This jazz quintet plays music with roots in swing and hard bop, with inspiration from some of the most central names in jazz history. The repertoire draws among others from the music of Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Billy Strayhorn, where melodies, groove and interplay take centre stage. At the same time the quintet is inspired by the hard bop tradition, with performers such as Charles Mingus, Horace Silver and Sonny Rollins. The music moves between swing songs, blues-inflected grooves and more open passages with improvisation and close interplay. Bopstar wishes to convey something of the energy and expression from these periods in jazz history, while the music takes on a personal character through their own interpretations and arrangements.
Michael Barnes - sax
Tancred Heyerdahl Husø - trumpet
Samuel Wisur - piano
Ola Høyer - bass
Øyvind Skarbø - drums
