Snorre Kirk

Snorre Kirk draws from the melodic, swinging jazz of the 1950s and refreshes that soulful classic sound through contemporary arrangements. He first gained attention in the 2000s through work with Malene Mortensen and has sustained creative ties with Magnus Hjorth, Lasse Mørck, Kristen Korb, Sidsel Storm, and Jan Harbeck. His debut album Blues Modernism appeared in 2012 to broad acclaim, while the 2014 follow-up Europa secured slots at prominent festivals in Europe and the United States. After issuing two further records with the Europa ensemble—Drummer & Composer in 2017 and Beat in 2018—he assembled a new quartet featuring tenor saxophonist Stephen Riley to record Tangerine Rhapsody in 2019 and Going Up in 2021. Kirk’s seventh album as leader, Top Dog, arrived in 2022.

Born in Norway in 1981, Kirk relocated to Denmark in 2004 to attend the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, completing his studies in 2009. He first attracted notice as a sideman for singer Malene Mortensen on the albums Malene to All of You (2008) and Agony & Ecstasy (2009), and as a member of pianist Magnus Hjorth’s trio on Old New Borrowed Blue (2009), Gershwin with Strings (2011), and Blue Interval (2013). Hjorth became Kirk’s central musical partner, appearing on every album issued under Kirk’s name.

Blues Modernism, released in 2012, included Hjorth plus bassist Lars Ekman, tenor saxophonist Jan Harbeck, and trumpeter Karl Olandersson; Jazz Spezial named it album of the year, and Kirk earned two Danish Jazz Award nominations. Europa followed in 2014 with Hjorth and Harbeck returning alongside bassist Lasse Mørck, alto saxophonist Oilly Wallace, and cornetist Tobias Wiklund. The group subsequently performed at Rotterdam’s North Sea Jazz Festival, Finland’s Pori Jazz, and the Art of Swing Festival in Kansas City.

Kirk maintained other musical associations during this time, recording with singers Sidsel Storm, Kristin Korb, and Anders Blichfeldt, saxophonist Fredrik Kronkvist, violinist Mads Tolling, and pianist Zier Romme Larsen. His next leader album, Drummer & Composer (2017), reassembled Hjorth, Mørck, Harbeck, and Wiklund while adding alto saxophonist Klas Lindquist and trombonist Magnus Wiklund. Beat, issued in 2018, used the same lineup without Wiklund.

In 2019 Kirk formed a smaller quartet with Hjorth, bassist Anders Fjeldsted, and American saxophonist Stephen Riley. The group recorded Tangerine Rhapsody (2019) and Going Up (2021), with former bandmate Jan Harbeck substituting for Riley on several tracks. For his seventh leader album, 2022’s Top Dog, Kirk added guitarist Mads Kjølby Olesen, a collaborator since 2009, and tenor/alto saxophonist Michael Blicher.