Arts Desk » House of Sweden

Nordic Jazz Festival Boasts Big Acts, Unexpected Sounds

Christopher Porter — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 17:38:28 +0000

In The Country plays Sunday at House of Sweden and Monday at Twins Jazz.

Jazz from the chilly Nordic countries often sounds different not because of the temperature, but because of education: Nordic musicians are so well-versed in the mechanics of jazz, the history of classical music, modern pop music trends, and experimental sounds that many incorporate it all into a distinctive sound that is specifically Northern, but universally appealing.

The 6th annual Nordic Jazz Festival, which kicks off this week on the heels of the D.C Jazz Festival, will display the diversity of the Nordic sound. A partnership between the embassies of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden—along with Twins Jazz—the festival is really made possible by two other events: the Rochester Jazz Festival and the Vancouver Jazz Festival, which bring over these great groups and leads to mini-tours that take advantage of the musicians' time in North America.

Tomorrow, Kuára drops Nordic Jazz’s down beat at the Embassy of Finland. The trio of drummer Markku Ounaskari, pianist Samuli Mikkonen, and trumpeter/vocalist Per Jørgensen (a Norwegian giant) mix Finnish folk songs and Russian Orthodox music for a sound that revels in silence, suggestion, and decay. Kuára’s 2010 ECM album, Psalms and Folk Songs, is so beautiful it will appeal to pagans, Christians and atheists alike. To attend, send your name, affiliation/organization, and e-mail address to wasevents@formin.fi.

Iceland’s Anders Thor Trio steps to the stage next, first on Friday at Twins Jazz and then as part of the Nordic Jazz on Rooftop night on Sunday. Guitarist Thor plays gently swinging jams in this trio format, but he can also lay down the funk, as in the ASA Trio.

Bassist Dan Berglund is best known for his work in E.S.T., which became one of Europe’s biggest jazz acts because of the trio’s ability to blend deep improvisation with rhythms and structures more commonly associated with electronica. The Swedish trio came to a tragic end when pianist Esbjörn Svensson died in a scuba diving accident in 2008, but Berglund regrouped in 2009 with Tonbruket (“Tone Workshop”). That group takes over Twins Jazz on Saturday and will also appear on the House of Sweden’s rooftop the next night. Berglund is joined by guitarist Johan Lindström, pianist Martin Hederos (from psych-rockers Soundtrack of Our Lives), and drummer Andreas Werliin (from experimentalists Wildbirds & Peacedrums), and together they create a pastoral prog-jazz pastiche.

Sunday, Danish pianist Nikolaj Hess brings his brainy, bright, and multifarious compositions to Twins Jazz, but his first set at 8 p.m. starts right in the middle of the big rooftop event across town. At least Hess is back on stage for a 10 p.m. throwdown, giving House of Sweden attendees just barely enough time to high-tail it over to the U Street NW corridor.

Nordic Jazz on the Rooftop is the centerpiece of the festival, and the setting is impeccable: atop the House of Sweden, overlooking the Potomac at dusk. It will sell out, however, so if you missed Berglund and Thor’s prior concerts, you may be out of luck. It will also mean you’ll miss In the Country against a perfect backdrop, but you can catch the band the next night at Twins.

Sometimes jazz works because it feels like someone is lacing fingers behind your neck, yanking your melon to the ground, and driving a knee into your grill. But In the Country’s music is the opposite of violence: As heard and seen on the new Sounds and Sights CD/DVD, the Norwegian trio’s sound is a wine-soaked boat ride through majestic fjords, or a mushroom-laced stroll through the deep forest. Pianist Morten Qvenild, bassist Roger Arntzen, and drummer Pål Hausken sway as one with the swirling surges of sound, creating a kaleidoscope of beauty that caresses your brain, not pummels your face. It’s not always gentle music, but the group is forever gentlemanly: smart, suave, sophisticated, and in the superior class of modern day piano trios.

FotoWeek Preview!

Erin Petty — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 17:22:47 +0000

Matthew Black's photos are on display at the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery

Forget the inane spelling, FotoWeek DC is a killer event showcasing that arguably most accessible form of visual art–photography, duh–at venues throughout the D.C. metro area. The third annual event officially kicks off tomorrow and ends next Saturday, but tonight, for $45, you can attend the launch party at the Corcoran Gallery of Art. Attendees are advised to dress their best, as it is a photography party and "the paparazzi will be out in force." Um, sure. Fortunately, nearly all the other events are free–albeit probably less glamorous. Keep your eyes peeled for FotoWeek coverage on the blog next week from Lou Jacobson, Kriston Capps, Jonathan L. Fischer, and your truly. Here are some of the exhibits we're definitely planning to check out:

"imMigration" at Hillyer Art Space
Latino photographers from 11 countries explore the lives of migrants and immigrants across the globe.

"The Breadth and Beauty of Photography" at Studio Gallery
Fourteen photographers–ranging from photojournalists to portraitists–share their vision in one show.

"The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence: Identity Writ Large" at the Joan Hisaoka Healing Arts Gallery
Matthew Black's portraits of members of the Seattle chapter of the social activist group The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. Members assume the identity of queer nuns to raise awareness for LGBT issues.

"Cross Water: Bridges in Focus" at the House of Sweden
Over the course of six years, Ewa K. Andinsson photographed 14 of Sweden's largest bridges, approaching them not only with an eye for their transportational functionality but also exploring how each interacts with its respective environment.

New Work by Recent Photography and Photojournalism Graduates at the Corcoran Gallery
Six faculty members from the photography department at the Corcoran College of Art and Design handpicked works from one of their former students, based on how these works reflected the working relationship between teacher and pupil.

We've already covered a few FotoWeek events, like the "Simply Beautiful" exhibit at the National Geographic Museum, and Bruce Davidson's appearance tomorrow at Corcoran. And there are many, many more FotoWeek events–most of them exhibits, but also a smattering of lectures, film screenings, and workshops. Wonder what form the next city-wide celebration of art will take–think "PerphormanceArtWeek" would fly?

Nordic Jazz Week Wraps Up

Brandon Wu — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 17:02:06 +0000

By its broadest definition, Nordic Jazz Week encompasses five nights, including a show tonight at the Kennedy Center's Millennium Stage. But Wednesday night at the House of Sweden, in which the big draw was Nils Petter Molvær and Arve Henriksen (pictured above), was treated as a closing night of sorts. The omnipresent threat of rain forced the concert indoors instead of its customary spot on the House of Sweden's picturesque rooftop, but that didn't stop a substantial crowd from gathering.

Photos and writeup after the jump. Full gallery here.

Iceland's Sunna Gunnlaugs Quartet opened the evening with a set of straightforward, at times somewhat tentative jazz, pleasant but hardly revelatory. Henriksen took the stage next, joined by electronics wizard Jan Bang, and the two played as a duo with Bang manipulating the sounds coming from Henriksen's trumpet and providing additional layers as well. There was a distinct Jon Hassell influence at work here, but Henriksen's vocals provided a pleasant surprise: he sung wordlessly with amazing range and power, something I wasn't expecting at all. After some time, Henriksen and Bang were replaced, without a break in the music, by Molvær and his two collaborators, Eivind Aarset on guitar and Audun Kleive on drums. The music changed, becoming somewhat more beat-driven and intense, but the overall feel remained consistent: the House of Sweden seemed to be hosting a psychedelic space-music fest as much as it was an evening of jazz.

The Jonas Kulhammar Quartet brought things back to a more conventional level. Before their set, A Love Supreme played over the PA, which was a fitting prelude to this quartet's music, which reminded strongly of early 60s Coltrane. Like the Sunna Gunnlaugs Quartet, it was nothing particularly new and exciting, but very much enjoyable and spiced up by Kulhammar's humorous banter. This quartet will also be playing tonight at the Kennedy Center.

Nordic Jazz Fest has become a reliable annual event at which one can expect to see a good mix of straightforward jazz and slightly more off the wall material. The most "out" the festival has ever gotten was probably the 2006 appearance of Kjetil Møster, but recent years have seen some performances (such as Henriksen/Molvær this year or Kristian Blak last year) gently pushing the boundaries of jazz in diverse directions. I'm already looking forward to what's in store for 2010.

Nils Petter Molvær:

Jonas Kulhammar Quartet:

Sunna Gunnlaugs:

Full gallery here.