Rabbajazz – Moldejazz for Children
During this year’s Moldejazz, the festival’s youngest visitors are again invited to Rabbajazz – four days of concerts and family activities at Storyville and Alexandraparken.
On Monday 13 July, Jubelblues kicks things off at Storyville. Toget takes to the stage on Wednesday 15 July, before Cosmic Swing Orchestra rounds off the concert series on Friday 17 July.
On Tuesday 14 July, SpareBank 1 SMN hosts a Family Day in Alexandraparken. The programme includes a free performance by Vepsestikk for the whole family, along with a variety of activities for children throughout the day.
“It is important to us that the youngest members of our community also have the opportunity to experience Moldejazz. Through our Family Day in Alexandraparken, we hope to create memorable cultural experiences and a welcoming place for families to come together,” says Jørund Lillås, Head of Retail Banking at SpareBank 1 SMN Molde.
For Moldejazz, Rabbajazz is an important part of the festival programme. Through these concerts, children are introduced to live music designed for their age group – from playful blues and catchy guitar music to colourful, high-energy performances.
“We want to give children and young people inspiring concert experiences and spark a curiosity for music from an early age. Rabbajazz is a place where the whole family can enjoy the festival atmosphere together,” says Magnus Lunay.
Jubelblues
Jubelblues, the much-loved blues concept for children and families, has struck a real chord by bringing the joy of the blues to young audiences.
Full Speed Ahead! – A Concert with Real Spark
Jubelblues is great fun for both children and adults, and everyone is encouraged to join in during the concerts. The focus is on using spontaneity in a playful, inclusive and creative way.
The project began when the rhythm and blues band Good Time Charlie came up with the brilliant idea of creating a music project in local dialect for children of all ages. Since then, Jubelblues has performed hundreds of concerts, released four children's albums, produced sing-along videos for its songs, and published accompanying music books. The music is energetic rhythm and blues, the lyrics are written in a West Norwegian dialect, and the songs are easy to sing along to. Anything can happen – and everyone can join in.
In 2023, Jubelblues received the Sogn og Fjordane Nynorsk Language Award. The jury praised the band for creating catchy children's music in Nynorsk and for being an important voice for the language in children's culture.
Jubelblues is deeply passionate about rhythm and blues as a musical form and tours extensively throughout Norway, bringing a unique ability to create a warm, safe and creative connection with audiences. Their concerts are packed with humour, wild blues guitar antics and boundless imagination.
In 2021, Jubelblues was selected for Kulturtanken's initiative More Nynorsk in The Kulturelle skolesekken. The group has performed at numerous festivals and has been a popular choice for touring programmes organised by Kulturtanken and the Cultural Schoolbag scheme. Songs from their albums are also regularly featured on NRK Radio Super playlists.
Most children enjoy great rock music – but did you know that the blues was where rock music began?
Jubelblues concerts are perfect for the whole family – from ages 0 to 100.
Line-up: Arle Hjelmeland – vocals, harmonica, kazoo. Steinar Karlsen – guitar, vocals. Morten Skage – bass guitar, vocals. Einar Olsson – drums, vocals
Vepsestikk
Vepsestikk is a band that truly has to be experienced live: raw energy, sheer joy of playing and an intense stage presence combine to create a concert experience that is danceable, unpredictable and quietly hypnotic.
On Tuesday 14 July, SpareBank 1 SMN will host a Family Day in Alexandraparken, featuring a free concert and a range of activities for children.
Hailing from Bergen, Vepsestikk is an uncompromising quartet operating in an energetic and ever-shifting landscape between indie, punk, progressive rock and jazz. With stereo trumpets and an adventurous, playful approach to both form and expression, the band has developed a distinctive sound that is both challenging and immediately captivating. Their music has been described as a kind of “jazz-punk of the genuinely catchy variety” – with a rare ability to combine complexity with direct appeal.
Agnes Fernanda Kierulf – bass, trumpet, Móeiður Loftsdóttir – trumpet, Linnea Josefine Gjelstad Kierulf – drums, Hanna Elisabeth Zieritz – guitar, vocal
Toget
Toget (The Train) is a band that plays cool guitar-based music. Here you'll hear tunes you're guaranteed to have heard before, mixed with fresh new musical discoveries.
Climb aboard and join in the singing, clapping, clicking and dancing! The Train rolls steadily and rhythmically along the tracks, taking you safely through both familiar and unfamiliar musical landscapes.
Toget is a trio made up of musicians who know each other well from a variety of musical settings. The band's name, inspired by Elisabeth Cotten's 1906 song Freight Train, offers a good indication of the music they perform. The trio introduces audiences to lesser-known songs and hidden musical gems. By linking unfamiliar music to well-known tunes, they create a common thread that opens the door to entirely new musical encounters.
Feedback from previous concerts includes:
“The children were humming the songs afterwards. It was brilliant how you reworked the children's songs and involved the audience throughout the concert. We can't think of anything that could have been better"
“The children thoroughly enjoyed the concert. It connected with all the pupils between 6 and 10”
Marius Hirth Klovning – guitar and banjo, Edvard Mjanger – bass, Mats Mæland Jensen – drums and percussion
Cosmic Swing Orchestra
With boundless musical energy and a generous sense of humour, Cosmic Swing Orchestra is a band guaranteed to inspire and entertain children on an unforgettable scale.
Their music moves between explosive ensemble passages, danceable grooves and open improvisation, drawing on a wide range of influences from jazz, pop, electronica and free improvisation.
The ensemble was founded by Petter Dalane in 2018 and features an all-star line-up of young musicians from the Norwegian jazz and pop scene. Together they have created a sound that is playful, energetic and uncompromising, with plenty of room for the unexpected.
Over the past year, Cosmic Swing Orchestra has made a strong impression with sold-out performances of the music-theatre production The Jazz Togetherness Show at both Oslojazz and Jazzfest, quickly earning a reputation as one of the most exciting new live acts on the Norwegian jazz scene.
We promise a concert filled with joy, surprises and musical exuberance that audiences will remember for a long time.
Line-up: - Petter Dalane – keyboards, guitar, percussion - Øyvind Mathisen – trumpet - Ola Lømo Ellingsen – trumpet - Even Brodwall – French horn - Aksel Rønning – alto saxophone, flute - Erlend Kongtorp – tenor saxophone, flute - Jenny Frøysa – baritone saxophone, bass clarinet - Andreas Svabø – bass - Bjørn André Syverinsen – drums
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