Frode Thingnæs (20 March 1940 – 15 November 2012) was 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 the ...

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 ...

composer, arranger, conductor and

trombone The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the Standing wave, air column ...

player who formed the Frode Thingnæs Quintet in 1960.

Career

Thingnæs was introduced to music at eight years old, when he started to play in a Sinsen school band. His first instrument was the trumpet, but in 1953 he took up the instrument he would come to be known for: the trombone. Due to his success at a young age, he was able to continue his musical education at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen, where he met other rising musicians. From 1959 onward, Thingnæs met and performed with the bands of Bjørn Jacobsen, Gunnar Brostigen,

Mikkel Flagstad Michael "Mikkel" Flagstad (23 April 1930 – 29 June 2005) was a Norwegian jazz musician (saxophone), son of the cellist Ole Flagstad and nephew of the pianist Lasse Flagstad, the singer Karen-Marie Flagstad and opera singer Kirsten Flagstad. ...

and

Kjell Karlsen Kjell Oddvar Karlsen (29 July 1931 – 5 May 2020) was a Norwegian band leader, composer, arranger, jazz pianist and organist, and a Nestor of Norwegian music and show business, with a career spanning more than 60 years. He was the father of the ...

. Starting in 1961, he led his own quartet, which over time included Egil Kapstad, Terje Rypdal, Laila Dalseth, Espen Rud, Bjørn Alterhaug and Per Husby. However, it was the ''Frode Thingnæs Quintet'' (including Henryk Lysiak, Jan Erik Kongshaug, Pete Knutsen, and Thor Andreassen) that was included on Norway's first jazz album, released in 1963. In 1967 Thingnæs was named best trombonist in the magazine 'Jazznytt musician vote' and in 1969 he led a Norwegian sextet at the prestigious

Montreux Jazz Festival The Montreux Jazz Festival (formerly Festival de Jazz Montreux and Festival International de Jazz Montreux) is a music festival in Switzerland, held annually in early July in Montreux on the Lake Geneva shoreline. It is the second-largest annual ...

. Although Thingnæs is best known for his role in the jazz community, he also made major contributions to many areas in Norwegian music. In 1960, he took the prestigious role of

kapellmeister (, also , ) from German ''Kapelle'' (chapel) and ''Meister'' (master)'','' literally "master of the chapel choir" designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term ha ...

at Norway's most famous

revue A revue is a type of multi-act popular theatrical entertainment that combines music, dance, and sketches. The revue has its roots in 19th century popular entertainment and melodrama but grew into a substantial cultural presence of its own duri ...

theater,

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. While there, he collaborated with entertainers including

Einar Schanke Einar Leonard Schanke (19 May 1927 – 23 February 1992) was a Norwegian composer, pianist, revue writer, theatre director and theatrical producer. He wrote revues for the Edderkoppen Theatre, and later for Chat Noir, where he was also director ...

Alfred Næss Karl Alfred Ingvald Næss (26 April 1877 – 6 July 1955) was a Norwegian speed skater. He set the men's world record for 500 meter speed skating on 5 February 1893 at 49.4 seconds in Hamar, Norway. He then broke his own world record 21 days late ...

and actor

Yngvar Numme Yngvar Numme (born 1 October 1944 in Porsgrunn, Norway) is a Norwegian singer, actor, revue writer and director. He is particularly known for his central role in the show group Dizzie Tunes for about forty years, one of the most successful ensembl ...

. He also worked with the rock band

Popol Ace Popol Vuh, later known as Popol Ace, was a 1970s Norwegian progressive rock band from Oslo, that became popular in the 1970s Norwegian rock scene with such songs as "All We Have Is the Past", "Queen of all Queens" and "Music Box". The band later ...

and conducted the

Norwegian Radio Orchestra The Norwegian Radio Orchestra (Norwegian, ''Kringkastingsorkestret'', abbreviated as KORK) is a radio orchestra affiliated with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (''Norsk rikskringkasting AS'', or NRK). Its principal base is the ''Store Studi ...

. Together with

Philip Kruse Philip Antony Kruse (born 13 May 1949) is a Norwegian orchestra leader, composer, arranger, producer, text writer, and musician (trumpet and vocals). He is the second son of Colonel Erling O. Kruse (b. 1922) and Eunice Cooklin (b. 1925). Career ...

, Thingnæs wrote the music for the Norwegian

Eurovision Song Contest The Eurovision Song Contest (), sometimes abbreviated to ESC and often known simply as Eurovision, is an international songwriting competition organised annually by the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), featuring participants representing pr ...

entries "Hvor er du?" (1974, English title "

The First Day of Love Norway was represented by Anne-Karine Strøm, with the song "The First Day of Love", at the 1974 Eurovision Song Contest, which took place on 6 April in Brighton, England. "The First Day of Love" was chosen as the Norwegian entry at the Melodi G ...

") and "

Mata Hari Margaretha Geertruida MacLeod (née Zelle; 7 August 187615 October 1917), better known by the stage name Mata Hari (), was a Dutch exotic dancer and courtesan who was convicted of being a spy for Germany during World War I. She was executed by ...

" (1976), both performed by his former wife,

Anne-Karine Strøm Anne-Karine Strøm (born 15 October 1951) is a Norwegian singer, best known for having taken part in the Norwegian Eurovision Song Contest selection, Melodi Grand Prix, in six consecutive years between 1971 and 1976, winning on three occasions ( ...

. Both Thingnæs and Strøm were members of the jury-member "Finn Eriksen's Orchestra" at the time. Other pop music collaborations include

Wenche Myhre Wenche Synnøve Myhre (born 15 February 1947), known in some countries as Wencke Myhre, is a Norwegian singer who has had a great number of hit songs since the 1960s in the Norwegian, Danish, German and Swedish markets and languages. Early caree ...

Lill Lindfors Maj Lillemor "Lill" Lindfors (born 12 May 1940) is a Swedish singer who has performed in Scandinavia since the 1960s. Career She was born in Helsinki, Finland, and made her debut as a revue actress in Uddevalla in 1960. The following year she ...

and

Svante Thuresson Svante Thuresson (7 February 1937 – 10 May 2021) was a Swedish jazz musician. He started his career as a drummer before joining the band Gals and Pals in 1963. Svante won the national selection and represented Sweden in the Eurovision song c ...

, as well as production credits for, among others,

Bodega Band Bodega Band (established 1929 in Trondheim, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz orchestra based in Trondheim, and part of "Studentersamfundets Orkester" at the Studentersamfundet i Trondhjem. The original sextet was established during the student festiva ...

(1977). In addition, Thingnæs worked as a conductor at two Oslo theaters, the Forsvarets staff music corps and, for over thirty years, the Kampen Janitsjarorkester. He composed for the Melodi Grand Prix in 1974 "Hvor er du?" and the 1976 "Mata Hari" (both times for Anne-Karine Strøm). His Flåklypaballetten for symphony orchestra was performed at the Norwegian Opera in 1985. In the same year, Thingnæs created his "Sonnets to Sundry Notes" of Music for symphony orchestra, big band and choir, based on texts by

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 nation ...

. His most renowned original works may be ''Wheels'' and the '' Flåklypa ballet'' (1985), performed at the

Norwegian National Opera The Norwegian National Opera and Ballet ( no, Den Norske Opera & Ballett, links=no) is a Norwegian opera company and ballet company. The first fully professional company each for opera and ballet in Norway and the only such professional organisati ...

. In his latter years, he led a quintet together with Harald Gundhus. Frode Thingnæs died 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 of ...

in November 2012, aged 72.

Honors

*1970: Buddy Prize awarded by the Norwegian Jazz Federation *1980: Spellemann Prize in the class Jazz for the album ''Direct to Dish'' *1983:

Gammleng Award 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 ...

as a studio musician *1999: The Norwegian King's Medal of Merit in gold *1999: Honorary Citizen of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

Personal life

Thingnæs was married to actress and drama teacher Marianne Mørk (b. 16 May 1953) on 2 June 1979. They had two children together: pianist Magnus Alexander Mørk Thingnæs (b. 1984), and filmmaker Maren Victoria Thingnæs (b. 1991).

Selected discography

Solo albums

;Big Band *1974: ''Feelin' All Right'' (

Polydor Records Polydor Records Ltd. is a German-British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in the United States. ...

) ;Frode Thingnæs Quintet *1978: ''Nightsounds'' (Talent Records) *1980: ''Direct to Dish'' (

Philips Records Philips Records is a record label founded by the Dutch electronics company Philips. It was founded as Philips Phonographische Industrie in 1950. In 1946, Philips acquired the company which pressed records for British Decca's Dutch outlet in A ...

) *1981: ''Queen Python'' (Philips Records) *1994: ''Watch What Happens!'' (Gemini Records), including with Svein Christiansen &

Terje Gewelt Terje Gewelt (born 8 June 1960) is a Norwegian jazz musician (Double bass, upright bass). Career Gewelt was born in Oslo and raised in Larvik, a small town on the southeastern coast of Norway. He started playing guitar at the age of 10, swit ...

Collaborations

; Kampen Janitsjarorkester *1990: ''Sing as we Go'' (Kampen Janitsjar) *2002: ''From Kampen to New Orleans'' (Kampen Janitsjar) *2008: ''Samspill''(Kampen Janitsjar) ;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 ...

, Bjørn Johansen,

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 ...

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 ...

*1991: ''Some Other Time'' (Gemini Records) ;Antonsen Big Band *2007: ''Antonsen Big Band'' (Ponca Jazz) ; Kjell Karlsen Big Band *2008: ''Edvard Grieg in Jazz Mood'' (

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Netherlands, Dutch–United States, American multinational Music industry, music corporation under Law of the Netherlands, Dutch law. UMG's cor ...

)

References

External links

*
Frode Thingnæs er død
memorial by Tone Staude & Oddvin Aune on

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

(in Norwegian)
Maren lager film om sin far Frode Thingnæs
(in Norwegian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Thingnaes, Frode People from Nore og Uvdal 20th-century Norwegian trombonists 21st-century Norwegian trombonists Norwegian jazz trombonists Male trombonists Norwegian jazz composers Jazz bandleaders Norwegian conductors (music) Male conductors (music) Eurovision Song Contest conductors Spellemannprisen winners Musicians from Oslo 1940 births 2012 deaths Male jazz composers 20th-century Norwegian male musicians 21st-century Norwegian male musicians