Áhpparas // Jazzfest 2026

Áhpparas is an electric power trio that lets Northern Sami joik be the driving force that sets the musical expression in motion.

The trio creates a musical landscape where tradition, improvisation and raw energy merge into something that mixes ancient tradition with a modern expression. The music is set in solid, multi-dimensional grooves that are open, repetitive and constantly evolving.

The hypnotic pulse of desert blues mixes with the circular energy of joik and an alternative 1960s where Jimi Hendrix and Jeff Beck could have found their way up to Northern Norway. The guitar joiks through tube amplifiers, distortion and groove, while bass and percussion build a foundation that is both down-to-earth and limitless.

Viktor Wilhelmsen has explored the crossover between joik, blues and improvisation for a number of years, and builds bridges effortlessly between the traditional and the modern. Kenneth Kapstad is one of thecountry's most prominent drummers, known from, among others, Motorpsycho and Møster! and provides precision, power and freedom that gives the rhythmic circles of the joik a new space for expression. Mattis Kleppen explores the connection between folk music, blues and jazz, often with the Telemark folk music tradition as a starting point and a distinctive sound.

Viktor Govasli Wilhelmsen – guitar, joik
Mattis Kleppen – bass
Kenneth Kapstad – percussion

INFO
Sitting concert
Doors: 15 min before the concert starts
Duration: 75 min