Egil Kapstad (6 August 1940 – 13 July 2017) was 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 m ...

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, choir, string quartet, and smaller ensembles, and was a chief executive of the association ''Ny Musikk''. He worked as a host in television for

NRK NRK, an abbreviation of the Norwegian ''Norsk Rikskringkasting AS'', generally expressed in English as the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation, is the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company, and the largest ...

. Egil Kapstad's Trio worked as a small orchestra in the Norwegian

Melodi Grand Prix Melodi Grand Prix (), commonly known as Grand Prix and MGP, sometimes as Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix ( no, Norsk Melodi Grand Prix), is an annual music competition organised by Norwegian public broadcaster Norsk Rikskringkasting (NRK). It det ...

of 1965. Store Norske Leksikon (in Norwegian) (in Norwegian)

Career

Kapstad was born in

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population ...

, Norway. He taught jazz history and improvisation at the Musikkonservatoriet i Kristiansand and performed as a pianist on more than 60 albums. Kapstad worked with jazz musician such as

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 ...

, Chet Baker, Red Mitchell, Bjørn Johansen,

Bjarne Nerem Bjarne Arnulf Nerem (31 July 1923 in Oslo, Norway – 1 April 1991 in Oslo), was a Norwegian jazz musician (tenor saxophone, alto saxophone and clarinet) among the foremost soloists in Norwegian jazz. He was in the tradition of Lester Young ...

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 ...

and

Magni Wentzel Magni Wentzel (born 28 June 1945 in Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz musician (vocals and guitar), the daughter of musicians Odd Wentzel-Larsen and Åse Wentzel, and known for a number of jazz recordings. Career Wentzel started in "Totenla ...

, being also known for his longstanding collaboration with poet

Jan Erik Vold Jan Erik Vold (born 18 October 1939) is a Norwegian lyric poet, jazz vocal reciter, translator and author. He was a core member of the so-called "''Profil'' generation", the circle attached to the literary magazine ''Profil''. Throughout his care ...

. Kapstad received many awards and honors. He received Norsk jazzforbund's Buddyprisen in 1977, NOPA's award for the work of the year, (''Epilog'') in 1984,

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 ...

in the class jazz in 1985 and was awarded

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 organizat ...

in the class jazz twice, for the record ''Cherokee'' at the 1989 award of

and ''Remembrance'' with the ''Egil Kapstad Trio'' at the 1994 award of

. Kapstad became a

government scholar Government scholar (Norwegian, ''statsstipendiat'') is a position awarded by the Parliament of Norway upon the recommendation of the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Education and Research and funded directly over the State budget of Nor ...

in 2003. (in Norwegian) He died in

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, following the incorporati ...

during July 2017.

Compositions (selected)

*''Syner'' (1967), performed in the new version 1990 *''Epilog – Bill Evans in Memoriam'' (

Vossajazz Vossajazz or Vossa Jazz (established 19 December 1973) is an international jazz festival in Voss, Norway, which takes place annually during the week before Easter, and which also includes concerts throughout the year. The festival has been led by ...

, 1983) *''Døgn for kammerorkester'' *Theater music for

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

's ''

King Lear ''King Lear'' is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his power and land between two of his daughters. He becomes destitute and insane ...

'' *Theater music for Ibsen's ''Kongsemnerne'' *Theater music for Helge Hagerup's ''Kuler i solnedgangen''

Discography

As leader/co-leader

As sideman

*''By Myself'' (1964), with

*''Twostep og blå ballader'' (1974), with

Lars Klevstrand Lars Klevstrand (born 30 September 1949) is a Norwegian singer, guitarist, composer and actor. He was born in Drammen, Buskerud, the son of Olav Klevstrand and Grethe Sofie Larsen, and was brought up in Bærum. Career His debut album was ''Vi ...

*''I fløyterens hjerte'' (1990), with

*''I anstendighetens navn'' (1976), with

Ole Paus Ole Paus (born 9 February 1947; full name ''Ole Christian Paus'') is a Norwegian singer, songwriter, poet and author, who is widely regarded as the foremost troubadour of the contemporary Norwegian ballad tradition ( no, visebølgen). During th ...

*''Everything Happens to Me'' (1977), with

*''Til jorden'' (1978), with Rolf Jacobsen *''Live fra ABC-teatret'' (1979), with Odd Børretzen &

Alf Cranner Alf Cranner (25 October 1936 – 3 March 2020) was a major Norwegian folk singer, lyricist and painter, considered by many to be the pioneer of the Norwegian folk music wave of the 1960s. (in Norwegian) (in Norwegian) The citation for the award ...

*''Live at Jazz Alive'' (1983), with Thorgeir Stubø *''Sofies plass'' (1983), with

*''All or Nothing at All'' (1985), with

*''My Wonderful One'' (1987/88) *''Dedications'' (1985), with

Per Husby Per Husby (born 2 April 1949 in Oslo) is a Norwegian jazz pianist, composer, teacher, civil engineer, and orchestra leader. Career Husby was raised in Oslo together with other jazz enthusiasts like jazz journalist Knut Borge.Totti Bergh *''Major Blues'' (1990), with Totti Bergh *''Time for Love'' (1986), with

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 ...

*''A Woman's Intuition'' (1995), with

*''Den dagen Lady døde'' (1986), with

*''Blåmann! Blåmann!'' (1988), with Jan Erik Vold *''Sannheten om trikken er at den brenner'' (1990), with Jan Erik Vold *''Pytt pytt blues'' (1992), with Jan Erik Vold *''Obstfelder Live på Rebekka West'' (1993), with Jan Erik Vold *''Her er huset som Per bygde'' (1996), with Jan Erik Vold *''Storytellers'' (1998), with Jan Erik Vold *''Constellations'' (1990), with

Bjørn Alterhaug Bjørn Alterhaug (born 3 June 1945) is a Norwegian jazz bassist, arranger, composer and professor of music. Store Norske Leksikon (in Norwegian) Career Alterhaug was born in Mo i Rana, Norway. He is one of the grand masters among European bassp ...

*''Three Shades of Blue'' (1995), with

Staffan William-Olsson Staffan William-Olsson (born 13 December 1959) is a Swedish jazz guitarist in the band The Real Thing who has worked with Bob Berg, Lee Konitz, and Palle Mikkelborg. Career He played piano, guitar and drums already at the age of 7, and stud ...

*''Oslo Jazz Circle – Jubileumskonsert'' (1998), with various artists *''Round Chet's Midnight'' (1999), with Hilde Hefte *''Playsong'' (2001), with Hilde Hefte *''First Song'' (2000), with Bodil Niska *''Violin'' (2000), with

Ola Kvernberg Ola Kvernberg (born 16 June 1981) is a Norwegian jazz musician known for his virtuosic string swing violin playing and his international performances. He is the son of traditional musicians Liv Rypdal Kvernberg and Torbjørn Kvernberg, and the br ...

*''Playsong - the music of Bill Evans'' (2001), with Hilde Hefte *''Bjørn Johansen in Memoriam'' (2003) *''The Next Step'' with

(2003) *''Blue'' with Bodil Niska (2003) *''Hildes BossaHefte'' with Hilde Hefte (2003) *''Den dagen Lady døde'' with

(2003) *''Core Business'' with Louis Stewart (2004) *''Jargong Vålereng with Rolf Søder (2004) *''On The Corner'' with Hilde Hefte (2006) *''AN EVENING IN PRAGUE'' with Hilde Hefte & The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra (2007) *''Drømmemakeren sa'' with

(2008) *''Short Stories'' with Hilde Hefte (2013) *''Quiet Dreams'' with Hilde Hefte (2017)

References

External links

*
Norsk Jazzarkivs nettsider
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kapstad, Egil 1940 births 2017 deaths 20th-century Norwegian pianists 21st-century Norwegian pianists Norwegian jazz pianists Norwegian jazz composers Male jazz composers Gemini Records artists Hot Club Records artists Ponca Jazz Records artists Spellemannprisen winners Musicians from Oslo Norwegian male pianists 20th-century Norwegian male musicians 21st-century Norwegian male musicians