With his star-studded band packed with great and characteristic soloists and with an original repertoire, this evening offers joy in playing, stage presence and not least a lot of swing. The drummer and composer Snorre Kirk has built his band in record time to become one of the most sought after in both his native Denmark but also abroad. With seven critically acclaimed albums under his belt, he has played at most of the world’s jazz festivals. Deeply rooted in tradition but with an eye to the future, this evening is a strong image of what classic jazz sounds like in 2024.
Snorre Kirk has been a co-musician with some of Scandinavia’s leading jazz artists and international greats such as Diane Schuur, Stephen Riley and Eric Reed.
With the critically acclaimed debut album Blues Modernism from 2012, which received the JazzSpecial award for the year’s release album and was nominated for two Danish Jazz Awards, Snorre Kirk took the step from side musician to composer and band leader. The follow-up Europe in 2015 paved the way for Kirk’s international breakthrough with concerts at some of the world’s leading jazz festivals.
Snorre Kirk comes this evening with his new international quartet and thus steps into a new phase as Kapellmeister. With him is the Italian-American saxophonist and clarinetist Giacomo Smith, who for years has had London and the British jazz scene as his base. He plays in Kansas Smitty’s orchestra, but also as a soloist with everything from Jamie Cullum to Wynton Marsalis.
From the same creative capital we find the pianist Joe Webb, who with his highly virtuosic playing is regarded as one of England’s greatest pianists.
On bass, Anders Fjeldsted has established himself as one of Denmark’s new and promising bass players. In 2017, he was a recipient of the Bent Jaedig Award. In 2018, he and the sextet won a prize in the Gexto International Jazz Contest, a prize for the best participants in the jazz festival that takes place near Bilbao.
Giacomo Smith – saxophone, clarinet
Joe Webb – piano
Anders Fjeldsted – double bass
Snorre Kirk – drums
