Oslo Jazzensemble & Ola Kvernberg

Oslo Jazzfestival 2021 will open with music in large format, written by one of Norway’s leading composers, Ola Kvernberg. Backed by Oslo Jazz Ensemble, violinist Kvernberg will perform newly written compositions, in addition to new big band arrangements of songs from his rich catalog.

Already a household name in Norwegian jazz, he started his studies at the Conservatory of Jazz at NTNU in Trondheim in 2001. His musical horizon was widened tenfold, and his collaborations began exceeding the earlier boundaries of the Django-style, leading to numerous tours, concerts and album recordings with artists and bands ranging from Joshua Redman, Pat Metheny and Les Paul to Jimmy Carl Black, Terje Rypdal and Motorpsycho.

His work and collaborations as a performer and composer has garnered a several Norwegian Grammy’s (Spellemannprisen), both as the main artist and as a performer/producer on other productions. The album milestones in his artistic career as a leader include ”Night Driver” (2006), ”Liarbird” (2011), ”Mechanical Fair” (2014) and ”Steamdome” (2016).

Oslo Jazz Ensemble is Oslo’s very own big band. In the ensemble you’ll find a number of the most prominent jazz instrumentalists in Eastern Norway. The ensemble has visited most major festivals in Europe, in addition to appearances in the USA, the Middle East and India.

The big band played Oslo Jazzfestival’s opening concert in 2020, and we’re happy to have them back.

In addition to new music, the festival audience will also hear new recordings from Kvernberg's previous releases Liar Bird and Mechanical Fair, arranged by Oslo jazz ensembles' own Martin Myhre Olsen.