Evenings

Oslo Balboa Weekend is a gathering for Balboa enthusiasts who appreciate swing jazz and uninterrupted social dancing. This year, we’re excited to welcome The Big Five from Berlin alongside top musicians from Oslo, including David Skinner , Simple Jonnys Easy Jazz Band and Adas Swinging Jazzhoppers.

The pre-party is upgraded to a proper party this year, we will have tasters and live jazz, but we will not go on all night but end at midnight. The venue will be Sentralen, the same as the main event.

Friday and Saturday feature two stages with live music:
Forstanderskapsalen for Balboa and Kronesalen for slow Balboa.

We will have two bars this year, Gullbaren outside Forstanderskapsalen and one in Kronesalen, you will not have to go thirsty.

Thursday: Tasters and pre-party!

Forstanderskapssalen

19.30 – 20.30 Taster class
Possible taster

21.00 – 24.00 Party with Simple Jonnys Easy Jazz Band
Included in party pass and full pass. Possible to buy tickets at the door.

Simple Jonny draws inspiration from early swing, trad jazz, and the vocal-driven jazz of the interwar era. Fronted by Johan Ohlanders (double bass/vocals), the band combines driving basslines with charming vocals and storytelling. They create a rhythmic and playful soundscape that works just as well for listening as it does for dancing as it is strong on storytelling and bring the tunes and the dance floor alive!

• Johan Ohlanders (Bass / Vocals)
• Lars Frank (clarinet)
• Tobias Bergstrøm (guitar)
• Håkon Endal (piano)
• Magnus Eide (drums)

Friday – Two dance floors with live music!

21.00 – 02.00 Balboa (Forstanderskapssalen): David Skinners Swing Five

Pianist David Skinner is back, and this time the band comes five deep.

The core is the David Skinner Swing Trio, Skinner on piano, Stig Hvalryg on upright bass, and Marcus Lewin on drums a rhythm section that has been swinging Oslo dance floors together for years. Tight, road-tested, and built for exactly this.

Onto that foundation steps a front line with real bite. Lars Frank is an in-demand saxophonist and clarinetist, educated at the Norwegian Academy of Music and a central figure in Norwegian jazz, with international festival appearances and a Kobe Jazz Street Award to his name. Erik Eilertsen is classically trained from the Academy of Music, spent several years in the Danish Radio Big Band, and has toured worldwide as a soloist in both jazz and classical ensembles.

This is a band built for improvisation. Standards get taken apart and put back together in real time; where the music goes depends on the moment, the room, and what happens between two horn players with something to prove. The exchanges between Frank and Eilertsen, driven by one of the tightest rhythm sections on the Oslo scene, are where the night catches fire.

Hard swinging jazz. Come ready and bring an extra shirt.

21.00 – 02.00 Slow Balboa (Kronesalen): The Big Five (Berlin)

The Oslo Balboa Weekend is proud to present this Sextet from Berlin! Inspired by the wild hot sounds of 1930s/40s Harlem and Chicago jazz, The Big Five have established themselves as Berlin’s most authentic swing-era combo. Combining a driving rhythm section, a fiery horn-led frontline and dynamic song-arrangements, this international band makes a deep-dive into the lesser-known repertoire of the Swing Golden Age – as well as a strong emphasis on original compositions. The Big Five are veterans of Berlin’s famed Lindy-hop and Balboa dance-halls and know how to turn a mild-mannered dance party into a raging frenzy. With their sharp attire and an intense passion for authentic swing-era jazz, these cats will certainly make you Jump for Joy!

• Daniel Duspiwa, Tenor Sax
• Leo Gerstner, Drums
• Jack Latimer, Vocals/ Guitar
• Malte Tönißen, Bass
• Laurin Habert, Bari Sax / Alto Sax / Clarinet
• Johannes Böhmer, Trumpet

Saturday – Two dance floors!

20.00 – 21.00 Taster (TBC)

21.00 – 02.00 Balboa (Forstanderskapssalen): The Big Five

The Big five takes on the main Balboa stage and we look forward to feel the energy! This will be a night to remember.

20.00 – 02.00 Slow Balboa (Kronesalen): Ada and her swinging jazzhoppers

A favourite on the Oslo Slow Balboa scene, Ada and her Swinging Jazzhoppers deliver a warm, swinging sound built for the dance floor, vocalist and bassist Ada upfront, with a tight band of seasoned Oslo jazz musicians behind her.

• Ada Mathea Hoel: Vocal, Bass
• Lars Frank: Saxophone, Clarinet
• Håkon Endal: Piano
• Øystein Aarnes Vik: Drums

Ada Mathea Hoel is an Oslo-based musician, vocalist and bassist with a background spanning jazz, improvisation and experimental music. The Swinging Jazzhoppers is her vehicle for classic swing — warm, danceable, and firmly in the tradition.

Lars Frank is a Norwegian reed player rooted in classic jazz. On clarinet and tenor saxophone, he has performed with some of Europe’s finest traditional jazz musicians at venues and festivals across Norway and the UK.

Håkon Endal is an Oslo-based jazz pianist educated at Norges musikkhøgskole and the Tribeca Jazz Institute in New York, with an active career as both bandleader and sideman on the Norwegian jazz scene.

Sunday – The final party!

Balboa and slow balboa (Forstanderskapssalen): The Big Five

Oslo Balboa Weekend reaches its thrilling conclusion! With live jazz from the the Big five! This is no tea dance but a culmination of the weekend!