8. Oslo Jazz Festival 2016
This secondofjazz post will be a short summary of some of my experiences from the Oslo Jazz Festival this fall. Unfortunately, I was out of town in the beginning of the festival, but the events I got to attend was inspiring.
Snarky puppy
I went to the concert with Snarky Puppy on Sentrum Scene. As expected, these guys delivered groovy beats from the very beginning. This group of musicians reach out to such a broad audience. Hence, the place was absolutely packed.
Hearing a melody shift from classical music to groovy vibes in two seconds is not an everyday occurrence. That’s what you get on a Snarky Puppy concert (alongside with so many other musical impressions). I have to give the two drummers a little extra credit. Their communication on stage made this night special. Great night!
Arrows Into Infinity
I had the pleasure of watching the film “Arrows Into Infinity” on Cinemateket. This is a film about Charles Lloyd, created by his wife Dorothy Darr. It provides a unique insight into the life of one of the most innovative figures in jazz history. It describes the spirit and mind of a creative musician who sought to explore the interfaces between jazz and many other genres.
After watching the film, we got to listen to a conversation between Dorothy Darr, Charles Lloyd and Audun Vinger. Dorothy and Charles reflected upon different topics from the movie, and gave us a deeper insight into some of the aspects of his career and life.
Charles Lloyd new quartet
Of course I had booked my ticket way ahead. This was for me the main event of the festival.
Not only did I get to witness one of the greatest saxophonists of all time on the stage in Oslo. With him he had one of my favorite drummers, Eric Harland. It was the first time I got to see Harland play live, so that was particularly exciting for me. And on top of that he brought the amazing Jason Moran on piano and Harish Raghavan on the bass.
And they delivered! I was sitting front row so I picked up on the humorous dialogue that was constantly going on up on the stage. Eric Harland had some breathtaking drum solos, and Jason Moran had his head planted deep inside of his grand piano for parts of the concert. It was everything I expected, and more!
I got to exchange a few words with Harland after the concert. Such a great personality!
Heading to NYC
In the moment of writing I’m counting down the hours till I’ll be heading for NYC. Looking forward to visiting some of the greatest jazz clubs in the world.
