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ENGLISH
The five main jazz venues in Oslo, together with the Oslo Jazz festival, are organised in a collaborative organisation called SOFO. SOFO in general work to coordinate jazz activities and concerts, as well as initializing collaborative projects from time to time. SOFO also act as a jazz and cultural political organ of speech in Oslo. In 2007 SOFO produced more than 300 concerts with jazz and improvised music for 20 000 paying spectators – which is more than 70% of the regular annual jazz activity in Oslo.
Oslo is regarded as one of the most exciting and innovative music cities in Europe. This is very much due to the SOFO members, and a direct result of their regular dialogue and collaboration. SOFO work as a junction for the jazz activity in Oslo, in the region otherwise and for Norway as a whole, and aim to create a stable basis of jazz and rhythmical music in the region. The actors supplement each other on a “brand and bag”-way, and provide the city (and region) with a versatile offer in the same way as other cultural happenings in Oslo.
ALL EARS
all Ears is an annual festival for improvised music, held in Oslo, Norway during the second weekend in January. The goal is to present improvised music in all it's forms, also incorporating other mediums like video and dance. all Ears is a non-profit festival by music enthusiasts for music enthusiasts, organized by musicans Guro Moe, Paal Nilssen-Love and Lasse Marhaug. www.all-ears.no
BLÅ
Blå is a medium sized venue sited in an old brick factory-building in "Grünerløkka", Oslos most innovative neighbourhood. In season BLÅ also offers the finest in outdoor café leisure on the banks of the Aker river, flanked by resident DJ’s (weekends). Blå takes pride in presenting the top nodge of different genres such as hip.hop, electronica, pop, rock. soul and jazz. Blå is also one of Oslo's leading venues for clubbing.
www.blaaoslo.no
COSMOPOLITE
is Norways National venue for world music. They also present international jazz artists, as well as being hosts for the annual Django Reinhardt-festival in January. In October 2008 the venue reopened at their new and hopefully permanent adress; at the "Palace of Culture" Soria Moria on Torshov in the northern part of Oslo. On December 3rd 2008, the founder and director of Cosmopolite, Mr. Miloud Guiderk, was knighted by the Norwegian Royal St.Olavs Orden for his acchievements on bringing knowledge and awareness about ethnical music within Norway, as well as abroad.
DANS FOR VOKSNE
Dans for voksne is first of all a concert series. It’s best described by what it’s not: Formal, dogmatic, straight, foreseeable, etc. Dans for voksne has been putting on gigs that nobody else wants since 2003, which means lots of experimental stuff, noise, improv and also people who are too young or from somewhere too far away or just hopelessly unable to sell themselves. Dans for voksne is not meant for the biggest audiences, but to supply the most interested one with a wider range of music. It’s there to create a functioning experimental music scene in Oslo and – in all senses – a link between that scene and the rest of the world. Dans for voksne also puts up workshops for those who want to build their own sound sources.
www.dansforvoksne.no
FRITT FALL
Nearly everry other Saturday afternoon Fritt fall (Free Fall) arranges concerts with improvised music at a small and intimate art-café called Sound of Mu situated at the entrance of the main street, Markveien, of Grünerløkka. Fritt fall is run by some of Oslos leading artists within the improv-scene, and they often invite international colleagues to perform at their concerts.
http://kunst.no/frittfall
KAMPENJAZZ
Kampenjazz is SOFO latest member, starting up with regular concert activity in the fall of 2001. In less then one year Kampenjazz managed to establish as one of the most central jazz clubs in Oslo, and consequently won the “Best jazz club in Eastern Norway award” for 2001. Kampenjazz presents concerts on a weekly basis and includes all styles of jazz in its programme, from traditional to modern and free, experimental music. The club is located in Kampen Bydelshus (Kampen Bistro), a popular bistro, pub and meeting place for the locals as well as all over town-situated jazz listeners. www.kampenjazz.no
KONSERTFORENINGEN BLÅ
The venue BLÅ in many ways stands as a column within the jazz life in Oslo and Norway. It is an independent club for live, contemporary “jazz and related sounds”; a professional venue dedicated to up-and-coming acts from all over the country, while also hosting established international artists. Opening in February 1998, BLÅ addressed the acute demand for music resources in the capital, and has since grown to become the largest club of its kind in Scandinavia. Blå, as the only club in Norway and one of four clubs in Scandinavia, was elected as one of the 100 best jazz clubs world wide by Down Beat magazine (April 2002/2004). BLÅ presents live performances for body, mind and sound system – all week through. In season BLÅ also offers the finest in outdoor café leisure on the banks of the Aker river, flanked by resident DJ’s (weekends).
As of 2007, the concert managers behind BLÅ has left the venue, and are working on building a new venue. In the meantime Konsertforeningen Blå is arranging concerts at other venues, such as Mono, Fabrikken, Parkteatret etc. Check out the programme at www.konsertforeningen.no
The venue BLÅ lives on at this site: www.blaaoslo.no
NATIONAL JAZZ SCENE, VICTORIA
National Jazz Scene's venue Victoria is one of the main venues for jazz in Norway, located in the main street of Oslo, Karl Johans gate 35. The Jazz Scene was establishes in May 2005 and has since then been located at different venues in Oslo. As of April 2008, Victoria will be their new venue. The programme offers both Norwegian musicians as well as international capacities. Styles presented will be all kinds od jazz, from experimental new jazz to more traditional forms. The National Jazz Scene provides live concerts several nights all week. www.nasjonaljazzscene.no
NEW ORLEANS WORKSHOP JAZZCLUB
New Orleans Workshop Jazz Club is the longest living jazz club in Oslo, located in the heart of the city (Stortorvets Gjestegiveri). The club’s main purpose is to contribute to the maintenance of traditional jazz music and to promote the interest for this music by providing concerts every Thursday, as well as café concerts with free entrance every Saturday afternoon. www.neworleansworkshop.no
OSLO JAZZFORUM
is located at Hr. Nilsen pub and music hall downtown Oslo, and the club is run by professional jazzmusicians living in Oslo. The club’s main purpose is to strengthen and develop Oslo’s jazz activity by helping to improve working conditions and terms for the club members. The concert programme mainly present mainstream and bebop, but also newer styles are included. www.herrnilsen.no
OSLO JAZZFESTIVAL
Oslo Jazz Festival holds a leading position within the capital’s cultural life, also in means of a regular through the year-basis, and is for long regarded among the most solid and interesting jazz festivals on a national scale. Over the years, Oslo Jazz Festival has developed a change in style, from mainly focusing on traditional jazz and mainstream, towards covering a more complete blanket of the complex and versatile expressions included in jazz – with largely increased rooms for younger and more modern styles. For further information, go to www.oslojazz.no.
EAST NORWAY JAZZ CENTRE
East Norway Jazz Centre (ENJC) is the regional centre for jazz music in Eastern Norway, geographically covering the counties of Oslo, Akershus, Hedmark, Oppland, Buskerud, Vestfold and Østfold. ENJC include a number of 30 jazz clubs, 60 big bands, 7 festivals and more than 250 professional musicians as active members within the region.
Our main activities are focused on coordinating and initializing jazz activity within the region, as well as working politically to improve general working and operating conditions for our members. Though our main interest lies within stimulating organisers and others to increase the jazz activity on a local scale, ENJC also to a certain extent initialize and arrange own projects (concerts, tours), as well as arrange seminars for musicians, big bands and organisers.
Along with the coordinating task goes working with general information on jazz matters towards media, politicians, members of the organisation and others.
The centre’s administration is located in Oslo. Oslo is also the city where our main performing venues for live jazz music are situated.
www.ostnorskjazzsenter.no
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