An interview with the journalist Ann-Sofie Oman
Last year, Swedish journalist Ann Sofie Oman reported from the Ljubljana Jazz Festival for Orchestra Journalen, the world’s oldest jazz magazine, and this year she covered the concert by a Swedish band, Angles, for the Lira magazine.
Having visited Slovenia last year, she attended a Slovenian course in Sweden. Being best in her class, she received the first prize: a three-week course in Slovenian at the Ljubljana Faculty of Arts. It just so happened that her course coincided with the festival.
When did you first take an interest in the Ljubljana Jazz Festival?
I learnt it was the oldest European jazz festival – that was the start. I soon realised that the Orchestra Journalen had never written about it. Thus, I had the feeling it was just waiting for me. I noticed that since the 1970s it had not included any Swedish jazz performers. This year, the Festival is featuring Angles, but I am not sure if this has anything to do with the talk I had with Bogdan Benigar, when I mentioned that Slovenia had not hosted Swedish jazz musician for a long while.
Could you say something about the article you have written for Orchestra Journalen?
I introduced the festival in detail, and wrote about the absence of Swedish jazz musicians and possible reasons for it, I also included an interview with two Slovenian guitarists who spoke about the Slovenian jazz situation. I used the photos by Nada Žgank, the official photographer of the Ljubljana Jazz Festival. Orchestra Journalen is the oldest jazz magazine in the world, exactly six months older than Downbeat.
How did you find tonight’s concert by Angles?
I interviewed them before the concert – they are wonderful, very open, which is discernible in their music. They are expressing their inner selves through music. I am writing for another magazine this year, Lira, about the band, their past, plans for the future etc. The magazine has a different concept – it is not focused entirely on jazz, but also includes articles on world music and folk music.
Is there a Swedish band you would like to draw our attention to?
There are many bands worth mentioning, but Angles are rather unique. Because of the influences they express in their music, from Eastern European music to elements of folk and others, they occupy an unparalleled position in the world of jazz. It’s quite possible they are the finest band that Sweden has to offer at the moment.
Andraž Jež
I learnt it was the oldest European jazz festival – that was the start. I soon realised that the Orchestra Journalen had never written about it. Thus, I had the feeling it was just waiting for me. I noticed that since the 1970s it had not included any Swedish jazz performers. This year, the Festival is featuring Angles, but I am not sure if this has anything to do with the talk I had with Bogdan Benigar, when I mentioned that Slovenia had not hosted Swedish jazz musician for a long while.
Could you say something about the article you have written for Orchestra Journalen?
I introduced the festival in detail, and wrote about the absence of Swedish jazz musicians and possible reasons for it, I also included an interview with two Slovenian guitarists who spoke about the Slovenian jazz situation. I used the photos by Nada Žgank, the official photographer of the Ljubljana Jazz Festival. Orchestra Journalen is the oldest jazz magazine in the world, exactly six months older than Downbeat.
How did you find tonight’s concert by Angles?
I interviewed them before the concert – they are wonderful, very open, which is discernible in their music. They are expressing their inner selves through music. I am writing for another magazine this year, Lira, about the band, their past, plans for the future etc. The magazine has a different concept – it is not focused entirely on jazz, but also includes articles on world music and folk music.
Is there a Swedish band you would like to draw our attention to?
There are many bands worth mentioning, but Angles are rather unique. Because of the influences they express in their music, from Eastern European music to elements of folk and others, they occupy an unparalleled position in the world of jazz. It’s quite possible they are the finest band that Sweden has to offer at the moment.
Andraž Jež
