Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (Exit) Knarr

Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (Exit) Knarr

(DK, NO, PL, US)

German premiere

Norwegian bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten has been a force of nature on his instrument for three decades now, a wildly versatile, muscular musician who’s kept the pulse and harmonic scheme of some of Scandinavia’s greatest ensembles over the years, including Element, Atomic and The Thing, among others. But he took his time making the shift to composing and bandleading. It wasn’t until he moved to Austin, Texas, that the wildly polystylistic Young Mothers, who played Jazzfest Berlin in 2019 and 2025, became his first working band. Still, his ambition as a composer wasn’t fully revealed until he formed (Exit) Knarr, an ensemble that’s experienced a slew of changes since it was commissioned by the 2020 edition of the Vossa Jazz in Norway.

Many line-up shifts later, the group has evolved into a well-oiled machine, albeit with soul to spare. The bassist’s writing reflects an omnivorous sensibility, a deep love for all kinds of music funneled through the prism of jazz into compositions that thrive upon jump-cut adventure. Joined by the Berlin-based Polish pianist Marta Warelis, Oslo-based Danish saxophonist Amalie Dahl – who presented her Dafnie EXTENDED at the 2025 edition of the festival –, American guitarist Jonathan F. Horne, and the Norwegian musicians Olaf Olsen (drums), Karl Hjalmar Nyberg (tenor saxophone and electronics) and Karl Bjorå (guitar), Flaten has forged a gritty post-bop band that is unafraid to embark on wild flights of improvisation, tap into hard rock fury, and swing like mad. The leader’s propulsion evokes no one so much as the great Charles Mingus, producing a seriously brawny attack that nonetheless maintains a palpable elegance and poise.