Nutshell is West Norway Jazz Center`s acclaimed jazz showcase programme for Norwegian jazz music, established in 2006. Throughout the years we have built on a close and fruitful cooperation with the jazzfestival Nattjazz, The City of Bergen, The County of Hordaland, The Norwegian Jazz Federation, Music Norway, and not least the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Norwegian embassies around the world have also been central collaborators and have supported the project both financially and with great helpfulness.
The idea behind Nutshell is to front excellent jazz musicians to a panel of international participants who attend a festival (up until now mainly the Nattjazz festival in Bergen). In addition to hearing Norwegian music at night, there are special performances (showcases) held daytime – presenting artists that are handpicked for their international potential.
The Nutshell participants spans from festival- and concert promoters from around the world, to skilled journalists and writers with jazz as their main field. In the course of a few days they are exposed to Norwegian jazz that they otherwise might not have come across, which hopefully results in either booking or a favourable piece of writing abroad!
The goal for Nutshell has been to produce the best experience for our visitors and to stick out among other similar presentation programs. The combination music, nature and local cuisine has proved a success, and with the intimate scale and friendly approach we think the networking effect is optimal.
