This year the festival is bigger than ever and presents a rare opportunity to sample seven very different world-class Nordic groups and solo artists, several of them making their D.C. debuts. One concert each will be held at the Finnish and Swedish embassies. The renowned Twins Jazz Club in D.C. will host six concerts.
Representing Norway will be the critically acclaimed jazz band IPA and the multi Grammy Award nominee Håkon Kornstad. From Sweden comes Goran Kajfes Subtropic Arkestra, winner of the 2011 Nordic Music Prize. From Finland comes the award-winning Iiro Rantala, From Iceland comes: Sunna Gunnlaugs Trio and the award-winning Bjorn Thorodssen. The Washington Post said Sunna’s music possesses “elegantly bridges soul-searching passages with uncluttered swing.” And last but not least, from Denmark comes Søren Møller, hailed by the American magazine All About Jazz as “as close to perfect as it gets."
Nordic jazz artists present a unique sound that emphasizes the natural elements of the Nordic countries with a modern interpretation. The contemporary Nordic Jazz scene is characterized by improvisation; the music tends to be experimental but melodically strong with a spacious sound and open song structures. The music implies communion with nature. The participants in Nordic Jazz are mainly young artists with strong musical education from the Nordic countries.
Artists scheduled to appear:
Friday June 22 9pm & 11pm @ Twins Jazz 1344 U Street, N.W., Top Floor, Washington, D.C. 20009202-234-0072 IPA (Norway)Tickets are $15 each at http://twinsjazz.com/
Saturday June 23 9pm & 11pm @ Twins Jazz 1344 U Street, N.W., Top Floor, Washington, D.C. 20009202-234-0072Søren Møller (Denmark)Tickets are $15 each at http://twinsjazz.com/
Sunday June 24 8pm & 10pm @ Twins Jazz 1344 U Street, N.W., Top Floor, Washington, D.C. 20009202-234-0072Goran Kajfes Subtropic Arkestra (Sweden)Tickets are $12 each at http://twinsjazz.com/
Tuesday June 26 6pm-11pm @ House of Sweden 2900 K Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20007202-467-2600Björn Thoroddsen -solo warmup (Iceland), Håkon Kornstad (Norway), Søren Møller (Denmark), and Goran Kajfes Subtropic Arkestra (Sweden)• Tickets are $25 each or a 4-concert Jazz Festival Package (includes the rooftop concert at House of Sweden, two Twins Jazz concerts and The Finnish embassy concert*), $50: nordicjazz.eventbrite.com The bundle option is the only public sale of tickets to the Finnish Embassy concert.
Wednesday June 27 7pm - 10pm @ The Embassy of Finland 3301 Massachusetts Avenue Northwest Washington, DC 20008202-298-5800Iiro Rantala - solo (Finland), Sunna Gunnlaugs Trio (Iceland)• 4-concert Jazz Festival Package (includes the rooftop concert at House of Sweden, two Twins Jazz concerts and The Finnish embassy concert*), $50: nordicjazz.eventbrite.comThe bundle option is the only public sale of tickets to the Finnish Embassy concert.
Thursday June 28 8pm & 10pm @ Twins Jazz 1344 U Street, N.W., Top Floor, Washington, D.C. 20009202-234-0072 Håkon Kornstad–solo (Norway)Tickets are $12 each at http://twinsjazz.com/
Friday June 29 9pm & 11pm @ Twins Jazz 1344 U Street, N.W., Top Floor, Washington, D.C. 20009202-234-0072 Björn Thoroddsen -Trio (Iceland)Tickets are $15 each at http://twinsjazz.com/
Saturday June 30 9pm & 11pm @ Twins Jazz 1344 U Street, N.W., Top Floor, Washington, D.C. 20009202-234-0072 Sunna Gunnlaugs Trio (Iceland)Tickets are $15 each at http://twinsjazz.com/
Information on the series For more information on the concert series check out: http://www.norway.org/nordicjazz Also visit Twins Jazz
Public Contact: Twins Jazz, 202-234-0072, 1344 U St. NW, Washington, DC 20009House of Sweden, 202-467-2600, 2900 K St. NW, Washington, DC 20007Embassy of Finland, 202-298-5822, 3301 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008