Jan Akkerman (1946) has been one of the most respected guitarists in the Netherlands for forty years. He was a member of internationally acclaimed bands like Brainbox and Focus and played with many different musicians, such as BB King, Charlie Byrd, Cozy Powell, Claus Ogerman and Ice-T. He also made more than a dozen solo records, on which he combined elements of rock, jazz, blues and dance music with his own signature. Akkerman has been touring around the world for years. He appeared at the Swiss Montreux Jazz Festival and North Sea Jazz several times, did countless tours around theatres and different stages both in Europe and the US and recently visited Russia, Syria, Australia and Japan. In 2005, Akkerman received a prestigious Dutch Golden Harp Award for his complete work. Earlier this year, he released his latest album: Minor Details. To North Sea Jazz he'll bring two special guests: trumpeter Eric Vloeimans and Amsterdam soul singer Brown Hill.
