Articles by kelman

273

Norwegian Jazz 101c: JazzNorway In A Nutshell 2011

by John Kelman
June 20, 2011

2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 It may be true, at least most of the time, that familiarity breeds, if not exactly contempt, then certainly complacency; but that simply doesn't apply if subject is Norway--and, in particular, its disproportionately large and vibrant music scene. Suffering from an epidemic that most folks would be happy to attract--festival inflation--this country of just five million people is host to approximately 600 music festivals annually, covering every possible stylistic nook ...

2,008

Norwegian Jazz 101b: JazzNorway in a Nutshell 2010

by John Kelman
June 8, 2010

2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 Norway may be a country that, more than most, aims to expose people from around the world to its culture through annual events like JazzNorway in a Nutshell, but as rich an experience as attending that junket is, returning to it on a regular basis is an experience that transcends the mere opportunity to soak in some of the country's music, scenery and cuisine. The 2010 edition--like JNiaN 2009, focusing on ...

1,656

Norwegian Jazz 101a: JazzNorway in a Nutshell 2009

by John Kelman
June 3, 2009

2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 One of the challenges of any organization or festival is to find ways to top past performances, and certainly the breadth of exposure to Norwegian music, culture and geography at JazzNorway in a Nutshell 2008 (JNiaN) would be hard to beat. A junket where approximately 40 people from around the world--writers, photographers, festival programmers, club owners and others--congregated in Norway for a few days of intensive exposure to all things Norwegian, ...

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Norwegian Jazz 101: JazzNorway in a Nutshell 2008

by John Kelman
May 16, 2008

2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 Since the early 1970s, the Norwegian music scene has received increasing international exposure, first through the German ECM label, but over time with an increasing number of Norwegian labels including Odin, NorCD, Curling Legs, Rune Grammofon and Jazzland. For a country of less than five million people, what is perhaps most remarkable is the sheer number of exceptional musicians, as well as the degree of sophistication that can be found, ...