(Exit) Knarr came together after the pandemic forced Håker Flaten to move back to his native country Norway. A commission by Vossa Jazz festival created an opportunity to gather a group of fantastic Scandinavian musicians he had long wanted to work with. The COVID pandemic made it impossible to carry out Vossa Jazz as planned both in 2020 and in 2021. The music was finally premiered at Vossa Jazz on September 26, 2021 in connection with the release of the album on ODIN Records (artwork by renowned painter Lars Elling).

A Knarr is the type of ship that was built in Scandinavia a thousand year ago and was used to sail the world – just as Ingebrigt Håker Flaten traveled the world driven by his musical adventures. (Exit) Knarr is a homage to the different places he visited, each song capturing the spirit of cities like Austin, Trondheim and Amsterdam.

(Exit) Knarr is a musical plethora that draws from the bassist’s extensive background across different genres and traditions built up over a long career. The music draws as much inspiration from jazz and avant garde as from world music and psychedelic rock.