Jaga Jazzist

Jaga Jazzist
Jaga Jazzist at Tauron Nowa Muzyka 2014 in Katowice, Poland
Background information
Origin	Tønsberg, Norway
Genres	Nu jazz Acid jazz Jazz fusion Experimental rock Post-rock
Years active	1994–present
Labels	Smalltown Supersound, Ninja Tune
Website	jagajazzist.com
Members	Martin Horntveth Lars Horntveth Marcus Forsgren Even Ormestad Andreas Mjøs Line Horntveth Øystein Moen Erik Johannessen
Past members	Mathias Eick Harald Frøland Ivar Chr. Johansen / Ravi Jonas Bendiksen Lars Wabø Mads Jansen Marius Hesby Thomas Viken Lars Erik Myran Jørgen Munkeby Håvard Myklebust Torgeir Audunson Bjørn Strand Sjur Miljeteig Morten Qvenild Ketil Einarsen Andreas Hessen Schei Nils Martin Larsen Anders Hana Stian Westerhus

Jaga Jazzist (also known as Jaga) is an experimental jazz band from Norway that rose to prominence when the BBC named their second album, A Livingroom Hush (Smalltown Supersound/Ninja Tune), the best jazz album of 2002.

The core of the band are the brothers and the main songwriters, Lars and Martin Horntveth. Martin formed Jaga Jazzist together with Ivar Christian Johansen in 1994 while they still were in their teens, though Johansen later left the group. The brothers are also prominent figures of the Norwegian pop act The National Bank.

Jaga Jazzist nearly created a sensation with their debut album Jævla Jazzist Grete Stitz (1996), that contained playful, humorous jazz with elements of rap. The EP Magazine (1998) showed signs of the catchy, cinematic approach to jazz music they later become known for. The very young Lars Horntveth became increasingly involved in composing the music they played.

After Magazine word spread about their fresh musical expressions and energetic live shows, and the band toured extensively before they signed a recording contract with Warner Music of Norway in 2000. The highly anticipated debut album for Warner, A Livingroom Hush, was released in 2001 and consists of a melodic and energetic mix of lounge jazz, cinematic themes and instrumental rock. The producer Jørgen "Sir Duper Man" Træen played an important role during the recording, and left his mark on the disc with his crackling electronics. A Livingroom Hush won the Norwegian music award Alarm Prize in 2002 and the same year was named Jazz Album of the Year by BBC listeners.

The band features trumpets, trombone, electric guitar, bass, tuba, bass clarinets, Fender Rhodes, vibraphone and a rack of electronics, as well as strong melodies and rhythms. Talk Talk, Soft Machine, John Coltrane, Don Cherry, Aphex Twin, Stereolab, Squarepusher and Tortoise are frequently mentioned as sources of inspiration. Jaga Jazzist is widely considered to be one of the premier acts of the so-called nu-jazz movement of Scandinavia. Also, The Mars Volta cite Jaga Jazzist as one of their favourite bands. Jaga Jazzist's studio album, One-Armed Bandit, was released on January 25, 2010 on Ninja Tune.