Knut Kristiansen kvartett

KK is a highly valued composer and arranger, and has taught at universities and colleges throughout his active life. He is inspiring and knowledgeable, and when you ask former students from the Jazz Program in Bergen what they remember best from their studies, it is not uncommon that the project weeks with KK are the first thing they mention.

KK is a deep diver, and one of the fields he has ventured into is the so‑called Latin jazz, and all the styles that this genre springs from. In the 1980s he led the Bergen super‑group Son Mu, with local stars such as Olav Dale and Yngve Moe. They also played with international stars like Paquito D’Rivera and the legendary rumba group Los Papines, a central band in Havana’s musical history. As a natural extension of his interest in (Afro-)Cuban music, he has also immersed himself in African folk music. In 1982 he led the project Gambian–Norwegian Friendship Orchestra, which culminated in a legendary concert in Grieghallen. It was recorded and released on vinyl, and occasionally appears in shops that sell used records. If you are truly lucky, you may also find Son Mu’s debut album there.

When he was invited by Bergen Big Band in 2011 to write new music for them, he chose to take inspiration from the Kuria people of Kenya. This resulted in the work Kuria Suite, which premiered at Vossa Jazz in 2012 and was later recorded and released on CD (Grappa 2016). He has also toured with world star Mory Kanté, best known for the monster hit “Yeke Yeke,” which at the time of writing has over 16 million plays on Spotify — and well over 20 million if you include all the remixes that turned the track into a club banger in the 2000s.

On this tour we are back in the world of jazz. And you will hear four fantastic musicians representing three generations of jazz performers: Aksel Røed (sax), Magne Thormodsæter (bass), Sigurd Steinkopf (drums), and Knut Kristiansen himself on piano. They play music from the album Volum (Jazzland, 2025), which spans six decades of musical ideas. The album was described as a “career best” by Dag og Tid and was named one of the month’s best jazz albums in the Europe Jazz Media Chart when it was released. There is every reason to look forward to the concert at Spor 5 on September 9!

The concert is arranged in close collaboration with VNJS – Den Musikalske Stamvegen.