Every year, the weekend before Easter, the small town of Voss in western Norway fills up with great musicians and an attentive audience. The last 40 years Vossa Jazz has built a strong reputation within the music community, through quality bookings, a scenic location and musical innovation. The profile of the festival is based on jazz, folk music and world music.
What really separates Vossa Jazz from other jazz festivals is the emphasis on innovation. Tingingsverket (the main commisioned work) draws the attention of the music community every year. By giving an established musician the task of making new music for the festival Vossa Jazz can present something fresh and never before heard for the audience, and at the same time give an artist an incentive to work with new collaborators, find new inspiration and evolve musically.
This year the main commisioned work (Tingingsverket) will be performed by Susanna, one of Norway’s most interesting and innovative artists – her discography is a treasure chest of different musical expressions and exciting collaborations. She has formed a new band for the occasion, and has written new music inspired by the Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch.
Vossa Jazz is proud to present three other commisioned works in addition to Tingingsverket this year:
Some of the other great artists visiting this years festival are Sheila Jordan & Cameron Brown, Nils Petter Molvær Group, Tomasz Stanko, Karin Krogh & John Surman, Highasakite and Bushman’s Revenge.
Vossa Jazz places great importance in including everyone. The program also features Badnajazz (Childrens Jazz), Eldrejazz (Jazz for older people) and Superjazz (Jazz for disabled people) where young, old and disabled people are the main audience, and also included as performers.
Here are two well-written reviews from last years Vossa Jazz:
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/vossa-jazz-2016-nils-okland-by-ian-patterson.php
http://downbeat.com/news/detail/nordic-sounds-abound-at-vossa-jazz-festival1/P1
Photos from last years festival can be found on www.vossajazz.no/bilete/
The full program can be found at www.vossajazz.no/program/
The poster of the 2017 Festival is made by the Russian artist Tatiana Stadnichenko:
https://vossajazz.no/arrangement/vossa-jazz-utstilling/
What really separates Vossa Jazz from other jazz festivals is the emphasis on innovation. Tingingsverket (the main commisioned work) draws the attention of the music community every year. By giving an established musician the task of making new music for the festival Vossa Jazz can present something fresh and never before heard for the audience, and at the same time give an artist an incentive to work with new collaborators, find new inspiration and evolve musically.
This year the main commisioned work (Tingingsverket) will be performed by Susanna, one of Norway’s most interesting and innovative artists – her discography is a treasure chest of different musical expressions and exciting collaborations. She has formed a new band for the occasion, and has written new music inspired by the Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch.
Vossa Jazz is proud to present three other commisioned works in addition to Tingingsverket this year:
- Busi Ncube is one of Zimbabwe’s biggest international artists, and an important ambassador for the country’s rich music traditions. In collaboration with Global Music Oslo Vossa Jazz presents the premiere of her work «Usiko».
- Møster! is a band put together by Bergen based virtuoso saxophone player Kjetil Møster. They promise a groovy, highly potent and multifacetted outburst of energy, drawing inspiration from West African traditional music as well as german krautrock.
- The great percussionist Terje Isungset explores water in his new commisioned work «Sildrande» (Drizzling), together with some of Norway’s finest contemporary jazz musicians.
Some of the other great artists visiting this years festival are Sheila Jordan & Cameron Brown, Nils Petter Molvær Group, Tomasz Stanko, Karin Krogh & John Surman, Highasakite and Bushman’s Revenge.
Vossa Jazz places great importance in including everyone. The program also features Badnajazz (Childrens Jazz), Eldrejazz (Jazz for older people) and Superjazz (Jazz for disabled people) where young, old and disabled people are the main audience, and also included as performers.
Here are two well-written reviews from last years Vossa Jazz:
https://www.allaboutjazz.com/vossa-jazz-2016-nils-okland-by-ian-patterson.php
http://downbeat.com/news/detail/nordic-sounds-abound-at-vossa-jazz-festival1/P1
Photos from last years festival can be found on www.vossajazz.no/bilete/
The full program can be found at www.vossajazz.no/program/
The poster of the 2017 Festival is made by the Russian artist Tatiana Stadnichenko:
https://vossajazz.no/arrangement/vossa-jazz-utstilling/
