Happening Today: International Jazz Day – Saturday, April 30th

This Saturday, Reykjavík is doing its fair share for the avid jazz fan in us all. What? Not an obsessive fan of Miles Davis and his ‘Blue Period’? No matter: with all the events in honour of the fifth International Jazz Day, you’re sure to find something to suit your fancy. And while merely listening to all the live music won’t make us nearly as cool as Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie or Herbie Hancock (I mean, the names alone), it will be a great opportunity to see variations of jazz standards, gypsy jazz, ragtime and much, much more in several hotels, bars, and restaurants around the city.

Here’s the haps – what, where, when and all that jazz.

11:30 Start the day with brunch at Bryggjan Brugghús while Haukur Gröndal and the house band play sweet jazz.

13:00 The ‘Big Band’ Marathon at Harpa.

(the ‘Big Band’ Marathon program):
13:00 Reykjavíkur (big band)
13:30 Tónlistarskólans í Garðabæ (big band)
14:00 Tónlistarskóla FÍH (big band)
14:30 Tónlistarskóla Akureyrar (big band)
15:00 Tónlistarskóla Reykjanesbæjar (band)
15:30 Karenar (band)
16:00 Suðurnesja (music school)
16:30 Skólahljómsveita Reykjavíkurborgar (music school)
17:00 Öðlinga (music school)

16:00-18:00 Get a refreshment at Slippbarinn while listening to more smooth tunes.

As for the night, options abound all over Reykjavík:

At Bjórgarðurinn, BB Duo – 20:00
At Kex Hostel, Tribute Trio – 20:30
At Hannesarholt, Óskar Guðjónsson Trio will play from – 21:00
At Mengi, Jacob Wick & Eiríkur Orri Ólafsson – 21:00
At Tíu Dropar, Gypsy jazz – 21:00
At Klausturbar in Hotel Kvosin, Jazz Múnkarnir – 21:30
At Hressó, Böddi Reynis and Selen Gulu – 22:00

Happy Jazz-ing, you crazy cats, you!