Bjørn Alterhaug (born 3 June 1945) is a Norwegian

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 major ...

bassist, arranger, composer and professor of music.

Store Norske Leksikon The ''Great Norwegian Encyclopedia'' ( no, Store Norske Leksikon, abbreviated ''SNL''), is a Norwegian-language online encyclopedia. The online encyclopedia is among the most-read Norwegian published sites, with more than two million unique vis ...

(in Norwegian)

Career

Alterhaug was born in

Mo i Rana Mo i Rana () is a List of towns and cities in Norway, city, and the administrative centre of the Municipalities of Norway, municipality of Rana, Norway, Rana, in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the Helgeland region of Nordland, just sou ...

, Norway. He is one of the grand masters among European bassplayers and has been leading an international career in jazz since the late 1960s. He has played and worked with a great number of international greats such as

Lee Konitz Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool jazz ...

Warne Marsh Warne Marion Marsh (October 26, 1927 – December 18, 1987) was an American tenor saxophonist. Born in Los Angeles, his playing first came to prominence in the 1950s as a protégé of pianist Lennie Tristano and earned attention in the 1970s as ...

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

Thorgeir Stubø Thorgeir Stubø (12 November 1943 – 22 October 1986) was a Norwegian jazz musician (guitar) and composer. He was the father of Jazz guitarist Håvard, jazz singer Kjersti and theater director Eirik Stubø, and grandfather of electronica musi ...

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

Lucky Thompson Eli "Lucky" Thompson (June 16, 1924 – July 30, 2005) was an American jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist whose playing combined elements of swing music, swing and bebop. Although John Coltrane usually receives the most credit for bringing th ...

Sheila Jordan Sheila Jordan (born Sheila Jeanette Dawson; November 18, 1928) is an American jazz singer and songwriter. She has recorded as a session musician with an array of critically acclaimed artists in addition to recording her own albums. Jordan pionee ...

Vigleik Storaas Vigleik Storaas (born 2 February 1963) is a Norwegian jazz pianist and composer, and the younger brother of composer and bassist Gaute Storaas. He is known from a series of album releases and collaborations with jazz musicians such as Norma Win ...

Karin Krog Karin Krog (born 15 May 1937) is a Norwegian jazz singer. Life and career Krog began singing jazz as a teenager and attracted attention while performing in jam sessions in Oslo. In 1955, she was hired by the pianist Kjell Karlsen to sing in ...

John Surman John Douglas Surman (born 30 August 1944) is an English jazz saxophone, bass clarinet, and synthesizer player, and composer of free jazz and modal jazz, often using themes from folk music. He has composed and performed music for dance performanc ...

Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Career Early life and career A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...

and

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948–51), Duke ...

. He continues to lead his post as a professor at the Institute of Music at Norges Teknisk-Naturvitenskapelige Universitet in

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

, Norway and has taught on the Jazz programme there since the start in 1979.

Honors

*''Buddyprisen'' 1975 *

Rana Rana may refer to: Astronomy * Rana (crater), a crater on Mars * Delta Eridani or Rana, a star People, groups and titles * Rana (name), a given name and surname (including a list of people and characters with the name) * Rana (title), a histori ...

municipality Culture Prize 1975 *This year's jazz musicians in Norway 1975 . *

Spellemannprisen Spellemannprisen, often referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards in English, is a Norwegian music award presented to Norwegian musicians. The award was established by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), an organizati ...

1980 in the class jazz for the album ''Moments'' (1979) *

Gammleng-prisen The Gammleng Award ( no, Gammleng-prisen) is a Norwegian culture award created by ''The Fund for Performing Artists'' in 1982, 25 years after the fund was established in 1957. The award's official name is the ''Rolf Gammleng award to performing art ...

1989 *

Sør-Trøndelag Sør-Trøndelag () was a county comprising the southern portion of the present-day Trøndelag county in Norway. It bordered the old Nord-Trøndelag county as well as the counties of Møre og Romsdal, Oppland, and Hedmark. To the west is the No ...

County Culture Prize, together with

John Pål Inderberg John Pål Inderberg (born 6 August 1950 Steinkjer, Norway) is a versatile saxophonist and one of the leading traditional musicians in Norway. His playing synthethises many different styles, not least when in partnership with Norwegian and America ...

2011

Bibliography (in selection)

*''Good morning, Duke'' (1999) *''A song - not too happy'' (1999) *''Bass means love'' (2004) *''A ballad'' (2004) *''Improvisation on a triple theme: creativity, jazz improvisation and communication'' (2004) *''Old Louis'' (2005) *''Moments'' (2005) *''Long ago'' (2005) *''Snake talk'' (2005) *''At the waters edge'' (2005) *''January morning'' (2005) *''Ballad to an old bass'' (2005) *''Maybe'' (2005) *''Epitaph'' (2005) *''Hymn to grotesque beauty'' (2005) *''Bluza 33'' (2006) *''Mellom panikk og kjedsomhet'' (2006) *''Improvisation, action learning and action research'' (2007) *''Beep'' (2008) *''Kyrie'' (2009) *''Songlines'' (2009) *''Kyrie'' (2009) *''Bird lovers'' (2009) *''Shailén'' (2009) *''Message from a sad dolphin'' (2009) *''Christmas song for children of Thelonious Monk'' (2010)

Discography

Solo albums

*''Moments'' - (

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ...

) *''A Ballad'' - (

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

) *''Some Other Time'', with Bjørn Johansen,

Frode Thingnæs Frode Thingnæs (20 March 1940 – 15 November 2012) was a Norwegian jazz composer, arranger, conductor and trombone player who formed the Frode Thingnæs Quintet in 1960. Career Thingnæs was introduced to music at eight years old, when he sta ...

Laila Dalseth Laila Dalseth (born 6 November 1940) is a Norwegian jazz singer. She was formerly married to the jazz saxophonist Theodor "Totti" Bergh (1935–2012). Career After an early debut in her hometown of Bergen, Dalseth was active on the Oslo jazz ...

Ole Jacob Hansen Ole Jacob Hansen (16 April 1940 in Oslo, Norway – 6 March 2000) was a Norwegian jazz musician (drums), known from a number recordings and international cooperation. Career Hansen established himself on the Oslo jazz scene first in Tore San ...

and

Egil Kapstad Egil Kapstad (6 August 1940 – 13 July 2017) was a Norwegian jazz pianist, composer and arranger. He wrote the music for more than 50 theatre productions, and composed for film and television drama. Kapstad composed classical works for orchestra ...

- (

1991 File:1991 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Boris Yeltsin, elected as Russia's first president, waves the new flag of Russia after the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt, orchestrated by Soviet hardliners; Mount Pinatubo erupts in the Phil ...

) *''Constellations'' - (

) *''Steps Toward's a Dream'', with

and Erling Aksdal Jr. - (

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

) ;With Bjørn Alterhaug Quintet *''Songlines'' (

Ponca Jazz Records Ponca Jazz Records is a jazz record label founded by Hilde Hefte in Kristiansand, Norway in 2004 Background Hefte had an idea of releasing the Rolf Søder recording ''Jargong Vålereng' '' with Egil Kapstad as composer, arranger and band leade ...

) - (

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

) *''Innocent Play'' (Ponca Jazz Records) - (

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

)

Collaborations

*''Østerdalsmusikk'', with Various Artists - (

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

) *''Selena'', with

Ketil Bjørnstad Ketil Bjørnstad (born 25 April 1952) is a pianist, composer and author. Initially trained as a classical pianist, Bjørnstad discovered jazz at an early age and has embraced the emergence of "European jazz". Store Norske Leksikon (in Norwegian) ...

- (

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

) *''Til jorden'', with Rolf Jacobsen and

- (

) *''Snjóuglan'', with ''Snjóuglan'' - (

) *''Frency only'', with

Åge Aleksandersen Åge Aleksandersen (born 21 March 1949 in Namsos, Norway) is a Norwegian singer, songwriter and guitarist. He is one of his country's best known singer/songwriters and musicians. Some of his most well known songs are "''Lys og varme''" (''Light ...

and

Sambandet Sambandet is a Norwegian rock group and the backing band of Åge Aleksandersen. Almost always referred to in that capacity they combined are known as Åge Aleksandersen & Sambandet, and together they won the 1980 Spellemannprisen for ''Ramp'' as be ...

- (

) *''Friends'', with Kapstad- Johansens Quartet - (

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

) *''Notice'', with

- (

1981 Events January * January 1 ** Greece enters the European Economic Community, predecessor of the European Union. ** Palau becomes a self-governing territory. * January 10 – Salvadoran Civil War: The FMLN launches its first major offensiv ...

) *''Drøbak kassetten 1981'', with Various Artists - (

) *''Live at Jazz Alive'', with

- (

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to Internet protocol suite, TCP/IP is officially completed (this is consid ...

) *''Norsk Jazz 1960-1980'', with Various Artists - (

) *''Veintetid'', with

Tove Karoline Knutsen Tove Karoline Knutsen (born 14 January 1951 in Torsken) is a Norwegian politician for the Labour Party. She was elected to the Norwegian Parliament from Troms in 2005. She graduated as cand.philol. in 1982, and spent large parts of her career ...

- (

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

) *''Epilog'', with

- (

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

) *''For a Small Planet'', with Trondheim Kammerkor - (

1987 File:1987 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The MS Herald of Free Enterprise capsizes after leaving the Port of Zeebrugge in Belgium, killing 193; Northwest Airlines Flight 255 crashes after takeoff from Detroit Metropolitan Airport, k ...

) *''For the Time Being'', with

- (

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

) *''Fuglar'', with

Noble Noise A noble is a member of the nobility. Noble may also refer to: Places Antarctica * Noble Glacier, King George Island * Noble Nunatak, Marie Byrd Land * Noble Peak, Wiencke Island * Noble Rocks, Graham Land Australia * Noble Island, Gr ...

- (

1989 File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress Street Viaduct, Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxo ...

) *''Blackbird'', with

Siri's Svale Band Siri Beathe Gellein (born 1 October 1966 in Trondheim, Norway) is a Norwegian Musician (vocals) and journalist, known from several albums, bands and television programs. Career Her own Siri's Svale Band (established in 1987) performs ("sval") ...

- (

1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...

) *''The Jazz Sampler Vol. 2'', with Various Artists - (

) *''New Church Music from Nidaros Cathedral'', with Various Artists - (

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

) *''Remembrance'', with Egil Kapstad Trio - (

) *''Norske bilder ''- (

) *''Pot's On'', with Asmund Bjørken Sextet feat.

Jan Erik Kongshaug Jan Erik Kongshaug (4 July 1944 – 5 November 2019) was a Norwegian sound engineer, jazz guitarist, and composer. Career Kongshaug was born in Trondheim, the son of guitarist John Kongshaug. Store Norske Leksikon (in Norwegian) During his chi ...

- (

) *''A Woman's Intuition'', with

- (

) *''Min vemods fryd'', with Jan Henrik Henriksen - (

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...

) *''Jazz Out of Norway'', with Various Artists - (

) *''Plays Norwegian Music'', with Arctic Guitar Trio - (

) *''Gemini'' - (

1997 File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; ''Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of t ...

) *''Notice/Live at Jazz Alive'', with

- (

) *''Necessarily So...'', with

- (

) *''Over at Ola's'', with Kevin Dean Quintet - (

) *''Norsk tonekunst i kontraster'', with

Embla In Norse mythology, Ask and Embla ( non, Askr ok Embla )—male and female respectively—were the first two humans, created by the gods. The pair are attested in both the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional s ...

- (

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The '' Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently ...

) *''Night Birds'', with

Totti Bergh Theodor Christian Frølich Bergh known as Totti Bergh (5 December 1935 in Oslo – 4 January 2012 in Oslo) was a Norwegian jazz musician (saxophone), the younger brother of the jazz journalist Johannes (Johs.) Bergh (1932–2001). He was married ...

- (

) *''Gemini and Taurus'' - (

) *''Round Chet's Midnight'', with

Hilde Hefte Hilde Hefte (born 1 September 1956 in Kristiansand, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz singer. Biography Hefte got much of her musical education from the well reputated Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo, Norway with piano as primary and voca ...

- (

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...

) *''Oslo Jazz Circle 50 år'' - (

) *''Double Circle'', with

Ivar Antonsen Ivar Antonsen (born April 16, 1946, in Fauske, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz pianist and composer and had his debut at the Oslo jazz scene in 1967 together with Jan Garbarek, Palle Mikkelborg, Arild Andersen, and Espen Rud. Career Antonsen st ...

- (

) *''One of a Kind'', with

- (

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

) *''Man, Woman and Child'', with

Tore Johansen Tore Johansen (born 23 December 1977) is a Norwegian jazz trumpeter and the younger brother of drummer Roger Johansen. He has worked with Chick Corea, Karin Krog, Kenny Wheeler, Steve Swallow, Lars Jansson, Hal Galper, Siri Gellein, and Jan Gunn ...

- (

) *''Early Years'', with

- (

) *''First Song'', with

Bodil Niska Bodil Aileen Niska (born 21 August 1954 in Vadsø, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz saxophonist known for her recordings of jazz standards. Career Raised in Hammerfest ,she was taught music by her father, the accordion player Aksel Niska, and stu ...

- (

) *''Pictures'', with Equilibrium - (

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...

) *''Playsong'' - (

) *''Distant Reports'' - (

) *''Advenio'', with Vokal Nord - (

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...

) *''Hildes Bossahefte'', with

- (

) *''Bjørn Johansen in Memoriam'', with Various Artists - (

) *''Wolfvoices'', with Maiken Mathisen Schau - (

) *''The Next Step'', with

Jon Larsen Jon Larsen (born 7 January 1959) is a gypsy jazz guitarist, record producer, painter, and amateur scientific researcher. He is the founder of the group Hot Club de Norvège. In 2007 he received the Buddy Award for his lifelong contribution to ...

- (

) *''Foot Prints'' - (

) *''Wistful'', with Hallgeir Pedersen Trio - (

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...

) *''Django Festival 3'', with Various Artists - (

) *''Blue'', with

- (

) *''Jazz Collection 1'', with Various Artists - (

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

) *''Like That'', with

and

- (

) *''Sval draum'', with

- (

) *''Bluero'', with Hallgeir Pedersen Trio - (

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

) *''My Funny Valentine'', with

- (

) *''On the Corner'', with

- (

) *''Jazzsnadder'', with Various Artists - (

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

) *''Live in Oslo'', with

and

- (

) *''An Evening in Prague'', with

and

The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (Czech: ''Filharmonici města Prahy'') is a classical orchestra, predominantly composed of Czech classical, jazz and guest musicians. The history of the orchestra goes back to the Film Symphony Orchestr ...

- (

) *''Oslo Calling'', with

- (

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

) *''Veckan 44'', with Norsk/Svensk Cool Sextet - (

) *''Arctic Bird'', with Kjell Bartholsen - (

) *''A Portrait of Jon Larsen'', with

- (

) *''Åge-boks 1'', with

- (

) *''Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair'', with Various Artists - (

) *''Q'' (2009), with Henning Gravrok - (

) *''Flight'' - (

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

) *''Piano Pals'' (

), with Oddbjørn Blindheim Trio - (

)

References

External links

*
Bjørn Alterhaug Biografi - ''Norsk Musikkinformasjon'' MIC-noBjørn Alterhaugs label
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alterhaug, Bjorn 1945 births Living people Musicians from Mo i Rana 20th-century Norwegian upright-bassists 21st-century Norwegian upright-bassists Norwegian jazz upright-bassists Male double-bassists Jazz double-bassists Norwegian jazz composers Male jazz composers Spellemannprisen winners Ponca Jazz Records artists Royal Norwegian Society of Sciences and Letters 20th-century Norwegian male musicians 21st-century Norwegian male musicians Siri's Svale Band members