New jazz portraits and album presentation Jazz from R'Jam

On Friday October 20, two new jazz portraits will be unveiled; a portrait of Meijer Wery by illustrator Joost Swarte and a portrait of vocalist Rita Reys, drawn by Wilbert Plijnaar. Then the LP Jazz from R'JAM presented. This opens Cross Comix in Theater Rotterdam Schouwburg.

Locations: Theater Rotterdam - Schouwburg (Schouwburgplein 25), Oude Binnenweg and Rotown (Nieuwe Binnenweg 19)
16: 00 hour: entry
17: 00 hour: unveiling of Oude Binnenweg
17: 20 hour: Rotown album presentation

16: 00 hour: Unveiling of jazz portraits and opening of the Cross Comix in the theater
At 16: 00 hour the Cross Comix festival is opened in the theater; a festival that shows and investigates crossovers between image and art, politics, technology, science, media and philosophy. As part of the opening there is a documentary about the Strip and Jazz Route on the media wall of the Schouwburg Rotterdam Jazz Artists Memorial (R'JAM). Jack Kerklaan opens the festival and tells more about the R'JAM initiative. The author of Rita Reys: Lady Jazz, Bert Vuijsje, and cartoonist Robert van der Kroft discuss the new portrait of Rita Reys by Wilbert Plijnaar. Hans Zirkzee (author Jazz in Rotterdam) & illustrator Joost Swarte give an explanation of the portrait of Meijer Wery, in conversation with Jenny Wery.

17: 00 hour: To Rotown via the new portraits on the Oude Binnenweg
After the opening in the theater Jack Kerklaan the guests, under the musical accompaniment of multi-instrumentalist Jos Valster, go outside to officially unveil the portrait of Meijer Wery (Oude Binnenweg, corner of Mauritsstraat). Running at Café Sijf DJ André Dadi special recordings of Chris Thiell. The new portraits of Meijer Wery and Rita Reys can be admired on Oude Binnenweg. Portraits were previously featured in the Strip and Jazz Route Rotterdam Jazz Artists Memorial - R'JAM realized by Nico de Rooy, Mitsey Smeekens, Piet Noordijk, David de Groot, Louis de Vries, Piet le Blanc, Dick Rijnooij, Jaap Valkhoff, Rob Franken and Tony Viola. The complete delivery of R'JAM will be celebrated in 2018.

17: 20 hour: Elpee presentation in Rotown
In Rotown presents presenter and program maker of RTV Rijnmond Roland Vonk presented a unique album on which the legendary Rotterdam jazz celebrities can be heard. The LP Jazz from R'JAM was compiled by Vonk and was published by CBK Rotterdam. The first copy is issued to Rob Maas and the 90-year-old, oldest Jazz Disc Jockey in the Netherlands, Dick A. van den Berg.

About
Joost Swarte (Heemstede, 1947) is a cartoonist, graphic and industrial designer and creator of the term Klare Lijn. Swarte started his own comic book in 1971 Modern Paper. Swarte became best known for his countless drawings, stamps, posters, postcards, LP and CD covers and his designs for cover covers (such as the Dutch weekly Vrij Nederland, the Belgian weekly Humo and the Italian architectural magazine Abitare).
Wilbert Plijnaar (Rotterdam, 1954) is known as the co-author of Sjors & Sjimmie and Clare. He is an illustrator, cartoonist and screenwriter of successful cartoons, such as Despicable Me and the Ice Age movies. He is also the cousin of Rita Reys.

Cross Comix festival
19 - 21 October, Rotterdamse Schouwburg
The unveiling of the new jazz portraits is also the opening of the second edition of Cross Comix. This festival examines the cross-overs between image and art, politics, technology, science, media and philosophy. During Cross Comix, which has The Great Crossing as its theme this year, guests and the public are encouraged to cross their own threshold and really immerse themselves in the other. More information can be found on the website of Cross Comix.