The honorary guest of 2011 is jazz and improvisational singer
Lina Nyberg. In March this year she was awarded the Musician of the
year-award from Sveriges Radio (Swedish national radio) with the
motivation; "With thirteen records under her own name and the
fourteenth on the way she has marked herself as one of the
strongest voices in swedish jazz. A unique singer, composer and
lyricist who is deeply moving and inhabit a great sense of humor. A
stagepersona essential for swedish jazz."
Lina Nyberg is today one of Scandinavias most creative and
headstrong musicians. She has performed in a vast number of
countries and worked with some of the finest musicians in the
world. Fearlessly she throws herself between the impulses that at
all times seem to flow through her. To become a kind of "fronthead
of the jazz orchestra" wasn't on the map, instead her career was
started together with pianist Esbjörn Svensson, a collaboration
which ended in the critically acclaimed duoalbum Close. A total of
fifteen albums under a twenty year period as a jazz musician,
arranger, composer and lately even as a commentator on cultural
politics.
Lina Nybergs artistic expression is always meaningful and easy to
like. Often close to humour and with her own lyrics, as well as the
ones of others, adding a twisted and deep impression. She doesn't
back away from the ugly, vicious, but neither from the beautiful
and warm, no matter if it's called musical, classical
impressionism, freeform, classical jazz or improvisation. We are
very proud to have Lina as the honorary guest of the 2011 Umeå Jazz
Festival
