“Nordic jazz piano mastery lights up the Utzon Room at Sydney Opera house” (text from website Sydney Opera House):

Effortlessly blending elements of jazz, Nordic folk lyricism and classical music, the much-awarded Norwegian pianist, Jan Gunnar Hoff, creates spacious soundscapes of intense depth, poetry, and virtuosic brilliance. 

Appearing for the first time in Australia, Norwegian pianist, composer and band leader, Jan Gunnar Hoff, is one of the leading lights of European jazz. He was the arranger, pianist and musical director for US Grammy-nominated album “Quiet winter night” in 2013 and was nominated for Norwegian Grammy in 2014. He is a Steinway artist and has recorded and performed with global jazz greats including Gary Husband (John McLaughlin band member), Weather Report percussionist, Alex Acuña, and legendary jazz fusion guitarists, Pat Metheny and Mike Stern. From his home in Bodø, above the Arctic Circle, Hoff has truly journeyed the globe.

He was honoured with the prestigious Edvard Grieg prize for composition in 2005 and has released 27 albums. Grammy-winning producer, Morten Lindberg, is a frequent collaborator. Hoff’s Utzon Room performance features friend and colleague, Sydney viola da gambist, Jenny Eriksson. 

Presented by The Leading Partnership Pty Ltd T/A Elysian Fields

Photos in this post: Liss Marie Jakobsen and Bernhard Spragg (Photo of the opera house)

“Three musicians from different parts of the world, each with his own artistic vibration, finding a shared space where differences spark understanding rather than distance. This human element also defines their performances, where they share personal stories and invite audiences into their world—turning listeners into participants in the trio’s own Human Vibe.”

– Guy van Hulst (NL)

Norwegian jazz pianist Jan Gunnar Hoff and Estonian saxophone player Villu Veski first met in 2023, performing together at a Norwegian/Estonian wedding in Skjerstad, Northern Norway. This special rendezvous has resulted in several concerts with Hoff and Veski in Norway and Estonia. Based on their different musical background, but still many similar influences in jazz and music in general, Hoff and Veski create improvisations and interpretations with a unique duo signature. In May 2025 they decided to record music for a duo album in the beautiful Arvo Pärt centre, Laulasmaa.

The title track Saga opens the album in a crystal clear and naked way. The next track, Hoff´s Living, has become a signature tune for the duo, and it was one of the first songs they performed together. Ukuaru valss by Arvo Pärt has been recorded in many versions, this time as a lyrical, downtempo piece. Hoff´s Innocence shows more of the duo´s jazz influences, while Adventure is a spontaneous piano improvisation. Veski´s Arrival and Hoff´s Fly North are band compositions arranged for duo, whereas Kudomaine viis and Barndomsminne fra Nordland are regarded by many as unofficial national anthems from their respective regions. Villu Veski´s tune Pathway/Kealakekua ends this musical SAGA much as it began, a meditative journey that hopefully can bring the listener a little peace and reflection in today´s unrestful world.

Jan Gunnar Hoff Group feat MARIUS NESET performed at the National Jazzscene in Oslo on November 15, 2025. Line up: Marius Neset, Jan Gunnar Hoff, Gary Husband, Per Mathisen. Photos: Francesco Saggio.

Jan Gunnar Hoff Group will perform a gig in Oslo with Marius Neset, at Nasjonal Jazzscene, November 15 – 2025. Line up: Marius Neset – saxsophones, Jan Gunnar Hoff – keyboards, Per Mathisen – bass, Gary Husband – drums. Link to venue.

Jan Gunnar Hoff´s project “Vaapstenjeanoe – Big River” went down on August 6-7, 2025 with a big concert performance at Stormen concert hall in Bodø and the following recording session for Grammy-winning producer Morten Lindberg and his label 2L. Among the performers were Arve Henriksen, Mats Eilertsen, Finn Sletten and Helgeland Sinfonietta conducted by Nicholas Carthy.

Jan Gunnar Hoff was interviewed recently about the newly released album “Voyage” by NRK, the national Norwegian broadcasting. Participants in the talks were also Gary Husband and the head of Losen records, Odd Gjelsnes.

https://radio.nrk.no/serie/jazzklubben/sesong/202506/MKMU06002225

The new Jan Gunnar Hoff Group-album with his all star European line up:  Nguyen Le, Gary Husband and Per Mathisen, was released May 2, 2025 on Losen Records (Odd Gjelsnes). Cover photo by Kjersti Holst.

Jan Gunnar Hoff´s tune “Autumn Breeze”, performed on the album “Northwest” by the ensemble “Hoff Somsen Lindholm” has passed 1 mill streams on Apple Music. Hoff´s composition has made it into Apple Music Jazz playlists, which contributes to the streaming success.

Jan Gunnar Hoff´s new work “Heartlands” was premiered December 20, 2024, in the Bodø Cathedral, with an audience of 600 attending. The local reviews were effusive (Rune Slyngstad, Avisa Nordland):

“Powerful, sacred, melancholic and meaningful. The work Heartlands is gold”.  Local review (Norwegian): 

The theme for this new composition  is nature, climate, environment and not least: ourselves in this perspective. Why are we up here in the north, what does nature mean to us, what can’t we do without? The issue has been brought up to date in recent years with large projects that threaten to turn our mountains and nature into industrial areas, i.e. wind power and wind turbines. The untouched nature becomes the subject of speculation and major interventions, something we have to react to. This scenario is the background for the title “Heartlands”, which means: “an area that a nation cannot lose without losing itself”. Subtitles:

1. Dawn
2. Heartlands
3. Earth alert
4. The words
5. Freedom
6. Heartlands II

Line up: Bodø cathedral choir, Karoline Åseng (vocal soloist), Børge Petersen-Øverleir (guitar),  Rune Arnesen (drums/perc), JGH (keys, piano, church organ), Gjermund Silset (bass).