Ragnheiður Gröndal og Ylfingarnir-Gullaldarjazz
Sunday 21. ágúst kl. 17.00, ÞjóðmenningarhúsiðGolden Era Swing with vocalist Ragnheidur Gröndal and the Wolferines.The music of the thirties and forties prevails as a favorite among musicians as well as the listening public.The versatile singer Ragnheiður Gröndal has six albums to her name including folk songs, jazz and pop music.
Óskar Guðjónsson og Skúli Sverrisson
Thursday 25. ágúst kl. 20.00, ÞjóðmenningarhúsiðThe collaboration between bassist Skúli Sverrisson and saxophonist Óskar Guðjónsson gave us the memorable cd "Eftir þögn" (After Silence) in 2002. These two pillars of Icelandic improvised music now present a new cd at the Reykjavik Jazz Festival 2011.
Kvartett Ómars Guðjónssonar, Eyjólfur Þorleifsson og Eyland, Fönksveinar
Friday 26 ágúst kl. 23.00, Sódóma
FönksveinarWith a smooth bassline by Björn Orri Sæmundsson and jazz guitar, compliments of Pétur Jónsson, Sölvi Rögnvaldsson funks it up on the drums and Bergur Þórisson and Björgvin Ragnar Hjálmarsson top it off with their very funky trombone- and tenor saxophone-playing. There‘s no way you‘ll not be loving Fönksveinar!The jazz/funk band Fönksveinar, which loosely translates to Funkboys is a rythmic, jazz, funk quintet composed of young boys from Seltjarnarnes. They have been playing in its present form for a few years, have funked Icelanders all over the country and are far from stopping.
Kvartett Ómars GuðjónssonarGuitarist Ómar Guðjónsson has been a favorite among recording artists for the last few years. His approach is without boundaries and on his last cd (Von í óvon/Hope in Hopelessness) he pushes those boundaries further by adding a second drummer to the already powerful trio with electric bass and guitar.
EylandEyland is an Icelandic band that plays original high energy music with influences from jazz, pop and rock. All the music is written by the saxophone player, Eyjolfur Thorleifsson, who has twice been nominated by the Icelandic music awards for the “Song of the year” in the jazz category. Apart from Eyjolfur, the band is composed of accomplished musicians from a varied and wide background who have all contributed significantly to the Icelandic music scene.
Skúli Sverrisson - Sóló
Saturday 27 ágúst kl. 17.00, ÞjóðmenningarhúsiðOver the past two decades, bass guitarist-composer Skuli Sverrisson has worked with a veritable who’s who of the experimental world, from free jazz legends (Wadada Leo Smith, Derek Bailey) to music icons (Lou Reed. Jon Hassel, David Sylvian, Arto Lindsey) and composers (Ryuichi Sakamoto, Johann Johannsson and Hildur Gudnadottir) Sverrisson is also known for his work as an artistic director for Olof Arnalds (Innundir Skinni, Vid og Vid), recordings with Blonde Redhead and as a musical director for legendary performance artist Laurie Anderson. He has released a series of duo albums of in collaboration with artists such as Anthony Burr, Oskar Gudjonsson and Hilmar Jensson. He has been a member of many influential groups including Pachora, Alas No Axis , The Allan Holdworth group and The Ben Monder group. Sverrisson has also composed music for The Icelandic Dance Company ( Open Source) the National Theatre of Iceland (Volva) and and numerous films and installations such as “Welcome” and “Music for furniture” with Olafur Thordason”, Spacial Meditation” with Claudia Hill and “When it was Blue” with Jennifer Reeves. Sverrisson founded Seria, an ongoing ensemble featuring Amedeo Pace (Blonde Redhead), Olof Arnalds, David Thor Jonsson, Anthony Burr, Eyvind Kang and Hildur Gudnadottir in 2005 and released Seria in 2006 and Seria ll in 2010.
He has appeared on over 100 recordings and has performed around the world with a wide range of artists.
Recent works include series of live film /music performances with experimental film maker Jennifer Reeves. Three new recordings of the ongoing collaboration with Anthony Burr and a new duo recording with Oskar Gudjonsson
Sverrisson has been awarded 5 Icelandic Music Awards, including Icelandic Album of the Year for Seria in 2006 and was nominated for the Nordic council Music Prize 2011.
Gullaldarjazz með Secret Swing Society og Djangojazztríóinu. Special guest: Sigríður Thorlacius
Sunday 28 ágúst kl. 17.00, Þjóðmenningarhúsið
Jóel Pálsson – Horn
Sunday 28. ágúst kl. 21.00, Faktorý Joel Palsson’s latest cd was recorded the same night he premiered this music at last years Reykjavik Jazz Festival. He won Jazz Album of the Year at the Icelandic Music Awards for it, and now you have the opportunity to see and hear this amazing band perform live. As usual Joel’s band is made up of some of Icelands finest. Do not miss it!
Samúel Jón Samúelsson big band,
Thursday 1. September kl. 21.00, Faktorý Samúel Jón Samúelsson Big Band surfs somewhere between funk and afrobeat. The band is still quite intoxicated since playing with Tony Allen in May
Jazzhátíð Reykjavíkur - International Showcase - Elifantree, Kandinsky Effect
Friday 2 september kl. 23.00, Sódóma
Elifantree(Fi/Se)Elifantree is a finnish-swedish band consisting of vocal, saxophone and drums. They create music that lives in the borderland between pop- and improvised music. Peculiar grooves and strong melodies mixed with free improvisations are Elifantree’s trademarks.
Anni Elif Egecioglu – vocal, glockenspiel, cello
Pauli Lyytinen – saxophone, glockenspiel, melodica
Tatu Rönkkö – drums
Kandinsky Effect The Kandinsky Effect is a post-modern jazz Trio searching for new ways to improvise within the jazz idiom by blending the borders of jazz, rock, electronica, hip-hop, and experimental sounds to create a truly singular voice within instrumental music. Improvisation is ever-present, and spontaneity is paramount. The band has been touring extensively throughout the U.S., Canada, and Europe over the last few years building new audiences with an adventurous yet accessible sound and a flair for the unexpected.
