Guitar Islancio is coming to China

22.9.2004

The Icelandic jazz trio, Guitar Islancio, arrives in Shanghai October 15th where they will participate in the 6th Shanghai International Art Festival. The band's performances are scheduled from October 18th to 26th in four Chinese cities, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing and Beijing. SAS, Icelandair, the Icelandic Tourist Board, China Express and the Icelandic Embassy in Beijing are the principal sponsors.

In Shanghai the band will perform October 19th at the China Shanghai Art Festival (www.artsbird.com.cn), in Hangzhou on October 21st at the Zhejiang World Trade Center Grand Hotel, October 22nd in Nanjing at the Hilton Hotel and October 23rd, 24th and October 26th in Beijing at the Yan Club (www.yanclub.com).

The Guitar Islancio trio is made up of guitarists Bjorn Thoroddsen, Gunnar Thordarson and double bass player Jon Rafnsson. Since the autumn of 1998 the trio has performed all over the world including Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Canada, Germany, the USA, Spain and Great Britain, and now they are coming to China for the first time. They have previously published four albums, all of them containing jazzed up Nordic folk songs that have received rave reviews, their latest CD named Scandinavian Songs, has already become a bestseller.

Guitar Islancio was nominated the musical group of the City of Reykjavík in both 2000 and 2001. A wide variety of renowned musicians have played with the trio including French violinist Didier Lockwood, French guitarist Sylvain Luc, Danish clarinettist Jorgen Svare and Canadian trumpet player Richard Gillis. Guitar Islancio offers us music that has been kept alive for centuries. The trio spins the threads of the Old Icelandic songs and presents them to us in new jazz-coloured robes. The simple old melody line receives a new modern twist and reminds us that the ancient roots of the Nordic Viking culture are still alive and active. Over the centuries Icelandic folksongs have influenced the national spirit and been an important pillar of Iceland's thriving contemporary culture that has created international music superstars such as Bjork and Sigurros. Modern Icelandic composers have willingly allowed the ancient melodies and chords to influence them and are using them extensively in today's compositions.