Bugge has "reunited" with the New Conception of Jazz project at Punkt Festival 2026: Photos -

The Swedes held the lead for a long time but faced a tough battle in the “extra innings” Punkt Festival 2026.

If anything deserves to be called “doing it in style,” it was this year’s festival. It has simply been three fantastic days in Kristiansand, filled with brilliant music and wonderful experiences.

Flutes from the forest

I started the day with a concert by the Henriette Eilertsen Trio. It was a trio I hadn’t managed to see live before—something I strongly reproach myself for, as this is a group one simply must hear.

Alongside Eilertsen on flutes, we heard baritone guitarist Torstein Slåen—stepping in for cellist Joel Ring, who was back home awaiting the birth of his child—and drummer Øystein Aarnes Vik.

These are two relatively young musicians on the Norwegian jazz scene who mesh perfectly with Eilertsen’s excellent flute playing. And for anyone familiar with *salt peanuts*’ historically critical stance on jazz flutists, Henriette Eilertsen is a musician who casts most of our prejudices aside.

She is an excellent flutist who, I feel, embodies much of the energy associated with the “Motvind” crowd. Unlike far too many other jazz flutists, she possesses a strong personality that shines through in her superb playing. And although Joel Ring had other, more important matters on his agenda that evening, “substitute” Torstein Slåen worked perfectly as a sparring partner for Eilertsen. Meanwhile, Aarnes Vik provided the perfect rhythmic foundation for the trio.

An excellent start to the final day, promising a brilliant day and evening ahead. Håvard Wiik’s Musical Universe

I skipped the live remix performance featuring Erik Honoré, Eivind Lønning, and Jan Bang, but I was on hand for a first encounter with the quintet Cimota.

I get the feeling that everyone talking about Cimota does so primarily because the name is “Atomic” spelled backwards. And yes, there is a connection to the Swedish-Norwegian supergroup Atomic; three of Cimota’s members come from that band: bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, drummer Hans Hulbækmo, and pianist Håvard Wiik.

In place of Swedes Fredrik Ljungkvist (saxophone and clarinet) and Magnus Broo (trumpet), they have brought in the duo Streifenjunko—a well-established pairing consisting of tenor saxophonist Espen Reinertsen and trumpeter Eivind Lønning.

In Atomic, the composing duties were largely shared between Håvard Wiik and Fredrik Ljungkvist. In Cimota, Wiik has taken sole responsibility for that task. For the tour they are currently wrapping up, Wiik wrote seven compositions for the band—pieces we had the pleasure of hearing that evening.

Håvard Wiik is a composer who never takes the task lightly. He writes relatively “advanced” compositions—what I often call intellectual. That is not to say the music is inaccessible or “difficult,” but he undoubtedly puts his fellow musicians to the test.

With these musicians, however, that is never an issue. And rather than attempting to create a “new” Atomic, he adapts the compositions to the specific lineup, resulting in a sound that occasionally resembles the Håvard Wiik Trio meeting Streifenjunko. The two horn players, Lønning and Reinertsen, are superb improvisers who weave around each other’s improvisations, creating a truly distinctive landscape for the rest of the band. Håker Flaten acts as a kind of hub in the machinery with his “heavy,” energetic playing, while Hulbækmo’s “playfulness” behind the drums lays a foundation that allows the two horn players to perform with great freedom.

Then there is the “helmsman of the ship”: the eminent, creative pianist and composer Håvard Wiik. Not a single note he strikes on the “black and white keys” feels accidental. He displays a level of improvisational skill and leadership rarely seen in other pianists. His playing is playful yet intricate and exciting; through his leadership, he guides the other musicians through an hour of music that swings in the “old-school” style one moment, only to open up completely the next.

This marked the end of a launch tour of sorts for Cimota, and from here, there is only one way to go—straight to the top!

Building to a climax

Following the Cimota concert, the Punkt Festival 2026 headed straight for its finale. First came Sweden’s Goran Kajfeš Tropiques, before the festival pulled out all the stops by hosting a reunion of the core members of Bugge Wesseltoft’s New Conception of Jazz.

Here, Bugge—joined by drummer Anders Engen and bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten—would live-remix the concert by Goran Kajfeš Tropiques. Goran Kajfeš Tropiques is a Swedish band that has been around for quite some time, featuring “core” musicians Alexander Zethson on piano and synthesizer, Johan Bertling on bass, and Johan Holmegard on drums, alongside Kajfeš on trumpet and synthesizer (main photo). They were also joined by cellist Leo Svensson Sander—who has since become a more or less permanent member of the band—and violist Tove Bagge, filling in for violinist Josefin.

Goran Kajfeš Tropiques is a Swedish band that has been around for quite some time, featuring “core” musicians Alexander Zethson (piano and synthesizer), Johan Bertling (bass), and Johan Holmegard (drums), alongside Kajfeš on trumpet and synthesizer (pictured in the main image). They were also joined by cellist Leo Svensson Sander—who has effectively become a permanent member of the band—and violist Tove Bagge, filling in for violinist Josefin Runsteen.

I have heard this “chill” ensemble several times, yet I am constantly surprised by the new musical directions Kajfeš takes with these musicians. This concert, for instance, was a completely different experience from the last time I saw them—at the Tampere Jazz Happening last year.

It seems Kajfeš evolves the music significantly depending on the musicians available to him at any given time. This performance was far less “chill”—or what I’d call “café jazz”—and instead delivered an energetic, bold, and, above all, propulsive concert. Rather than serving up a “pure” jazz show, we were treated—particularly in a section towards the end—to a driving sequence featuring cello, viola, and double bass that could have fit seamlessly into one of Philip Glass’s concert films.

Kajfeš is an excellent trumpeter who can, at times, evoke the soundscape of Miles Davis. He doesn’t overly interfere with what the other soloists are doing; the three string players were given plenty of room to interact and, in a sense, help shape the musical direction. With Holmegard’s superb drumming providing the foundation and Zethson’s creative, beautiful piano and synthesizer work, this was perhaps the highlight of the festival for me.

The lighting design also worked perfectly for this concert. At times, it almost looked as though they were playing inside a vast cathedral, and with one of Norway’s finest sound engineers at the controls, the result was a complete experience that hit exactly the right note.

Then it was back down to the basement to witness the reunion of Bugge Wesseltoft’s *New Conception of Jazz*—marking its 30th anniversary—as they attempted to breathe new life into Kajfeš’s music.

I am convinced that they didn’t simply “copy” Kajfeš’s music, but rather drew inspiration from it to create their own versions. Looking back 25 or 30 years, I am equally certain that Kajfeš himself was inspired by Bugge’s band back then—a group that helped launch the “Norwegian wave” in the jazz world, alongside Nils Petter Molvær’s *Khmer* project.

Earlier in the festival, I mentioned Bugge’s ability to forge a close connection with his fellow musicians through eye contact and a smile. That dynamic was very much present during this live remix set as well. He steered most of the action from his keyboards, delivering a groove and swing just as potent as it was 30 years ago. And Håker Flaten’s bass playing strongly reminded me of the first time I saw them perform—on the “rooftop” stage at the North Sea Jazz Festival in The Hague.

Back then, either the airline or the baggage handlers at Schiphol Airport had wrecked Håker Flaten’s bass, so an angry, aggressive musician took the stage. Håker Flaten is 30 years older now, and not quite as angry. Yet that aggressive edge remains; he was constantly pushing Bugge with his—at times—frenzied bass outbursts.

The person who has perhaps evolved the furthest away from the “New Conception” landscape is drummer Anders Engen. Yet, it took only a few minutes—after a somewhat tentative start—for him to find his groove and deliver drumming that meshed perfectly with the other two.

Bugge has had several “reunions” with the New Conception of Jazz project over the years—often featuring younger female musicians. But not since the early days have I heard them sound better than they did on this late-night live remix session!

Then came the mingling with musicians, exhausted organizers, and friends, before finding Room 601 at Hotel Norge—followed by an all-too-early pickup this morning for a stylish ride to Kjevik Airport and the journey home (which, of course, involved a bus-for-train transfer from Bergen to Voss).

I’ve spent the journey looking back and reflecting on all the experiences in Kristiansand over the past few days. The sun, which eventually came out; the visit to Kunstsiloen—an impressive venue; the excellent service from the organizers and the volunteer team; the casual encounters with old and new friends—the kind you mostly run into at festivals; the seminars, where David Toop introduced us to many new and exciting artists; and, not least, the many outstanding concerts and live remixes that cast much of the music in a new light. And a huge thank you to Erik Honoré and Jan Bang for keeping this creative “bubble” of a festival alive for over 20 years.

By Lauren Wulff