Lloyd, Snarky Puppy To Headline 30th Annual Oslo Jazz Festival
The 30th Annual Oslo Jazz Festival will celebrate in style as it
features returning artists as well as new talents representing a
remarkable stylistic range. Running August 14–20, headliners include
Norwegian stalwart Jan Garbarek’s quartet with Indian percussion master
Trilok Gurtu, Snarky Puppy, Abdullah Ibrahim’s Mukashi Trio, the Jacky
Terrasson Trio, Charles Lloyd’s New Quartet and Tord Gustavsen with Tore
Brunborg.
To highlight the festival’s rich heritage, organizers will present an
array of Norway’s top jazz musicians with the Oslo Jazz Festival
Orchestra 2016. Consisting of both young and seasoned artists, members
will include trumpeter Mathias Eick, saxophonist Trygve Seim, pianist
Jon Balke, drummer Gard Nilssen and bassist Ellen Andreas Wang in a
program that will feature music composed specifically for this occasion.
“Established in 1986, the Oslo Jazz Festival is one of Norway’s leading
festivals,” said André Ishak, marketing and communications director for
the OJF. “It started out as a festival dedicated to New Orleans and
Dixieland jazz, but it has evolved to include all kinds of jazz, and
sometimes a few non-jazz artists.”
With 18 venues around the city, festival sites include a small Anglican
church with capacity of 100 people, the 1,400-seat opera house and jazz
clubs such as Herr Nilsen and National Jazzscene Victoria.
The festival’s diverse offerings include Felix Peikl and Joe Doubleday,
who will pay tribute to Benny Goodman (Aug. 17), and a solo set by
tunesmith Jimmy Webb, who will play piano and sing some of his classic
pop songs at Chat Noir on Aug. 19.
A special, ongoing feature of the festival will be its Festival Academy.
Ishak noted, “We have a rather large section of activities aimed at
youths and students, with workshops, master classes and showcases. In
addition, there will be debates, Q&As and a series of film
screenings at the local cinema.”
Another component will be the Oslo Jazz Expo, a program designed to
increase the export of Norwegian jazz to the world. Participants will
include musicians as well as numerous jazz professionals representing
festivals, clubs, record companies and the media.
Supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this year marks
the first time the Expo program is in Oslo (having previously been
staged in Kongsberg and Molde). Along with attending concerts,
participants will be invited to the legendary Rainbow Studios, home to
many ECM recordings; and the National Music Academy in Oslo, where
rising stars of Norwegian jazz receive their education.
“The Oslo Jazz Festival aims to take the different genres and styles in
jazz seriously,” said Festival Director Edvard Askeland. “With access to
the best concert venues, we are using the beautiful Norwegian Opera
& Ballett, where Jan Garbarek is this year’s headliner. In addition,
we’ll use the historic University Aula, where Charles Lloyd returns 50
years after he made his live In Europe record surrounded by Munch paintings.
“The club National Jazzscene Victoria—where Cyrus Chestnut with Buster
Williams and Lenny White, and the Oslo Jazz Festival Orchestra are
performing—is a more intimate venue in the center of the city with the
best audio facilities.”
Askeland added, “Norwegian jazz is flourishing these days, and we are
happy to present a good portion of it with the 2016 Oslo Jazz Festival.”
(Note: For more information, including a complete schedule, visit the Oslo Jazz Festival http://oslojazz.com/" rel="nofollow - website .)
—John Ephland
from www.downbeat.com
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