by Steven Seedo
PARAMARIBO — “I have given an overview of the different music styles that I play at North Sea Jazz,” says Ronald Snijders the True Time after his successful Bigi Yari concert at the NN North Sea Jazz Festival 2026 in Rotterdam, Netherlands.
He started with a tribute to his father, Eddy Snijders. The versatile flautist then took the audience on a musical journey: from indigenous music and Maroon culture to Africa, the United States, Brazil and ultimately Paramaribo. With the song ‘Prika’ – an old word for “black” – Snijders got the audience dancing en masse.
“With its characteristic, funky Playing the flute and the many other instruments he masters, Ronald Snijders continues to give new impulses to Surinamese and Dutch jazz.”
His performance, on July 12, the last day of the festival, took place in De Hudson, one of the main stages of the annual NN North Sea Jazz Festival. The hall is known for its intimate atmosphere and excellent acoustics, making it a popular location for special concerts.
Snijders performed with his Ronald Snijders Band, which consists of top musicians from Suriname, Curaçao, Brazil and the Netherlands. Together they presented a musical party full of funk, kaseko, jazz, energy and love.
Art and exhibition program
In addition to the music, the festival paid extensive attention to the fiftieth anniversary of North Sea Jazz with an extensive art and exhibition program. Snijders was also part of that. For him, that was “a special honor”, since more than thirty thousand artists have appeared on stage since the festival was founded by the Dutch impresario and publisher Paul Acket in 1976.
Snijders has been one of the most versatile and productive musicians in the Netherlands and Suriname for decades. With its characteristic, funky Playing the flute and the many other instruments he masters, he continues to give new impulses to Surinamese and Dutch jazz.
Snijders will be on stage at the Summertime Festival in The Hague on Saturday. He can then be seen during the Kwaku Summer Festival. At the end of the year he will give several concerts in Suriname.
