Jazz Pianist, Composer, arranger, band leader, professor
Spring 2022, Jan Gunnar Hoff continues his collaboration with Danish drummer, composer/arranger Carsten Lindholm for a tour in Germany. The trio is completed by the reknowned bass player Reggie Washington. The tour will visit cities like Dortmund, Cologne, Mannheim, Bamberg a.o. Link to a German presentation.
A successful collaboration took place at Bodø Jazz Open on Feb 3, 2022 where Swedish trombone giant Nisse Landgren performed with Jan Gunnar Hoff, Anders Jormin and Audun Kleive. The concert took place at Stormen concert hall in Bodø, Northern Norway. The program consisted of Hoff-tunes, Landgren-compositions and funk/jazz standards and ballads. Review by Tor Hammerø (Norwegian).
Jan Gunnar Hoff has recorded a new solo piano album at the Storm concert hall (Stormen konserthus) in his hometown Bodø, Northern Norway. The music was recorded by 2020-Grammy winner Morten Lindberg and will be released on his label 2L in 2022. The album is entitled: HOME.
Hoff released his new Stille Lys (QUIET LIGHT) book in December 2021, with piano arrangements of popular tunes and Christmas melodies. The book is available here. The project is based on Hoff´s album Stille Lys, recorded by Morten Lindberg in 2014, and released on his label 2L. Hoff´s Quiet light-concerts are popular and the last one took place at Stormen konserthus, Bodø, Desember 5, 2021 (photo: Anna Rostrup).
Jan Gunnar Hoff received the annual cultural award from Bodø kommune (Bodø municipality) for 2021. Link to presentation (Norwegian).
Jan Gunnar Hoff´s composition VAAPSTENJEANOE (Big River) was performed in October at Smeltedigelen in Mo i Rana. Helgeland sinfonietta (chamber orchestra) and solists Hoff, Arve Henriksen, Mats Eilertsen.
In October 2019, Per Mathisen and Jan Gunnar Hoff did a tour with US-drummer Gary Novak and also recorded an album with the music. Due to corona Mathisen and Hoff were not able to visit the studio in Verdal, Norway for 1 year and the project was delayed. So, in springtime 2021 the project was continued and mixed by sending files and mixes between Tony & Kriss in Lydhagen studios and Hoff, Mathisen. Mastering afterwards by Morten Lund. The result is now out on several platforms including Spotify (link).
Due to covid-related issues, Mike Stern is replaced by Norwegian trumpeter Arve Henriksen for the upcoming tour with Jan Gunnar Hoff Group in southern Norway. The program will consist of music from Hoff´s albums Fly North, Polarity, Moving and also excerpts from the 2018 album with Stern and a brand new recording with Mathisen, Hoff & Gary Novak.
As part of his project “20 Norwegian piano Miniatures”, the leading Norwegian classical pianist Håvard Gimse has recorded Jan Gunnar Hoff´s piano piece “La ville” on a new album and also published a score of all 20 compositions. Link to Norsk Musikkforlag.
This year Jan Gunnar Hoff has not been able to perform his annual Christmas concept STILLE LYS (QUIET LIGHT) as normal. Instead Hoff has performed a virtual concert from Stormen concert hall, Bodø, organized by NNL, a group of Northern trainees. The concert will run on Vimeo from December 18, 2020.
The Swedish trombonist and bandleader Nils Landgren will perform with Jan Gunnar Hoff trio (Hoff, Kleive, Jormin) at Bodø Jazz Open, Februar 4, 2021. Read more here.
Jan Gunnar Hoff performed 2 solo concerts at the Oslo Opera (Den norske opera og ballett) on November 1, 2020. Following the Opera-concerts, Jazz in Norway made an interview with Hoff as their weekly jazz profile.