Beate Slettevoll Lech (born 10 April 1974 in

Volda Volda is a municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. It is part of the Sunnmøre region. The administrative centre is the village of Volda. Other villages in the municipality include Dravlaus, Fyrde, Straumshamn, Leira, Bjørke, and ...

, Møre og Romsdal, Norway) is a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

singer, composer and lyricist in modern jazz and related music, raised in

Øvre Årdal Øvre Årdal is a village in Årdal Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. It is the larger of the two primary villages in Årdal. The village is situated at the northern end of the long lake Årdalsvatnet, with the village of Årdalstangen ...

Sogn og Fjordane Sogn og Fjordane (; English: "Sogn and Fjordane") was, up to 1 January 2020, a county in western Norway, when it was merged to become part of Vestland county. Bordering previous counties Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, Buskerud, and Hordaland, the cou ...

. She grew up in

, Møre og Romsdal as the daughter of the Polish jazz violinist Zdzislaw Lech, known from bands like "Folk & Røvere",

Jon Eberson Jon Arild Eberson (born 6 January 1953) is a Norwegian jazz guitarist and composer, the son of jazz guitarist Leif Eberson (1925–1970), and the father of keyboardist Marte Maaland Eberson. He was a member of the bands Moose Loose (1973–77), ...

's band Metropolitan (two albums and appearance at

Moldejazz Molde International Jazz Festival (MIJF) or Moldejazz (established 1961 in Molde) takes place annually in July, and is known as one of the oldest jazz festivals in Europe. It was initiated by the local Storyville Jazz Club. Since 1964 it has re ...

1999), and

Beady Belle Beady Belle is a Norwegian jazz band founded by Beate S. Lech with her bassist and husband Marius Reksjø, after having been encouraged to make a record by Bugge Wesseltoft at Jazzland Recordings. Biography Lech and Reksjø studied music to ...

with her husband jazz bassist Marius Reksjø, and has attracted attention in concerts internationally.

Career

Lech is a graduate of the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

and

Norges Musikkhøgskole The Norwegian Academy of Music (Norwegian: ''Norges musikkhøgskole'', NMH) is a university-level music conservatory located in Oslo, Norway, in the neighbourhood of Majorstuen, Frogner. It is the largest music academy in Norway and offers the c ...

in Oslo. She has collaborated with musicians like

Bugge Wesseltoft Jens Christian Bugge Wesseltoft (born 1 February 1964) is a Norwegian jazz pianist, composer, and producer, son of jazz guitarist Erik Wesseltoft. Career In 1989, Wesseltoft collaborated with the Knut Riisnæs Quartet and was soon after ...

. On the solo album ''Min Song Og Hjarteskatt'' (2011), she show her close relationship to hymns and folk tunes, and her strong desire to make visible female voices in this male dominated arena. With help from lyricists Marit Kaldhol, Hilde Myklebust and Bente Bratlund, and poems from her late grandmother, she presents this lyrical album together with the musicians Marius Reksjø (bass),

Erlend Slettevoll Erlend Slettevoll (born 26 October 1981) is a Norwegian jazz pianist, known from cooperation with musicians like Ola Kvernberg, Petter Wettre, Heidi Skjerve, Kjetil Møster, Steinar Raknes and Espen Aalberg. Career Slettevoll was born in Vold ...

(piano), David Wallumrød (keyboards),

Knut Aalefjær Knut Aalefjær (born 21 December 1974 in Bærum) is a Norwegian jazz musician (drums and percussion), and composer, educated at the Norwegian Academy of Music. He is known as an eminent drummer who provide significant contributions in the ''Helg ...

(drums) and Georg Riedel (double bass). Under the name Beady Belle, Lech participated in

Melodi Grand Prix 2021 ''Melodi Grand Prix 2021'' was the 59th edition of the Norwegian music competition Melodi Grand Prix (MGP). The contest served as the country's preselection for the Eurovision Song Contest 2021. The competition was organized by NRK and was held ...

and attempted to represent

Norway in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 Norway participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2021 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. The Norwegian broadcaster, (NRK), used the national selection to decide their representative. Background Prior to the 2021 contest, Norway had participate ...

with the song "Playing With Fire". She did not qualify from Heat 1, and subsequently lost the Second Chance round.

Discography

;Solo album *2011: ''Min Song Og Hjarteskatt'' (

Kirkelig Kulturverksted Kirkelig Kulturverksted (KKV) is a Norwegian company and record label, founded in 1974 by Erik Hillestad. Among the musicians who have issued records on the label are Ketil Bjørnstad, Kari Bremnes, Erik Bye, Ole Paus, Sigvart Dagsland, Bjørn E ...

) *2014: ''Høgtidsrom'' (Kirkelig Kulturverksted), with

SKRUK SKRUK is a Norwegian choir which has toured all over the country and many parts of the world for more than 35 years with its conductor, Per Oddvar Hildre. It was founded in 1973. The choir has released more than 25 records over the years, all of ...

;Within

*2001: ''Home'' ( Jazzland) *2003: ''Cewbeagappic'' (Jazzland) *2005: ''Closer'' (Jazzland) *2008: ''Belvedere'' (Jazzland), includes duets with India Arie Simpson and

Jamie Cullum Jamie Cullum (born 20 August 1979) is an English jazz-pop singer, songwriter and radio presenter. Although primarily a vocalist and pianist, he also accompanies himself on other instruments, including guitar and drums. He has recorded nine stu ...

*2010: ''At Welding Bridge'' (Jazzland) *2013: ''Cricklewood Broadway'' (Jazzland) *2015: ''Songs From a Decade - The Best of Beady Belle'' (Jazzland) ;Within Metropolitan *1999: ''Metropolitan'' ( Columbia Records) *2004: ''Love Is Blind'' (Curling Legs), with strings

References

External links

Beady Belle Official WebsiteBeate S. Lech: Min song og hjarteskatt
at

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lech, Beate S. Norwegian women jazz singers Norwegian jazz singers Norwegian jazz composers Musicians from Årdal Musicians from Volda 1974 births Living people 20th-century Norwegian women singers 20th-century Norwegian singers 21st-century Norwegian women singers 21st-century Norwegian singers