Nordic Jazz Week, June 14-17
Sunna Gunnlaugs Quartet performing on Nordic Jazz Week in Washington DC Iceland’s National Day, June 17, will be celebrated in Washington DC with a performance by the Sunna Gunnlaugs Quartet at the House of Sweden Rooftop. The concert is a part of a Nordic Jazz Week in Washington DC, which will be kicked off on Sunday, June 14, with a concert at the Finnish Embassy and then followed by two concerts at the House of Sweden Rooftop on June 16 and 17.
Sunna Gunnlaugs recently released her fifth CD, “Songs from Iceland”, where she uses traditional Icelandic songs as a vehicle for improvisation. Her earlier releases have gathered praise from critics from both sides of the Atlantic. In review of her 2000 release, Mindful, the Washington Post remarked that “her articulate touch alone should endear her to fans of Evans and Jarrett, as should the intimate and seemingly intuitive rapport sustained by her quartet throughout”, while Time Out New York has stated that “Fine musicians seem to be among Iceland’s most visible exports these days, and pianist Gunnlaugs is proof that jazz is as much a part of the picture as the pop of Björk or SigurRos.” Her 2002 release, “Fagra Veröld” a collection of Sunna’s compositions to Icelandic poetry, was nominated as the best jazz CD of 2002 in Iceland.
Also performing at Nordic Jazz week are Søren Kjærgaard from Denmark, Karikko from Finland, the Bjørn Solli Quartet and the Nils Petter Molvær and Arve Henriksen from Norway and Jonas Kullhammar Quartet from Sweden. Tickets to Nordic Jazz week can only be bought at http://www.ticketweb.com/ and cost 25$ per night or 50$ for all three nights. Tickets will not be sold at the door.
