August 28, 2021
Reykjavík Jazz Festival starts today!
The annual Reykjavík Jazz festival is an increasingly prestigious event on the international jazz scene. Founded in 1990 it is the second longest running music festival in Iceland.
The festival hosts performances in a variety of styles, from contemporary jazz and the avant-garde to Latin jazz, gospel, and big bands. It features many acclaimed international jazz players as well as Iceland’s leading jazz musicians. Against a backdrop of imposing volcanoes and mountains this small, clean coastal town is an unusual and inspiring location for live jazz.
Reykjavík Jazz Festival takes place between August 28th and September 4th, 2021. We invite you to an eight-day music festival with a focus on jazz, blues, funk and improvised music, performed by musicians from America, Europe, and Iceland. With restrictions being lifted after the pandemic, we are extremely happy to finally be able to present top-grade jazz musicians from abroad such as the MELISSA ALDANA QUARTET (US), AMBROSE AKINMUSIRE QUARTET (US), Kathrine Windfeld Sexted (DK/SE/PL) and Family Band (UK). We will also present some very exciting collaboration projects involving Icelandic and international jazz musicians as in Phil Doyle´s PolyHarmonic Ensemble (US/IS), LILJA (NO/IS), Broken Cycle Trio (DE/IS/US), Stína Ágústsdóttir/Henrik Linder/Joel Lyssarides (IS/SE) and ASTRA (IS/NO). Last but not least, we’ve got quite a few local people and bands such as Tómas R. Einarsson & Ragnhildur Gísladóttir, Anna Gréta Tríó, hist og, MOVE (Óskar Guðjónson’s quartet), Blúsmenn Andreu (the amazing blues band) and many more really exciting artists.
The JazzPass gives access to the full program at Reykjavík Jazz 2021. Upon buying the pass you get a wristband at the start of the festival which offers access to all concerts. The wristband also gives you a 20% discount when buying food at Skuggabaldur bar. Please go to the Reykjavík Jazz merchandise table at Harpa to get a wristband. Due to Covid restrictions tickets have to be allocated with numbered seats at each concert in Harpa. This means that the JazzPass owners need to stop by at the Harpa box office and get a ticket before walking in to see each concert. Unfortunately, it‘s not possible to just walk right in like we did before the pandemic.
To speed things up we would appreciate it if you contact the Harpa box office beforehand and let them know which concerts in Harpa you plan to attend. It also speeds things up if you carry a festival wristband. The ticket office phone number is +354 528 5050 and the email address is midasala@harpa.is. At other venues, you can just show up.