone through a large part of their musical development together. “We play quite a long time in this composition. We are childhood friends and have gone through a musical development together.”
Festival as a tourist attraction
Rolinzo Huur, chairman of the Suriname Jazz Festival foundation, also calls the twentieth edition of the event a moment to look ahead. The annual festival is only part of the foundation’s work. “Our task is also to support cultural education and, of course, young talent. We have been doing this for years and will continue to do so. And for this we need the support of Surinamese companies, partners, organizations and everyone who has a warm heart for music,” says Huur to the True Time.
The ambition is to create a sustainable cultural platform where music, talent development and international cooperation come together. A multi-year strategic partnership with the Suriname Hospitality and Tourism Association (Shata) should contribute to this. This year the event is therefore called Shata Suriname Jazz Festival.
With the collaboration, the organization wants to strengthen the connection between music, culture and tourism. Huur sees opportunities to make the festival more attractive to visitors from Venezuela and countries in the Caribbean, including French Guiana and Guyana.
The collaboration is recorded in a declaration of intent. The foundation wants to develop the event in the longer term into a cultural and tourist attraction that is also better known outside Suriname.
Three stages, more music genres
It is not only the international ambitions that give this edition a different character. There are more stages and more genres this year. In addition to jazz, classical music, rap, urban and hip hop are discussed. “We don’t just have jazz music, then strictly jazz“You could say that it has been a bit out of fashion for a long time,” says Huur.
Classical music is represented by Rachidi Sanches and Jair Konter. Naks Kaseko Loco is also on the program. The Surinamese kaseko band is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary this year.
The festival has three stages, which are named after musical personalities. The main stage goes by the name Kid Dynamite. The second stage is named after the musical Snijders family and the third after the deceased Pablo Nahar. The artists are distributed over the three stages.
During the preparation, there was talk of a two-day festival. This was still the case until the first week of October, but it is now known that Saturday has been canceled. “We have now brought all the artists together. So everyone will perform on Sunday. We have enough space for that.”
Music as a means to share knowledge
For the foundation, the festival is not just about performances. Education and knowledge exchange have been important components for years. The foreign artists will have the opportunity to get acquainted with Suriname and its culture, while local musicians and young people can learn from their experience. In that context, the meet and greet with Khemeia and Yoran Vroom’s Group of Friends.
In addition, the foundation organized the songwriting masterclass ‘Write You Now’. Ten to twelve participants worked with Khemeia to write and arrange a song. The song was written and arranged on the spot, but not yet produced. The intention is for the result to be performed during one of the duo’s sets at the festival.
School visits to Wanica and Saramacca and a cultural exchange in Piki Slee are also on the programme. In Pikin Slee, the artists and local participants will share experiences and get to know each other’s culture. Huur: “We not only bring together local and international artists to play on a stage for a large audience, but we would like to give something back. We would like to show artists who come, something of our country, its culture, so that they can take it with them wherever they go. But we also want to learn something from them.”
With broader programming, international cooperation and educational activities, the foundation wants to build on the twentieth edition and at the same time appeal to a larger audience. But no matter how extensive the program is, the festival cannot exist without an audience, according to Huur. “Jazz is nothing without the audience. We can create something beautiful, but if no one comes there is no point. We are grateful to the jazz lovers who were able to keep the event alive.”
