30/03/2026
New Orleans Workshop Allstars, Sentralen, 22. august
This is one of those lineups where you run out of superlatives before you run out of names.
At the piano: Morten Gunnar Larsen, Spellemannpris winner, OBIE Award recipient, and described by American pianist Tom McDermott as “the greatest ragtime player in the world.” He didn’t just study New Orleans jazz, he spent long stretches working there , and it shows in every note he plays.
On clarinet: Georg Reiss, one of Norway’s leading clarinettists, trained at both Norges Musikkhøgskole and the Guildhall School of Music in London . A longtime collaborator with Larsen through Magnolia Jazzband and the Ophelia Orchestra, and a musician whose range takes in jazz, folk, blues and calypso with equal ease.
On trumpet: Anders Bjørnstad, a fixture of the Oslo trad jazz scene since 1974, with 13 albums recorded with Magnolia Jazzband and a long tenure in Christiania Jazzband . Warm, empathetic playing - the real thing.
On guitar and banjo: Børre Frydenlund; a driving force in the trad jazz and string swing world on the east side of Norway for decades , with a resume stretching from Canal Street Jazzband to Christiania 12 and well beyond. Also sings.
On bass: Svein Aarbostad; co-founder of Hot Club de Norvège, established in 1979 , and the only original member still standing. Decades of experience holding down the groove across every corner of the Oslo jazz scene.
And on drums: Bjørn Olufsen - the heartbeat behind Christiania Jazzband and Christiania 12 for years. Exactly who you want keeping time for a band like this.
Six musicians. Decades of shared history on stage. Pure New Orleans jazz.
