Håkon Kornstad. Photo: MICMIC Norway newly aired a brand new ’99 Minutes’ webcast and a ‘Listen to Norway’ printed magazine entirely devoted to Norway’s strong jazz scene and vibrant festival circuit. In addition to a strong playlist that includes artists Arild Andersen, Knut Reiersrud, Paal Nilssen-Love, Scorch Trio, Eple Trio, Bugge Wesseltoft, Motif, Stian Westerhus, In the Country, Supersilent, Nils Petter Molvær, Eivind Aarset & The Sonic Codex Orchestra, Stian Carstensen & Jimmy Rosenberg and Jenny Hval, 99 Minutes #12’s main feature is an exclusive interview with saxophonist Håkon Kornstad. In addition to the not-to-be-missed interview, in which the celebrated saxophonist touches on his newfound fascination for opera singing, the webcast also features two unreleased Håkon Kornstad tracks from his upcoming solo album that have not been available to jazz enthusiasts before.
Listen to the playlist ’99 Minutes’ #12 HERE.
This spring has already seen Vossajazz, MaiJazz, Nattjazz, Kongsberg jazzfestival and the Trondheim Jazz Festival being staged to great success. More festivals are coming up this summer:
Molde International Jazz Festival
Supersilent. Photo: MICEstablished in 1961, the Molde International Jazz Festival is without doubt one of the nation’s leading festivals, both in terms of size, historical significance and international standing. Over the years the festival has given key exposure for Norwegian jazz acts as the event has a long history of attracting international media and music industry reps.
The festival has also long been host to special projects and, as one of five festivals—Molde being the only jazz event—receiving additional government funding, Molde has been able to commission new works that have been recorded and ultimately released commercially. The festival has also been a part of the Intro Jazz: Årets Unge Jazzmusikere program, where eight groups are selected each year, from a larger collection of applicants, to compete for a prize of several hundred thousand Norwegian Kroners that can be used to help further their careers.
Highlights this year includes David Holland as artist in residence, John McLaughlin 6 the 4th Dimension, Lee Konitz & Tomasz Stanko Quintet, Supersilent feat. John Paul Jones and Jon Balke with Batagraf and Trondheim Voices and much more.
When: 18 – 23 July
More: www.moldejazz.no
Oslo Jazz Festival
Mathias Eick. Photo: MIC2011 marks the 25th anniversary of the Oslo Jazz Festival, an anniversary that is celebrated with a grand anniversary full-night concert at the Norwegian Opera featuring a reunited Come Shine backed by the Norwegian Radio Orchestra. The anniversary concert also includes an impressive list of soloists; Nils Petter Molvær, Silje Nergaard and Statkraft Young Star Scholarship recipient Kristoffer Kompen. The repertoire for the night will be based on new pieces written by Molvær, a selection of songs that Come Shine and the Radio Orchestra have performed with huge success in the past as well as compositions that were borne out of Nergaard’s work with the Metropole Orchestra.
Other Norwegian highlights at the festival include Kompen Quintet, Karin Krog (duo with Bengt Hallberg), Bugge Wesseltoft feat. a brand new band, Mathias Eick and the Bjørn Vidar Solli Wedding Band.
When: 15-20 August
More: www.oslojazz.no
Punkt Festival
David Sylvian. Photo: MICFounded in 2005, Kristiansand’s Punkt Festival’s governing principle is to contribute to further development of modern electronic music. Since the birth of the event, the festival has commissioned great international and Norwegian artists, like Arve Henriksen, Nils Petter Molvær, Supersilent, Sidsel Endresen, Maja Ratkje, Jon Hassel, Alain Johannes and many more, put them together and thus created both new concepts, new music and lasting artistic partnerships.
The festival is run and curated by veteran musicians and producers Jan Bang and Erik Honoré, and at the heart of the festival roster is the large network of fellow artists they have worked with around the world. The live remixing is a recurrent and central element of the Punkt festival, and this year’s edition will again see artists doing live and immediate reworkings of concerts as they are being performed. Already confirmed is the Norwegian/French quartet Dans les Arbres and singer/composer Sidsel Endresen. David Sylvian will, as Artist in residence, present a special audiovisual installation, Uncommon Deities, incorporating musicians, artists and poets.
As part of the cultural programme of 'Tallinn: European Capital of Culture 2011', Punkt hosted two highly successful full-night concerts in Tallinn in late April '11 featuring artists such as Jon Hassel, The Noorus Choir, Engsemble U, Sidsel Endresen, Arve Henriksen and Eivind Aarseth in addition to Punkt founders Jan Bang and Erik Honoré.
When: 1-3 September
More: www.punktfestival.no