In September, the Nordic Jazz Comets project sends five jazz bands on tours in 20 venues across the five Nordic states, to see the road life and live productions from the environmental perspective. This is the first time that the jazz musicians and concert organizers work together in building a more sustainable tour culture in the Nordic region. Show support for your local jazz clubs, festivals and artists: buy your tickets to the Nordic Jazz Comets shows near you, follow the tours at www.nordicjazzcomets.com and take part in the discussion online with hashtags #nordicjazzcomets and #inthekeyofgreen.

The Nordic Jazz Comets is a long-running co-operation concept by the five Nordic jazz organizations, FÌH Music School in Reykjavik, Jazz Danmark, Jazz Finland, Norsk jazzforum and Svensk Jazz. The 2020–2021 edition,“In The Key Of Green” project studies ecologically sustainable practices and possibilities in live jazz productions in the Nordic countries. The project is managed and co-funded by the five Nordic jazz organizations, and the main funder is Nordic Culture Fund.

The participants of the project are 14 established jazz clubs and festivals and five up-and-coming jazz groups from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. In the course of the two years, the project has brought the participants together in three workshops which were led by sustainability specialists. As a result of the workshops, the participants have planned together the five tours and the 20 concert events that will take place in September 2021. The carbon footprint of the tours has been reduced to a minimum, and travel emissions are calculated and compensated.

On the road, each band will create a tour diary from a specific point of view. You can follow their journey, ask questions or participate in discussion on their selected social media channels with hashtags #nordicjazzcomets and #inthekeyofgreen or with the band’s own campaign hashtag. The entries and selected commentaries and online discussions will also be posted daily on www.nordicjazzcomets.com website. 

In the spring of 2022 the project will release a guide and casebook for sustainable jazz concerts and touring in the Nordic region.

Read more about the tours, bands, network and the Nordic Jazz Comets project: www.nordicjazzcomets.com

Tour dates:

POST-SUN-VISION (SWE): “Training makes perfect!”  

The Swedish trio have planned to cut down their carbon footprint by avoiding flights and traveling by train to connect their three tour destinations in Norway. Hailing from Malmö in Southern Sweden, their biggest challenges in reaching their goal are time, train routing and Aaron’s huge double bass... Instead of flying and producing 3.173 tonnes of carbon dioxide (which is roughly 1/3 of co2 emissions of an average Nordic citizen in a year!), they aim for a whooping 15.5 kg/CO2 equivalents. But can it be done in four days? 

Follow their journey at www.nordicjazzcomets.com/postsunvision and see them live at:  

Wed 8.9. Oslo, Nasjonal Jazzscen Victoria

Thu 9.9. Bergen, TBC  

Fri 10.9. Trondheim, TBC

KJETIL MULELID TRIO (NOR): “Reduce, reuse, recycle!”

The Norwegian threesome go on a lengthy tour of seven concerts in Denmark, Sweden and Finland. During the pandemic, this might seem like a utopian dream, but with the support of the great network of jazz promoters and careful safety planning, they just might be able to pull it off! Kjetil and his crew are digging deeper into the endless possibilities of circular economy, cutting down waste and consumption. Of course, they will not bring their backline along with them, but instead use the ones that the venues have in place, and surely they won’t have a ton of single-use merchandise with them – but will they get new revelations on the road, of what materials could be reused or recycled in live productions? What products are unnecessary to buy on the road or at the venues?  

Follow their journey at www.nordicjazzcomets.com/kjetil-mulelid-trio and see them live at:

Tue 21.9. Copenhagen, Jazzhus Montmartre  

Wed 22.9. Eskilstuna, Contrast  

Thu 23.9. Mariefred, Multeum Strängnäs  

Fri 24.9. Salo, SaloJazz Festival, Bio Jännä  

Sat 25.9. Porvoo, Porvoo Jazz Festival, Vanha 123

Wed 29.9. Halmstad, Halmstad Jazz Club

Thu 30.9. Gothenburg, Nefertiti

INGIBJÖRG TURCHI BAND (ICE): “Cut down on plastic!”  

ITB comes from the land that might suffer from the climate change maybe the most of all the Nordic states. Almost all of Iceland's glaciers are receding, and wind erosion causes loss of vegetation on land. The waters are facing also another problem, that is caused by our consumption: The scientists say that by 2050, there will be more single use plastic waste than fish in our oceans! On their tour in Finland they will visit the coastal regions on a jazz cruise, and the autonomous island of Åland, as well as the cities of Helsinki, Tampere and Espoo. Their eyes will definitely be peeled for ways to cut waste – especially plastic! – on tours and at concert venues. Which will they find lying on the streets and shorelines more: face masks or cigarette butts? And how can we stop that?  

Follow their journey at www.nordicjazzcomets.com/ingibjorg and see them live at:  

Sat 18.9. Turku, Flame Jazz Cruise  

Mon 20.9. Mariehamn, Ålandica

Wed 22.9. Tampere, G Livelab Tampere

Thu 23.9. April Jazz Club, WeeGee, Espoo (TBC)

KADI VIJA KEY PROJECT (FIN): “Know what you eat!”

On their extensive Nordic tour, the Finnish Four will take a closer look on their meal choices on the road, as well as the catering that is provided at the concert venues. Food production contributes to climate change and eutrophication, as well as the depletion of biodiversity. It is also a considerable drain on other resources, such as land area, energy, and water. Everybody’s gotta eat – even starving artists! – but based on knowledge of where the food comes from and at what cost, can we make better choices? Can we turn the local, seasonal, veggie-based diet into a Norm, regarding band riders, catering and eventually our lifestyles?  

Follow their journey at www.nordicjazzcomets.com/kadi-vija-key-project and see them live at:  

Sat 4.9. Reykjavik Jazz Festival, Harpa

Mon 6.9. Örebro, Kulturkvarteret Akustik

Tue 7.9. Stockholm, Fasching

Wed 8.9. Oslo, Nasjonal Jazzscen Victoria

Tu 9.9. Bergen, TBC

Wed 22.9. Tampere, G Livelab Tampere

SVANEBORG KARDYB (DEN): “Run on renewables!”

The energetic (or Danergetic?) tandem begin their tour in Iceland, and while soaking in the hot springs after the gig, they will learn that they actually float in the very core of Iceland’s power source. Iceland boasts a complete reliance on renewable energy, where 2/3 of electricity is provided by hydropower plants and 1/3 comes from geothermal energy. What is the ratio in Sweden, where they head next on their tour? What is the energy source of electricity and heating at their concert venues, and do the concert organizers have a say in that?  

Follow their journey at www.nordicjazzcomets.com/svaneborg-kardyb and see them live at:

Sat 4.9. Reykjavik Jazz Festival, Harpa  

Tue 7.9. Stockholm, Fasching  

Wed 8.9. Halmstad, Halmstad Jazz Club

Thu 9.9. Gothenburg, Partille Kulturum