Nordic Jazz Quintet

Photo: alternatorcentre.com

World class Scandinavian quintet Atomic will be performing in concert on February 23rd at the Black Box Theatre in downtown Kelowna. This concert is the twenty-sixth installment of the Skin And Bones Music Series.  Now in its third year of production, Skin And Bones is an Okanagan Arts Award nominated concert series dedicated to the presentation of experimental music in the Okanagan, produced through the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art. 

Since their 2002 debut album Feet Music Atomic has been navigating the globe winning audiences over with their unique style of adventurous jazz that straddles the line between open creative playing and swinging hard.  Not merely an experiment in blending various styles of jazz, Atomic performs with a virtuosic enthusiasm and energy that is guaranteed to emotionally resonate with listeners.  Hailing from both Norway and Sweden, Atomic is (at the subAtomic level) saxophonist Fredrik Ljungkvist, trumpet player Magnus Broo, pianist Håvard Wiik, drummer Hans Hulbækmo, and bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten who had previously played Kelowna in 2016 with action jazz trio The Thing.  Atomic’s most recent studio release, 2017’s Six Easy Pieces, features the band in top form live in Japan, earning a four star rating from All About Jazz.  With nods to Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, George Russell, and Archie Shepp, to name but a few, Atomic forges ahead with music that is endowed with muscular groove, moments of ethereal introspection, and freewheeling improvisations, organically flowing as “fresh concepts speeding by breathless moment after breathless moment.”  (Downbeat Magazine)

Atomic performs at the Black Box Theatre as part of the Skin and Bones Music Series on February 23rd.  Doors open at 7:30 pm and the concert will begin at 8:00 pm sharp.  The Black Box Theatre is located at 1375 Water Street in Kelowna.  Admission is $20 for the public and $15 for students and Alternator members.  Tickets can be purchased at the door or in advance at Milkcrate Records on Lawrence Avenue or at the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art inside the Rotary Centre for the Arts.  Membership discount passes for Skin And Bones can also be purchased at the Alternator or online at www.alternatorcentre.com.