The International Jazz Day – April 30th has been celebrated in Reykjavik since it was fist declared by Unesco in 2011. This year we saw a wide variety of events throughout the city and a healthy dose of added limelight on the radio.
My first stop was at Hannesarholt where Óskar Guðjónsson led his quartet Move through his compositions. Eyþór Gunnarsson at the piano, Valdimar Kolbeinn Sigurjónsson on bass and Matthías Hemstock on drums. It’ s all about the depth of interpretation with this fantastic group. They have been honing this music for seven years – looking for something more, something different. It’s a very subtle transformation for those of us that have followed it from the beginning. Hopefully there will eventually be a recording that captures this amazing journey.
Weekly jam sessions at the burger joint Le Kock in the oldest part of Reykjavik are usually held on mondays. To coincide with the international day of jazz it was held on a tuesday. The house band of saxophonist Sölvi Kolbeinsson, drummer Magnús Trygvason Elíasen, guitarist Daníel Friðrik Böðvarsson and bassist Sigmar Thor Matthiasson set the mood and made the particiapants in the ensuing jam session feel very welcome. A left handed upright bass didn’t even managa to keep adventorous bassist abay.
April in Bremen
It is a true pleasure to witness how the Jazzahead has grown since its inception 18 years ago.
Bremen, Germany – hosts this largest festival/conference of jazz in the world.
Although the profit-margin of what Jazzahead represents can hardly compete with what flows in the main stream, this is a very credible barometer on how the European improvisatory winds are blowing. Music export offices from all over the world are present to pave the way for their artists
Every year there is a focus country present. This year it was Holland, the country that for the last decades has become the most popular location for those wanting to further their jazz studies in a conservatory environment.
Also present this year was an interesting African contribution.
The Icelandic Music Center was present with several of the artists from the Icelandic Jazz Scene. Here is a link to my Radio Program Djassland with interviews with the Icelandic artists and Sigtryggur Baldursson, the representative from Icelandic Music.
EBU Radio and all that jazz
Jazz on the radio. A panel moderated by Götz Bühler (on the right) with EBU Radio representatives. Anniken Sunde, Andreas Felber and Laima Slepkovaite (left to right)
My visit to Jazzahead coincided with a meeting of jazz producers from radio staions of the EBU. My first time meeting these fine people who of course have to deal with different issues on their home fronts.
Most of us seem to have the understanding of our superiors regarding jazz music as an important part of any music programming and it is common to have a working relationship between classical and jazz at our stations.
We share the enthusiasm to bring good music to our listeners and to keep trying to find ways to enable the artists to ever greater heights. To this end we cooperate on the Euroradio Jazz Competition – a competion of young artists, who we suggest to a jury that selects the final four bands/artists to play at the Jazz Festival in Marciac in July.
Iceland’s representative in the preliminaries this year is guitarist Mikael Máni Ásmundsson.
The EBU jazz producers also come together for the Eurojazz Orchestra. An international big band of players under the age of 30. Individuals are suggested by the members of theh EBU Jazz Producers group and the final choice left with whoever leads the band each year.
Pétur Grétarsson 