Bernt Rosengren (born 24 December 1937, in

Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...

, Sweden) is a Swedish jazz tenor saxophonist. His recordings earned him five Gyllene Skivan awards in Sweden over more than forty years.

Biography

Rosengren first played professionally at age 19, as a member of the Jazz Club 57, and two years later in 1959 he played in the Newport Jazz Band.

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański , group=lower-alpha, name=note_a (né Liebling; 18 August 1933) is a French-Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two ...

's film score composer

Krzysztof Komeda Krzysztof Trzciński (27 April 1931 – 23 April 1969), known professionally as Krzysztof Komeda, was a Polish film music composer and jazz pianist. Perhaps best known for his work in film scores, Komeda wrote the scores for Roman Polanski’s f ...

used Rosengren in the performance of his jazz score for Polanski's film ''

Knife in the Water ''Knife in the Water'' ( pl, Nóż w wodzie) is a 1962 Polish psychological thriller film co-written and directed by Roman Polanski in his feature debut, and starring Leon Niemczyk, Jolanta Umecka, and Zygmunt Malanowicz. Its plot follows a husband ...

'' (1962). Rosengren recorded a string of highly regarded albums in the 1960s and 1970s, including ''Stockholm Dues'' (1965), ''Improvisations'' (1969), and ''Notes from Underground'' (1974). He played in a sextet led by George Russell in the 1960s in Europe. Later in the decade, he moved from

hard bop Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospe ...

into

post-bop Post-bop is a genre of small-combo jazz that evolved in the early to mid 1960s in the United States. Pioneers of the genre, such as Miles Davis, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, John Coltrane and Jackie McLean, crafted syntheses of ...

experimentation, playing with

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. Cherry played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five se ...

; in the 1970s, as a member of Sevda led by trumpeter Muvaffak "Maffy" Falay, he began working with elements of Turkish and Middle Eastern music. He also formed his own

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...

in the 1970s. In the 1980s, Rosengren worked frequently with American jazz musicians such as

Doug Raney Doug Raney (August 29, 1956 – May 1, 2016) was an American jazz guitarist. He was the son of jazz guitarist Jimmy Raney. Career Raney was born in New York City. He began to play the guitar when he was 14, beginning with rock and blues. He was ...

, George Russell,

and

Horace Parlan Horace Parlan (January 19, 1931 – February 23, 2017) was an American pianist and composer known for working in the hard bop and post-bop styles of jazz. In addition to his work as a bandleader Parlan was known for his contributions to the Char ...

. He recorded an album of songs from ''

Porgy & Bess ''Porgy and Bess'' () is an English-language opera by American composer George Gershwin, with a libretto written by author DuBose Heyward and lyricist Ira Gershwin. It was adapted from Dorothy Heyward and DuBose Heyward's play '' Porgy'', it ...

'' in 1996. Chris Mosey, a jazz critic from

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

, said in his review of Rosengren's album ''I'm Flying'' (2009): "All in all, ''I'm Flying'' is a worthy Golden Record." Jack Bowers, also writing for All About Jazz, wrote in his review of the same album: "Rosengren, for his part, is a model of elegance and consistency, inspiring his companions without stealing their thunder. Together they comprise a tight-knit and consistently engaging foursome. Besides blowing superbly, Rosengren wrote seven of the album's twelve selections. – Rosengren rides their talents like an Indy car driver, and the result is an exemplary team effort that is as stylish as it is rewarding."

Awards

He has won five '' Gyllene Skivan'' awards in Sweden, in 1965, 1968, 1969, 1974 and 2009. He was awarded the

Django d'Or The Golden Django, named after guitarist Django Reinhardt, is an award for jazz musicians in Europe. The trophy is a creation of the French painter Raymond Moretti. It was first introduced in France (in 1992), then in Belgium (1995), in Sweden a ...

Contemporary Star of Jazz in 2000 and Master of Jazz in 2003. Rosengren was also awarded the

Illis quorum ''Illis quorum'' (''Illis quorum meruere labores'') (English: "For Those Whose Labors Have Deserved It"), is a gold medal awarded for outstanding contributions to Swedish culture, science or society. The award was introduced in 1784 by King Gust ...

in 2010.

Discography

As leader or co-leader

* ''Bombastica!'' with

Lars Werner Lars Helge Werner (25 July 1935 – 11 January 2013) was a Swedish socialist politician. Werner was born in Stockholm. He was a member of the Riksdag from 1965 to 1994. A construction worker by profession, he was elected vice chairman of the ...

( Jazzland, 1960) * ''Stockholm Dues'' (Columbia MI 1965) * ''Improvisations'' (SJR, 1968/9) * ''Notes from Underground'' (Harvest, 1974) * ''Bernt Rosengren Quartet with

Bobo Stenson Bobo Stenson (born Bo Gustav Stenson; 4 August 1944) is a Swedish jazz pianist. The Bobo Stenson Trio, formed in collaboration with Anders Jormin (bass) and Jon Fält (drums), has been in existence for four decades. Career Stenson studied with We ...

'' (1975) * ''Bernt Rosengren Big Band with

'' (Caprice, 1980) * ''Surprise Party'' (

SteepleChase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

, 1983) * ''Live!'' (1983) * ''Summit Meeting'' (1984) * ''The Hug'' (1992) * ''Late Date: A Tribute to Lars Gullin'' (Mirrors, 1994) * ''Plays George Gershwin's Porgy & Bess'' (Liphone, 1996) * ''Bernt Rosengren Octet Plays Porgy & Bess'' (Arietta, 1996) * ''Bernt Rosengren Octet Plays Evert Taube'' (Arietta, 1999) * ''Bernt Rosengren Tentet Plays Kurt Weill'' (Arietta, 2000) * ''Bernt Rosengren Octet Plays Evert Taube Vol. 2'' (Arietta, 2002) * ''Inside Pictures: A Tribute to Lars Gullin, Vol. 2'' (2002) * ''I'm Flying'' (pb7, 2009) * ''Plays Swedish Jazzcompositions'' (pb 7, 2012) * ''In Copenhagen'' (

Stunt A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on television, theaters, or cinema. Stunts are a feature of many action films. Before computer generated imagery spec ...

, 2013) * ''Ballads'' (pb7, 2015) * ''Songs'' (pb7, 2017)

As sideman

With

Lester Bowie Lester Bowie (October 11, 1941 – November 8, 1999) was an American jazz trumpet player and composer. He was a member of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and co-founded the Art Ensemble of Chicago. Biography Born in t ...

* '' Gittin' to Know Y'All'' ( MPS, 1969) With

* ''

Eternal Rhythm ''Eternal Rhythm'' is a jazz album composed by Don Cherry.Don Cherry discography< ...

'' (MPS, 1968) * '' Eternal Now'' (

Sonet Synchronous optical networking (SONET) and synchronous digital hierarchy (SDH) are standardized protocols that transfer multiple digital bit streams synchronously over optical fiber using lasers or highly coherent light from light-emitting diode ...

, 1973) * '' Live in Stockholm'' (Caprice, 2013) * '' The Summer House Sessions'' (Blank Forms, 2021) With

Arne Domnérus Sven Arne Domnérus (20 December 1924 – 2 September 2008) was a Swedish jazz saxophonist and clarinetist. Career He began to play the clarinet at the age of 11 but had taken up the saxophone by the time he left school and then turned profession ...

* ''Face to Face'',

Dragon A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

, 1999 With

Mongezi Feza Mongezi Feza (11 May 1945 – 14 December 1975) was a South African jazz trumpeter and flautist. Biography Feza was born in Queenstown, Cape Province, Union of South Africa, into a family of musicians, His elder brother, Sandi Feza, who ...

* '' Free Jam'' (Ayler, 2004) With

* ''Jazz Jamboree '61 Nr. 4'' (Muza, 1961) – more extensive CD reissues of this concert on Power Bros, Polonia and Jazz on Film; music from ''Knife on the Water'' With

*''

Cuttin' Loose ''Cuttin' Loose'' is the second album led by guitarist Doug Raney recorded in 1978 and released on the Danish label, SteepleChase.Listen Listen may refer to: * The action of listening * Auditory system#Central auditory system, Central auditory system listening is how the brain processes what you hear * Listening behaviour types in human communication Computing * LISTEN, a Transm ...

'' (SteepleChase, 1980) *'' I'll Close My Eyes'' (SteepleChase, 1982) *'' Meeting the Tenors'' (Criss Cross, 1983) *''

Lazy Bird Lazy Bird is a musical composition by John Coltrane, first appearing on his 1958 album '' Blue Train''. Its name is most likely a play on the title of the Tadd Dameron composition " Lady Bird": Coltrane biographer Lewis Porter has proposed a ha ...

'' (SteepleChase, 1984) *''

The Doug Raney Quintet ''The Doug Raney Quintet'' is an album by guitarist Doug Raney recorded in 1988 and released on the Danish label, SteepleChase.George Russell * ''

The Essence of George Russell ''The Essence of George Russell'' is an album by American jazz composer and pianist George Russell originally released on the Swedish Sonet label in 1971, and subsequently reissued on the Italian Black Saint label in 1983. The album featuring per ...

'' (Sonet, 1971) * '' New York Big Band'' (

Soul Note Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

, 1982) With

Tomasz Stańko Tomasz Ludwik Stańko (11 July 1942 – 29 July 2018) was a Polish trumpeter and composer. Stańko was associated with free jazz and the avant-garde. In 1962, Tomasz Stańko formed his first band, the Jazz Darings, with saxophonist Janusz Munia ...

* '' Litania: Music of Krzysztof Komeda'' ( ECM, 1997) With

Idrees Sulieman Idrees Sulieman (August 7, 1923 – July 23, 2002) was an American bop and hard bop trumpeter. Biography He was born Leonard Graham in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, later changing his name to Idrees Sulieman, after converting to Isl ...

* '' The Camel'' (Columbia, 1964)

References

External links

Bernt Rosengren's MySpace siteRosengren at Discogs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rosengren, Bernt 1937 births Living people Musicians from Stockholm Swedish jazz musicians Swedish jazz saxophonists Male saxophonists Jazz tenor saxophonists 21st-century saxophonists 21st-century Swedish male musicians Male jazz musicians Recipients of the Illis quorum