"Mid-Atlantic"

Håkon Kornstad & Oslo Jazz Ensemble

This year marks 200 years since the first organised emigration to America, when Restauration set sail from Stavanger to New York in 1825. The introduction of steamships across the Atlantic a few decades later sparked a cultural revolution that continues today.

In this concert performance, Håkon Kornstad and Oslo Jazz Ensemble take us on a musical journey inspired by Mid-Atlantic—the British-American cultural and social elite’s lingo from the interwar years.

Jazz emerged from the voluntary and involuntary encounters between Europe and Africa in the New World. European opera and classical music met the folk traditions of emigrants and the early spirituals and blues, carried in chains from West Africa. With the arrival of transatlantic steamers, a direct connection formed between Berlin and Broadway, where melodies and harmonies became a shared transatlantic heritage. During the interwar years, many European musicians travelled west, while jazz pioneers moved in the opposite direction, accelerating musical evolution. The reciprocal influence of European classical music and American jazz remains evident to this day.

Jazz saxophonist and opera tenor Håkon Kornstad boards DS Stavangerfjord alongside Oslo Jazz Ensemble. Joining them on the passenger list are musical legends such as Richard Strauss, Duke Ellington, Giuseppe Verdi, Cole Porter, Kurt Weill, Charles Mingus, Art Tatum, and Sergei Rachmaninoff—each a major contributor to the groundbreaking musical developments of the early 20th century.

In 1928, Maurice Ravel visited his American counterpart, George Gershwin. They toured Harlem’s jazz clubs, witnessing hot jazz, Lindy Hop at The Savoy Ballroom, and possibly even a young Louis Armstrong at Connie’s Inn. They attended a concert by Duke Ellington at The Cotton Club, where a jazz rendition of Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C# Minor was performed. Rachmaninoff himself emigrated via DS Stavangerfjord from Oslo in 1918, spending the rest of his life between America and Europe. Another legendary immigrant was pianist Vladimir Horowitz, known to discreetly frequent New York jazz clubs whenever Art Tatum played.

In Mid-Atlantic, opera singer and jazz saxophonist Håkon Kornstad and an expanded Oslo Jazz Ensemble bring to life European and American opera and jazz classics, revealing the deep musical kinship between European classical music and American jazz.

And where better to stage this performance than at Stavanger Concert Hall, right by the harbour from which both Restauration and Stavangerfjord once set sail?

Performers:

Håkon Kornstad (soloist & musical director)

Brass Section: Frank Brodahl, Marius Haltli, Anders Eriksson (trumpets); Even Skatrud, Nils Andreas Granseth (trombones); Ingrid Utne (bass trombone)

Woodwinds: Martin Myhre Olsen (soprano/alto sax); Børge-Are Halvorsen (tenor sax, flute, alto flute); Atle Nymo (tenor sax, bass clarinet); Tina Lægreid Olsen (baritone sax, bass clarinet)

Rhythm & Keys: Kalle Moberg (accordion); Anders Aarum (grand piano/keyboard); Gunnar Flagstad (grand piano); Trygve Waldemar Fiske (bass); Håkon Mjåset Johansen (drums)

Production: Håkon Kornstad & Anders Eriksson

Sound: Thor-Ivar Lund | Lighting & Visuals: Tor S. Ditlevsen/Superlys

Music Arrangements: Eivind Buene, Erlend Skomsvoll, Knut Kristiansen, Håkon Kornstad, Anders Eriksson

"There’s a lot of talk about musical journeys. Rarely has the term been more fitting than for this concert—or rather, this performance. Håkon Kornstad was the perfect guide." (Nettavisen, 15.08.2024)

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Presented by: Maijazz