Jaga Jazzist
Encyclopedia
Jaga Jazzist is an experimental jazz band
from Norway that rose to prominence when the BBC
named their first album, A Livingroom Hush
(Smalltown Supersound
/Ninja Tune
), the best jazz album of 2002. The core of the band are brothers and main songwriters Lars and Martin Horntveth. Martin formed Jaga Jazzist together with Ivar Christian Johansen
in 1994 while they still were in their teens, though Johansen later left the group. They are also prominent figures of the Norwegian pop act The National Bank.
The band features trumpet
s, trombone
, electric guitar
, bass
, tuba
, bass clarinet
s, Fender Rhodes, vibraphone
and a rack of electronics, as well as strong melodies and rhythms. Talk Talk
, Soft Machine
, John Coltrane
, Don Cherry
, Aphex Twin
, Stereolab
, Squarepusher
and Tortoise
are frequently mentioned as sources of inspiration. Jaga Jazzist is widely considered to be one of the premier acts of the so-called nu-jazz movement of Scandinavia
. Also, The Mars Volta
cites Jaga Jazzist as one of their favourite bands. Their latest album, One-Armed Bandit
, was released on January 25, 2010.
EPs
Mathias Eick, Lars Horntveth and Jørgen Munkeby have also collaborated with Motorpsycho
on their release "In the Fishtank 10
" (2003), billed as Jaga Jazzist Horns.
Jazz band
A jazz band is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands usually consist of a rhythm section and a horn section, in the early days often trumpet, trombone, and clarinet with rhythm section of piano, banjo, bass or tuba, and drums.-Eras:SwingDuring the swing era in the mid-twentieth...
from Norway that rose to prominence when the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
named their first album, A Livingroom Hush
A Livingroom Hush
A Livingroom Hush is the debut album of Jaga Jazzist, released in 2001 by Ninja Tune under the authority of the Warner Music Group. The BBC named it the best jazz album of 2002....
(Smalltown Supersound
Smalltown Supersound
Smalltown Supersound is an independent record label based in Oslo, Norway, and dedicated to new forms of jazz, rock and electronic music.Their catalog features albums by Annie, Jaga Jazzist, 120 Days, Mental Overdrive, Bjørn Torske, Mats Gustafsson and Sonic Youth, amongst others.In 2004, the...
/Ninja Tune
Ninja Tune
Ninja Tune is a London-based independent record label started by DJs Matt Black and Jonathan More, better known as Coldcut and managed by Peter Quicke. The label has a strong leaning towards mostly Electronic Music...
), the best jazz album of 2002. The core of the band are brothers and main songwriters Lars and Martin Horntveth. Martin formed Jaga Jazzist together with Ivar Christian Johansen
Ravi (Ivar Johansen)
Ivar Christian Johansen is a Norwegian popular musician under the pseudonym Ravi . He writes songs with Anders Løvlie under the name Ravi og DJ Løv....
in 1994 while they still were in their teens, though Johansen later left the group. They are also prominent figures of the Norwegian pop act The National Bank.
The band features trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
s, trombone
Trombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
, bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, tuba
Tuba
The tuba is the largest and lowest-pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
, bass clarinet
Bass clarinet
The bass clarinet is a musical instrument of the clarinet family. Like the more common soprano B clarinet, it is usually pitched in B , but it plays notes an octave below the soprano B clarinet...
s, Fender Rhodes, vibraphone
Vibraphone
The vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
and a rack of electronics, as well as strong melodies and rhythms. Talk Talk
Talk Talk
Talk Talk were an English musical group, active from 1981 to 1991. The group had a string of international hit singles including "Today", "Talk Talk", "It's My Life", "Such a Shame", "Dum Dum Girl", "Life's What You Make It" and "Living in Another World"....
, Soft Machine
Soft Machine
Soft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
, John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
, Don Cherry
Don Cherry (jazz)
Donald Eugene Cherry was an innovative African-American jazz cornetist whose career began with a long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman. He went on to live in many parts of the world and work with a wide variety of musicians.-Biography:Cherry was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and...
, Aphex Twin
Aphex Twin
Richard David James , best known under the pseudonym Aphex Twin, is an Irish-born electronic musician and composer described as "the most inventive and influential figure in contemporary electronic music"...
, Stereolab
Stereolab
Stereolab are an alternative music band formed in 1990 in London, England. The band originally comprised songwriting team Tim Gane and Lætitia Sadier , both of whom remained at the helm across many lineup changes...
, Squarepusher
Squarepusher
Squarepusher is the performing pseudonym of Tom Jenkinson, an English electronic music artist signed to Warp Records. He specialises in the electronic music genres of drum and bass and acid, with a significant jazz and musique concrète influence....
and Tortoise
Tortoise (band)
Tortoise is an American post-rock band formed in Chicago, Illinois, in 1990.-Music:Tortoise's almost entirely instrumental music defies easy categorization, and the group gained significant attention from their early career. The members have roots in Chicago's fertile music scene, playing in...
are frequently mentioned as sources of inspiration. Jaga Jazzist is widely considered to be one of the premier acts of the so-called nu-jazz movement of Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. Also, The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta
The Mars Volta is a Grammy award winning American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas. Founded in 2001 by guitarist Omar Rodríguez-López and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala, the band incorporates various influences including progressive rock, krautrock, jazz fusion, Latin American music, and...
cites Jaga Jazzist as one of their favourite bands. Their latest album, One-Armed Bandit
One-Armed Bandit (album)
One-Armed Bandit is the fifth studio album by the Norwegian band Jaga Jazzist. It was released January 25, 2010 by Ninja Tune. Compared to their earlier work, it features a substantial progressive rock influence.-Personnel:...
, was released on January 25, 2010.
Members
- Harald Frøland (Guitar) 1994-2005, 2006 -
- Ivar Chr. Johansen / Ravi (Trumpet + vocals), 1994–2001
- Jonas Bendiksen (Keyboards), 1994–1997
- Lars Horntveth (Tenor Saxophone) 1994 -
- Lars Wabø (Trombone) 1994 -2005
- Line Horntveth (Tuba) 1994 -
- Mads Jansen (Trombone)1994
- Marius Hesby (Trombone) 1994
- Martin Horntveth (Drums + vocals)
- Andreas Mjøs (VibraphoneVibraphoneThe vibraphone, sometimes called the vibraharp or simply the vibes, is a musical instrument in the struck idiophone subfamily of the percussion family....
, Guitar + drums) 1994 - - Marius Hesby (Trombone) 1994
- Thomas Viken (Tenor Saxophone) 1994
- Lars Erik Myran (Bass) 1994
- Even Ormestad (Bass), 1995 -
- Jørgen Munkeby (Alto Saxophone) 1995 - 2002
- Håvard Myklebust (Trombone) 1996
- Torgeir Audunson (Trumpet) 1996-1997
- Bjørn Strand (Tenor Saxophone) 1997
- Sjur Miljeteig (Trumpet) 1997
- Mathias EickMathias EickMathias Eick is a Norwegian jazz musician born near the town of Eidsfoss in the county of Vestfold, Norway. He is mainly known as a musician on the jazz label ECM Records. His main instrument is the trumpet, but he also plays double bass, vibraphone, piano and guitar.In his lifetime Eick has...
(Trumpet) 1998 - - Morten Qvenild (Keyboards) - 2001
- Ketil Einarsen (flutes, keys, percussion) 2002–2005, 2006 -
- Andreas Hessen Schei (keys) 2002- 2005, 2006 –
- Nils Martin Larsen (Keyboards) 2005
- Anders Hana (Guitar + effects ) 2005
- Erik Johannessen (Trombone + percussion) 2005 -
- Stian Westerhus (Guitar + effects) 2008 - 2009
- Marcus Forsgren (Guitar + Effects) 2009 -
- Øystein Moen (Keyboards) 2008 -
Discography
Albums- Jævla Jazzist Grete StitzJævla Jazzist Grete Stitz-Track listing:1. "Intro" – 1:122. "Jazzthang " – 3:503. "The Millennium Falcon" – 4:194. "Tyrkisk Pepper" – 2:525. "Serafin" – 7:306. "Ekteskap" – 6:527. "Yo! It's Christmas" – 4:318. "Out Of Reach " – 28:37...
(1996) - A Livingroom HushA Livingroom HushA Livingroom Hush is the debut album of Jaga Jazzist, released in 2001 by Ninja Tune under the authority of the Warner Music Group. The BBC named it the best jazz album of 2002....
(2001) - The Stix (2003)
- What We MustWhat We MustWhat We Must is an album by Jaga Jazzist, released in 2005 by the Ninja Tune label.This album was a change of direction for the 10 piece with Martin Horntveth moving to a more permanent position on the drums. This meant the group lost their Drum and Bass feel and began to sound more like a band,...
(2005) - One-Armed BanditOne-Armed Bandit (album)One-Armed Bandit is the fifth studio album by the Norwegian band Jaga Jazzist. It was released January 25, 2010 by Ninja Tune. Compared to their earlier work, it features a substantial progressive rock influence.-Personnel:...
(2010)
EPs
- Magazine (1998)
- Airborne/Going Down (2001)
- Animal Chin (2003)
- Day (2004)
- Bananfluer Overalt (2010)
Mathias Eick, Lars Horntveth and Jørgen Munkeby have also collaborated with Motorpsycho
Motorpsycho
Motorpsycho is a band from Trondheim, Norway. Their music can generally be defined as psychedelic rock, but they also mix in elements from metal, jazz, rock, pop and many other musical styles. The members of the band are Bent Sæther , Hans Magnus "Snah" Ryan and Kenneth Kapstad...
on their release "In the Fishtank 10
In The Fishtank 10
In the Fishtank 10 is an 2003 EP by Motorpsycho and Jaga Jazzist Horns, recorded in 2002 during their European tour and released via the Konkurrent label in 2003...
" (2003), billed as Jaga Jazzist Horns.