Jan Gunnar Hoff did an extensive solo piano tour in Japan, April 2014, presenting his 2013- album LIVING. Hoff performed 10 concerts in Japan: Kobe, Kyoto, Omi-Hachiman, Kanazawa, Nagano, Joetsu, Tokyo, Kashiwa, Tokyo, Yokohama. Link to photo album.

Hoff received the BUDDY-prize from the Norwegian Jazzfederation (Norsk Jazzforum) on January 23, at Bodø Jazz Open, where Hoff is the festival head. The BUDDY-prize is the highest distinction to be given to a Norwegian jazz performer. Link to Jazzforum site. Link to Ballade.

Jan Gunnar Hoff´s new album FLY NORTH was released January 2014 on Losen Records and is gaining great reviews all over. It´s also becoming a bestseller at major stores, available on CD and vinyl. Hoff´s ensemble consists of Nordic performers Marilyn Mazur, Arve Henriksen, Anders Jormin. Allaboutjazz: “Together these four master musicians travel deep into a land of beauty. Fly North! is an enchanting musical journey in first class all the way through”.

Dagens Næringsliv: «Årets første jazzalbum kan godt vise seg å være et av årets fineste. Kvartetten har laget en klassiker med FLY NORTH” (“The quartet has made a classic”)

Dagsavisen: «Fly North!» er bodskapen når pianisten Jan Gunnar Hoff opnar jazzåret med nytt band og eit strålande album, et album uten dødpunkt” (” an album with no deadlocks”)

Side2.no: “Another candidate to the album of the year”

Bergens Tidende: “Jan Gunnar Hoff har levert en plate som vil bli stående som en av de sterkeste norske jazzutgivelsene i 2014. Tittelsporet må være en av de vakreste jazzlåtene som er innspilt” (“The title track must be one of the most beautiful jazztunes ever recorded”)

Nordlys, Tromsø

Avisa Nordland, Bodø

More reviews

Jan Gunnar Hoff has been appointed a member of an International comitee in Sweden, for the Jan Wallander- prize. For 2014 the award is given to a Swedish jazz piano student, conditions for admission to be found here. The two other members of the jury are head of KMH in Stockholm, Cecilia Rydinger Alinand and pianist Rita Marcotulli (Italy).

Jan Gunnar Hoff will play a solo concert at UNOJAZZ in Milano on July 5, 2013. The concert will take place at the majestetic Castello Sforzesco. This is 4th edition of this exciting festival. This years artists include Christian Jormin trio, Bruce Ditmas and several others, in addition to Hoff solo. In 2012 Norwegian artists Rebecca Bakken, Helge Lien trio and Tore Brunborg performed at Unojazz.

Jan Gunnar Hoff was portrayed on Norwegian NRK main news “Lørdagsrevyen” on April 13. The program reaches an estimated 1.mill viewers. Hoff´s new album LIVING was presented and his creative process as a composer at Skjerstad (close to the Saltstraumen maelstrom a little south of Bodø). Link to TV-broadcast April 13, 2013.

LIVING is Jan Gunnar Hoff’s first solo piano album. His personal blend of different styles and influences is presented in its purest form – simply music. Some of Hoff’s pieces are meditative and expressive, while others have a strong rhythmic nerve, creating contrast and variation in the programme. More info

LIVING is now available on SACD, Blu-ray and vinyl. Order here!

First review, from Avisa Nordland

Jan Gunnar Hoff and Per Mathisen is attending the Kosa Music festival in Havana, Cuba, March 5-10, 2013. They will perform in concert with Cuban master drummer and percussionist Walfredo Reyes jr. and there will be workshops and masterclasses. Link to KOSA. This project is made in cooperation with Nordnorsk Jazzsenter (NNJS). NNJS is a regional production, dissemination and knowledge center for jazz in the three northern counties of Norway.

The album “Quiet winter night” (Hoff Ensemble) is nominated for Grammy Awards 2013, in the category “Best surround sound album”, by 2L and Morten Lindberg. Hoff has arranged the “Blåfjell”- music composed by Geir Bøhren and Bent Åserud for a line up feat a.o: Mathias Eick, Helene Bøksle, Arild Andersen, Rune Arnesen, Unni Wilhelmsen. The music from Blåfjell (“Blue mountain”) has been regarded as a National treasure and is highly appreciated in Norway. Hoff has been the arranger, bandleader and pianist for the “Quiet”-project taking this in a jazz-direction and has worked on the idea with the composers since 2007. Link to Ballade and NRK. Grammy Awards takes place at Staples Center, Los Angeles on February 10, 2013.

The collaboration between Mike Stern and Jan Gunnar Hoff was continued in January 2013 with a Norwegian tour January 21-24.  The tour was a great success with good reviews and acclaim from audiences in Kristiansand, Trondheim, Bodø, Molde. For further reference on Hoff/Stern and listening, check out Hoff´s recording MAGMA (2008), link to iTunes, or Youtube-video with Hoff & Stern.

The STERN/HOFF – tour was organized by Midtnorsk Jazzcenter, an organization working for jazz in the mid-region of Norway, based in Trondheim.

The Youtube-video of Hoff´s solo piano piece “Living” has so far made close to 29.000 views and 15.000 Facebook likes. “Living” was featured by Allaboutjazz.com as a “Jazz video of the day”. In August 2012 Hoff recorded several compositions in Sofienberg church, Oslo for a new solo piano album, due for release in March 2013 on 2L (Morten Lindberg).

Solo piano session in Sofienberg, Oslo

The trio ”Acuna/Hoff/Mathisen” has recorded a new album at the Losen studio in Spain. The new album has so far received great reviews from the major Norwegian journalists, check the ALBUMS page for links to reviews.  The music is composed by Hoff, Mathisen and Acuna. Order “Barxeta” at Platekompaniet or on Itunes.