Canal Street is a yearly jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 and blues

Blues

Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...

 festival in Arendal

Arendal

is a town and municipality in the county of Aust-Agder, Norway. Arendal belongs to the traditional region of Sørlandet.The town of Arendal is the administrative center the municipality and also of Aust-Agder county...

, first presented in 1996.

The festival is known for its use of unusual venues where interesting surroundings go hand in hand with musical experiences. Jazz at the Lighthouse at lille Torungen fyr, bathing blues & swimming jazz in Merdø Uthavn, bohemian jazz at Kolbjørnsvik

Kolbjørnsvik

Kolbjørnsvik is a village in Aust-Agder, Norway....

 and ”Føling på fyllinga” at the local waste dump, Heftingsdalen, are some of the examples.

Canal Street is one of few Norwegian festivals that feature both jazz and blues as main genres. This gives a great opportunity to show two genres that historically are closely connected, and thereby you can enjoy all the excitement from featuring the two genres. And, we also include rock and world music.

Festival program features

Canal Street's strategy is to offer the best of the Norwegian and international jazz and blues scene as well as related world music and rock. Both the new and unknown and the traditional expressions can be found.

The name

Once upon a time Arendal was a town of canals. However, what was once seen as "progress" required that these canals be filled up, and so they disappeared. One of the remains from the canal era is Canal Place, now one of the main venues of the festival.

Environmental profile

Canal Street was certified as a "Green venue" in 2006 as one of the first festivals in Norway. Canal Street has joined the UN's Carbon Neutral Network and is supporting this year's Earth Hour 2009.

Artists 2008

Bill Evans

Bill Evans (saxophonist)

Bill Evans is an American jazz saxophonist. His father was a classical piano prodigy and until junior high school Evans studied classical clarinet. Early in his studies he was able to hear such artists as Sonny Stitt and Stan Getz live at the Jazz Showcase in Chicago...

 The Rich Harper Blues Band Solomon Burke

Solomon Burke

Solomon Burke was an American singer-songwriter, entrepreneur, mortician, and an archbishop of the United House of Prayer For All People. Burke was known as "King Solomon", the "King of Rock 'n' Soul", and as the "Bishop of Soul", and described as "the Muhammad Ali of soul", and as "the most...

/ Republic of Ireland The Waterboys

The Waterboys

The Waterboys are a band formed in 1983 by Mike Scott. The band's membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Scotland, Ireland and England. Edinburgh, London, Dublin, Spiddal, New York, and Findhorn have all served as homes for the group. The band has played in a...

 Krissy Matthews John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers

John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers

John Mayall & the Bluesbreakers are a pioneering English blues band, led by singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist John Mayall, OBE. Mayall used the band name between 1963 and 1967, but then dropped it for some fifteen years. However, in 1982 a 'Return of the Bluesbreakers' was announced and...

 Dum Dum Boys deLillos

DeLillos

deLillos is a Norwegian rock band formed in Oslo in 1984. They are regarded as one the "Four Greats" in modern Norwegian pop music, i.e. one of the four 1980s groups that founded a new tradition for rock music with lyrics in Norwegian...

 Hilde Hefte & Inger Marie Gundersen Sondre Lerche

Sondre Lerche

-Career:Sondre Lerche was born in Bergen, Norway. Growing up, Lerche was heavily influenced by the '80s pop that emanated from his older siblings' rooms. Compelled by a defining fascination for bands such as The Beatles, A-ha, the Beach Boys, and Prefab Sprout, Lerche began formal guitar...

 Ole Paus

Olé Paus

Ole Paus is a Norwegian singer-wongwriter, author, poet and actor. He is widely considered one of Norway's most popular musicians.-Background:...

 Nils Petter Molvær

Nils Petter Molvær

Nils Petter Molvær also known as NPM is a Norwegian jazz trumpeter, composer, and producer. Molvær is considered a pioneer in fusing jazz and electronic music, showcased on his best-selling album Khmer, released by the German record label ECM in October 1997 in Europe and early 1998 in North...

 Rangers

Rangers (band)

The Rangers is a Czech pop folk band formed in 1964 by Milan Dufek and Antonín Hájek, playing country music as well. Its classical ensemble consisted of Milan Dufek , Antonín Hájek , Miroslav Řihošek, Jan Vančura , Jiří Veisser, and Radek Tomášek...

 Bertine Zetlitz

Bertine Zetlitz

Bertine Zetlitz is a Norwegian pop singer. She is one of Norway's most popular performers.-Biography:Bertine Axeliane Robberstad Zetlitz began her musical journey at a young age, penning her first numbers aged just 12. After gaining a background in classical music, Zetlitz began to experiment...

 Ane Brun

Ane Brun

Ane Brun is a songwriter, guitarist and vocalist. Since 2003 she has recorded eight albums, four of which are studio albums, a live DVD and a collection of duets...

 Bugge Wesseltoft

Bugge Wesseltoft

Jens Christian Bugge Wesseltoft is a Norwegian jazz musician, pianist, composer and producer. He has his own label named Jazzland Records. In the 1990s, Bugge has made a transition from Nordic jazz traditions exemplified by the ECM record label to a style sometimes referred to as "future jazz" or...

 Heroes & Zeros

Heroes & Zeros

Heroes & Zeros is a rock band from Norway. The group is composed of Hans Jørgen Undelstvedt, Simen Krogstie Lagesen, and Arne Kjelsrud Mathisen. Its members grew up together in a small town on the southern coast of Norway called Lillesand...

m. flere

Artists 2009

Foreløpige artister: Randy Brecker

Randy Brecker

Randal "Randy" Brecker is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. He is a highly sought after performer in the genres of jazz, rock, and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears,...

 & Bill Evans Soulbop band Bo Kaspers Orkester

Bo Kaspers Orkester

Bo Kaspers Orkester is a Swedish jazz-pop band consisting of Bo Sundström, Fredrik Dahl, Michael Malmgren and Mats Schubert. Bo Sundström calls himself Bo Kasper while playing with the band, but uses his normal name for his solo project....

 CC Cowboys

CC Cowboys

CC Cowboys is a Norwegian Rock band from Fredrikstad. Their members are the vocalist and guitarist Magnus Grønneberg, their guitarist Jørn Christensen their bassist Per Vestaby and their drummer Agne Sæther....

 Onkel Tuka Kim Larsen & Kjukken

Kim Larsen

thumb|250px|Kim Larsen, Nibe Festival 2009.Kim Melius Flyvholm Larsen is a Danish rock musician.Inspired by The Beatles and rock and roll, Larsen began as a songwriter and guitarist...

 Lillebjørn Nilsen

Lillebjørn Nilsen

Bjørn "Lillebjørn" Falk Nilsen is a prominent Norwegian singer-songwriter and folk musician. He is also considered somewhat the leading "voice of Oslo" thanks to numerous classic songs about the city from the 1970s and up....

 Katzenjammer

Katzenjammer (band)

Katzenjammer is a Norwegian band from Oslo which was formed in 2005.The band members are Anne Marit Bergheim, Marianne Sveen, Solveig Heilo and Turid Jørgensen. Their music mixes genres such as folk music, pop, rock, country and balkan music. Even though the members are from Norway, their lyrics...

 Helge Lien Trio Hallgeir Pedersen Knock Out Jonas Alaska Kjetil Grande & Crank Bros /  United Kingdom Arild Andersen

Arild Andersen

Arild Andersen is a Norwegian bass player.Born in Lillestrøm, Norway, he started out as a member of the Jan Garbarek Quartet , with Terje Rypdal and Jon Christensen...

 feat. Tommy Smith

Tommy Smith

Tommy Smith or Tommie Smith may refer to:* Tommy Smith , American playwright* Tommy Smith , spent much of his career with Liverpool* Tommy Smith , plays for Queens Park Rangers...

 & Paolo Vinaccia

Paolo Vinaccia

Paolo Vinaccia is an Italian composer, jazz drummer and percussionist. He has lived in Norway since 1979.He has worked with Terje Rypdal, Bendik Hofseth, Jan Eggum, Knut Reiersrud and Jonas Fjeld to mention a few...

 Dag Arnesen Norwegian Song Satyricon

Satyricon (band)

Satyricon is a Norwegian black metal band, and the first one in the genre to join a multi-national record label .-Biography:Satyricon was formed in 1990 by Czral and Wargod. Ulver and Satyr soon joined them...

 YTO Solreiser Angélique Kidjo

Angélique Kidjo

Angélique Kpasseloko Hinto Hounsinou Kandjo Manta Zogbin Kidjo, commonly known as Angélique Kidjo is a Grammy Award–winning Beninoise singer-songwriter and activist, noted for her diverse musical influences and creative music videos. Time Magazine has called her "Africa's premier diva". The BBC has...