MID-ATLANTIC - Håkon Kornstad and Oslo Jazz Ensemble

Many of the European composers and musicians were -and still are, fascinated by the harmonies of jazz music.

Håkon Kornstad and Oslo Jazz Ensemble muster on a ship to America as in-ship orchestra. They carry a 100-year contract, which runs from 1920 until today – or from the Spanish flu to the Corona virus. When sails were replaced by the steam engine, the Atlantic sea became a magnet for composers and musicians on both sides of the pond. We know both Art Tatum and Sergei Rachmaninov are on the passenger list, and that they were hard core fans of each other. Also Duke Ellington, who turned Rachmaninovs piano music into jazz hits, all the while Ravel and Gerschwin walked from one dank club to another, jotting down cool jazz riffs. What would Richard Strauss and Gil Evans talk about over drinks at the bar, and how would Kurt Weill feel about modern day sampling and noise? We don’t have all the answers, but do ask some of the questions most people interested in music, have always been pondering on.

Håkon Kornstad is an opera singer and top tier jazz musician, with an above average technical and musical capacity. Oslo Jazz Ensemble is one of the biggest and foremost ensembles in Europe, having visited 15 countries across the world. This summer 15 musicians will enter the stage, several of which being highly acclaimed in the Norwegian jazz scene.