Jan Gunnar Hoff started his professional jazz career at the local Ad Lib jazz club in the spring of 1976. At the festival Bodø Jazz Open in January 2026, Hoff will perform a anniversary concert “50 years in music”, with a line up consisting of some of his collaborators during the years: Mathias Eick (trp), Tore Brunborg (saxophone), Børge Petersen-Øverleir (guitars), Roger Johansen (dr), Tore Johansen (trp) a.o. There will also be numerous vocal acts from England Brooks, Soetkin Baptist, MAUD (Kristine Hoff). The Arctic Philharmonic is an important part of the production. Link to festival presentation
A new member of this great line up is islandic drummer Gulli Briem. He is a founding member of the legendary international jazz funk band Mezzoforte. He’s been nominated five times as the drummer of the year in Iceland. Has worked live & in the studio with Mezzoforte, Morten Harket (A-HA), Steve Hackett (Genesis), British National symphony orchestra, Robben Ford, Joe Lynn Turner & Madonna in Evita Ambassador for the Nelson Mandela foundation.
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:
