New program additions!
Moldejazz now unveils three critically acclaimed artists for this year’s festival programme: the groundbreaking harp innovator Brandee Younger, the internationally acclaimed Nduduzo Makhathini Trio, and Molde native Daniel Herskedal, who will bring the festival to a close with an intimate solo concert.
The three artists represent distinct musical expressions and backgrounds, yet are united by improvisation, artistic curiosity, and jazz’s unique ability to reflect the contemporary world.
Artistic Director Magnus Lunay says that the artists embody three different musical voices with diverse cultural backgrounds, brought together through improvisation and the festival’s long-standing history as an international jazz arena with its gaze firmly set on the future.
Daniel Herskedal
- solo at Molde Cathedral. An intimate and magnificent finale – in a space where resonance, silence, and reflection converge
Daniel Herskedal is one of Norway’s most distinctive and sought-after musicians and composers. With tuba and bass trumpet, he has created a musical universe entirely his own, pushing the boundaries of his instruments and shaping an expression that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. His music moves seamlessly between jazz, folk, classical, and cinematic soundscapes – always with a rare melodic sensitivity.
Since his debut album Slow Eastbound Train (Edition Records), Herskedal has toured widely internationally and received glowing reviews. He has composed commissioned works for the BBC Concert Orchestra and established himself as a sought-after film and media composer, earning accolades such as the Spellemann Prize and The Ambies in Los Angeles. His solo album Call For Winter confirmed his position as an artist with a uniquely personal voice on the international stage.
This solo concert offers a rare opportunity to experience Daniel Herskedal alone with his instrument – in a sacred space that adds extraordinary depth and resonance to the music. A meditative, powerful, and beautiful conclusion to Moldejazz 2026.
A unique solo concert experience from one of today’s most compelling musicians.
Nduduzo Makhathini Trio
– spiritual jazz in Rådhussalen – where the jazz tradition meets South African cosmology
Moldejazz is pleased to present the South African jazz pianist, composer, and thinker Nduduzo Makhathini with his trio in the beautiful Rådhussalen — an intimate concert experience where music, spirituality, and collective memory merge
Nduduzo Makhathini is one of the most distinctive voices on today’s international jazz scene. As an improviser, bandleader, and academic, he has developed a deeply personal expression in which the jazz tradition is interwoven with South African history, cosmology, and healing practices. He is Professor of Music at the University of KwaZulu-Natal and is currently signed to the prestigious Blue Note Records, where he has emerged as a key artist in the label’s contemporary catalogue.
The trio format lies at the heart of Makhathini’s artistry. With the piano serving as both a rhythmic and spiritual anchor, he creates space for attentive interplay, open improvisation, and deep musical immersion. The result is music that feels at once meditative and intensely present.
His latest album, uNomkhubulwane (2024), has received widespread acclaim in the international press and is regarded as a high point in his career. Inspired by uNomkhubulwane—a mythical rain goddess in the Nguni tradition—the album explores the connections between nature, the cosmos, ritual, and human experience. The music moves seamlessly between contemplation and power, unfolding more like an invocation than a conventional recording.
Nduduzo Makhathini has collaborated with a range of leading figures across jazz and related genres, including Wynton Marsalis, Shabaka Hutchings, Black Coffee, and Thandiswa Mazwai, and has performed at major festivals and venues around the world.
American broadcaster WBGO has described Makhathini’s work as a search for “a sound that can take us home,” while Jazziz and All About Jazz have highlighted how he unites jazz’s improvisational freedom with deep spiritual intention. Glide Magazine points to the trio’s interplay as both grounded and transcendent, and NPR has singled out the album as one of the year’s most important jazz releases.
The concert in Rådhussalen at 2:00 PM on July 14 offers a rare opportunity to experience Makhathini’s trio in a space that invites stillness, focus, and deep listening—a performance where jazz functions both as an art form and as ritual
Moldejazz is delighted to present the American harpist, composer, and bandleader Brandee Younger – one of the most original and influential jazz musicians of our time
Brandee Younger has convincingly redefined the role of the harp in contemporary music and established herself as a leading voice at the intersection of jazz, classical music, R&B, and hip hop. Raised in Hempstead, New York, Younger began studying the harp at the age of 11 and has since developed a distinctive, genre-defying musical language.
Her latest album, Gadabout Season (2025), has received strong acclaim from the international music press. The UK magazine Jazzwise selected the album as Editor’s Choice in the summer of 2025, highlighting Younger’s ability to unite elegance, flow, and deeply personal expression into a cohesive artistic statement.
The American jazz authority DownBeat has also praised the album, describing how Younger “gives the harp a new narrative and melodic center in modern jazz,” with a sound that is open, rhythmically grounded, and profoundly personal. Taken together, Gadabout Season firmly cements Brandee Younger’s position as one of the most innovative voices in contemporary jazz.
Critics have further noted how Younger blends the richness of jazz with influences from R&B and hip hop, giving the harp a “dreamlike yet rhythmically driven” quality that makes the music both accessible and artistically mature.
On July 14, 2026, audiences at Moldejazz will have the opportunity to experience an artist who is not only performing jazz — but actively shaping its future.