{"id":617138,"date":"2026-09-15T21:16:18","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T21:16:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/617138\/"},"modified":"2026-09-15T21:16:18","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T21:16:18","slug":"reykjavik-jazz-festival-a-release-show-rite-of-passage-for-icelandic-artists","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/617138\/","title":{"rendered":"Reykjav\u00edk Jazz Festival: A Release-Show Rite of Passage for Icelandic Artists"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Stephanie Jones<\/a> \u2002 I \u2002Sep. 15, 2026<\/p>\n

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\u200bIcelandic guitarist and composer Lilja leads her longtime working band at this year\u2019s Reykjav\u00edk Jazz Festival.<\/p>\n

(Photo: Courtesy P\u00e9tur Oddbergur for Reykjav\u00edk Jazz Festival )<\/p>\n

In Iceland, Reykjav\u00edk has a history of fostering local community. In recent years, the capital city\u2019s commitment to sustainability efforts, civic engagement programs and cooperative food initiatives has advanced that legacy. On the performing arts scene, hyperlocal music festivals have multiplied and expanded, a number of them supported throughout the year by the Iceland Music Alliance, which operates the federal Music Fund. <\/p>\n

This year, from Aug. 25\u201330, improvising artists gathered at venues throughout the city, and in nearby locations, to play and attend the Reykjav\u00edk Jazz Festival. Of the 30-plus acts that participated, several traveled to Reykjav\u00edk from mainland Europe, but the majority performed as homegrown artists, a number of whom transformed their set into a record release show. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe Icelandic music scene is so immensely fertile, and we have so many great artist making incredible music,\u201d said baritone saxophone player and composer R\u00f3sa Gu\u00f0r\u00fan Sveinsd\u00f3ttir, who premiered brand new material with her band the RGS Quintet during the festival\u2019s Saturday afternoon program. \u201c[It\u2019s a] small market with a thriving music scene and every player is a part of many interesting and diverse projects. As a horn player, I have been so lucky to have had the chance of playing in so many different projects ranging from jazz, pop, rock, metal, classical and Latin music, and I think this versatility is something that gives Icelandic artists an edge.\u201d <\/p>\n

With so many expressions serving the festival\u2019s collective sound, the small teams of organizers, including General Manager P\u00e9tur Heimisson, created a village of venues around town. These included Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Center, a visually striking performance space that uses variable acoustics to serve the festival\u2019s styles and instrumentations each summer; Hafnartorg Gallery and Food Hall, which provided a casual dining experience for festival goers; Hotel Holt, which houses Iceland\u2019s largest privately owned art collection; \u00deingvellir National Park, a designated World Heritage Site; Austurb\u00e6jarb\u00ed\u00f3, a local beer hall and live performance space; and other spots in and around Reykjav\u00edk. <\/p>\n

Sveinsd\u00f3ttir, who drew inspiration for her festival performance arrangements from Gerry Mulligan, joins more than a dozen performers who celebrated their record releases or premiered new music at Reykjav\u00edk Jazz Festival. The range of stages provided different opportunities for showcasing new works. Before her hit at J\u00f3mfr\u00fain, a Reykjav\u00edk mainstay for contemporary Icelandic cooking, and one of the festival\u2019s outdoor venues, she shared her anticipation. \u201cI\u2019m very excited to feature this new band,\u201d said Sveinsd\u00f3ttir, who arranged some \u201cold classics\u201d of hers as well as some of Mulligan\u2019s quartet tunes for the occasion. \u201cSince this is almost a two-hour set, we get the chance to play much more music than on other venues.\u201d <\/p>\n

That day\u2019s evening programming at Austurb\u00e6jarb\u00ed\u00f3 featured record release events from cellist and composer \u00de\u00f3rd\u00eds Ger\u00f0ur J\u00f3nsd\u00f3ttir, leading her quintet, and guitarist and composer Lilja, leading her longtime working band. They presented music from Hlj\u00f3\u00f0 \u00ed lj\u00f3\u00f0i and Muna, respectively, the former having turned to classic and contemporary Icelandic poets for album conception. <\/p>\n

\u201cI had been reading poetry for a little while, and there were a few of them where the atmosphere, the mood, of each poem was so clear to me,\u201d said J\u00f3nsd\u00f3ttir, who began constructing the album by writing a song to each poem before shifting her approach. \u201cThe melodies maybe started from a melodic theme of the text, but then wanted to go in a different way. Then my angle was to follow the atmosphere, the mood \u2026 how can you prolong a poem into a jazz song?\u201d <\/p>\n

During her performance, J\u00f3nsd\u00f3ttir and her fellow artists presented many compositions from the album, including a bass line-driven song inspired by \u201cThe Playing Cards,\u201d from poet \u00c1sta Sigur\u00f0ard\u00f3ttir. \u201cI had written an ostinato and I really didn\u2019t know what do with it,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd then when I was reading her poem \u2026 I was like, \u2018Oh, the bass line is from this poem \u2014 it\u2019s the same mood as this bass line.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n

Lilja led her four-piece band after J\u00f3nsd\u00f3ttir\u2019s set. In the midst of sharing music from Muna, the bandleader, whose heritage is Icelandic and Norwegian, spoke about her time abroad, playing music with different folk artists, including gnawa artists from Morocco and raga artists from India. She then shared a song she\u2019d written for the band\u2019s first album, Marble, citing a life-changing experience with a Palestinian children\u2019s choir, which received waves of cheering and applause. Lilja prefaced the song by saying, \u201cAlthough this song is from our first record, I still find it very important to play.\u201d <\/p>\n

Earlier that week, guitarist \u00c1sgeir \u00c1sgeirsson celebrated the release of an album five years in the making. Also drawing inspiration from international styles and instruments, his record Crossing Borders engages artists from Tehran, Amman and Calcutta. The 19-track release came together collaboratively: \u201cI do a demo at home and then I send it to Tehran, and then they record there,\u201d says \u00c1sgeirsson. \u201cI know their tastes because they have been here, and I have been to Tehran, and the same with [the artists] in Amman and the same in India \u2026 and they\u2019ll say, \u2018Ahh, \u00c1sgeir, are you sure about this bar? Maybe we can do this here, and maybe this texture here.\u2019\u201d Featuring all Icelandic artists for the festival performance, the band received a standing ovation that lasted several minutes. <\/p>\n

While the weeklong program offered a diversity of sound, it lacked a diversity of artists. The events presented predominantly white musicians, including those from France, Germany, Norway and Poland, with no Black artists leading bands. Last year, the festival presented C\u00e9cile McLorin Salvant\u2019s band as its headliner, but according to Heimisson, this year\u2019s festival hadn\u2019t the budget to book an American act. \u201cI try to keep it as international as I can,\u201d he said. \u201cBut the more international bands you have, it\u2019s going to be more expensive and highly dependent on funding from government and from the city, and from private sponsors and ticket sales.\u201d <\/p>\n

According to Iceland Music Alliance Director Mar\u00eda Rut Reynisd\u00f3ttir, the process to secure federal funding resets year to year. \u201cIt\u2019s always difficult for the festivals in Iceland because it\u2019s always a clean slate,\u201d she said. \u201cWhen you apply, you never know if you\u2019re going to get the funding. Nothing is secured. So that makes it hard for P\u00e9tur and other people organizing festivals. You have to know well ahead about how much money you have to work with.\u201d <\/p>\n

The application remains constant but the selection committees, comprising administrators and artists, change personnel every two to four years. Because the selection process is public and not confidential, many artists feel hesitant to serve. \u201cThe challenges are always, in smaller communities like this, that they\u2019re highly DIY,\u201d said Iceland Music Alliance Advisor Sigtryggur Baldursson. \u201cAnd a lot of musicians don\u2019t want to be on committees making decisions as to whether their friends get funded. The problem is people know each other [laughs].\u201d <\/p>\n

Though community size and funding present challenges, the Reykjav\u00edk Jazz Festival has been running for nearly 40 years, and its community of artists and presenters have no plans to slow operations. In fact, Heimisson is looking forward to expanding: \u201cIn 2024 we were listed as [among the] 35 best festivals in Europe by The Guardian. That says a lot. The budget that we are using is a small percentage of what the biggest jazz festivals have. But with the money, we have to do something special, and I think we do.\u201d DB<\/p>\n

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\"Rodney_Holmes_Courtesy_Meinl.jpg\"\/<\/p>\n

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Jul 22, 2026 12:37 PM<\/p>\n

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Drummer Rodney Holmes, a powerful presence behind the kit who emerged as an in-demand player on the New York scene\u2026<\/p>\n

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Clockwise from top left, Mary Halvorson, Patricia Brennan, Adam O\u2019Farrill, Keith Jarrett\u2019s At the Deer Head Inn: The Complete Recordings, Sheila Jordan and Jaki Byard.<\/p>\n

Jul 16, 2026 1:34 PM<\/p>\n

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The DownBeat Critics Poll never ceases to amaze! And the 74th Edition offered plenty of accolades for poll veterans and\u2026<\/p>\n

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Wilson\u2019s ability to connect to audiences helped her to win two Grammy awards and multiple other accolades. She was named an NEA Jazz Master in 2022.<\/p>\n

Sep 3, 2026 10:44 AM<\/p>\n

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Cassandra Wilson, a singer, songwriter and producer who was one of the most acclaimed and successful jazz vocalists of\u2026<\/p>\n

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\u201cThe love from the jazz and music community restored my faith in humanity,\u201d Walia wrote in an online post upon his release from detention at an ICE facility.<\/p>\n

Aug 18, 2026 2:15 PM<\/p>\n

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\"Poncho.jpeg\"\/<\/p>\n

\u200bPercussionist Poncho Sanchez was among the artists scheduled to perform at the now-canceled inaugural LA Jazz Festival.<\/p>\n

Aug 11, 2026 12:53 PM<\/p>\n

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The inaugural LA Jazz Festival, originally scheduled to run Aug. 7\u201323 with dozens of events across Los Angeles\u2019\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Stephanie Jones \u2002 I \u2002Sep. 15, 2026 \u200bIcelandic guitarist and composer Lilja leads her longtime working band…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":617139,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[146,85,46],"class_list":["post-617138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-entertainment","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617138","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=617138"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/617138\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/617139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=617138"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=617138"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=617138"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}