Harald Gill Johnsen (19 March 1970 – 24 July 2011) was a Norwegian jazz double bassist, known for his contributions in bands like Køhn/Johansen Sextet and

Tord Gustavsen Trio Tord is a given name, derived from the elements thor''' meaning thunder, thunder god; and '' meaning peace, beautiful, fair. The name developed as a short form of Thorfrid (Old Norse). Notable people with the name include: *Tord Andersson ...

, and a series of recordings with such as

Sonny Simmons Huey "Sonny" Simmons (August 4, 1933 – April 6, 2021) was an American jazz musician. Biography Simmons was born on August 4, 1933 in Sicily Island, Louisiana. He grew up in Oakland, California, where he began playing the English horn. (Along w ...

Sigurd Køhn Sigurd Eystein Køhn (6 August 1959 – 26 December 2004) was a Norwegian jazz saxophonist and composer. Career Køhn was born in Kristiansand, Norway, and started playing the violin and the clarinet at the age of 9, and begun playing the alt ...

, Nils-Olav Johansen,

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 ...

, Frode Barth,

Per Oddvar Johansen Per Oddvar Johansen (born 1 March 1968) is a Norwegian Jazz musician (drummer), most recognized for his work with Trygve Seim, Christian Wallumrød, The Source, Solveig Slettahjell and Vigleik Storaas, but has also been awarded the Spellemannp ...

and

Ditlef Eckhoff Ditlef Eckhoff (born 21 June 1942 in Stokke, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz musician (trumpet) known from numerous recordings and central on the Oslo Jazz Scene. Career Eckhoff was active early in his hometown where he led his own ensembles, wo ...

Career

Johnsen was a graduate of the Jazz program at Trondheim Musikkonservatorium (NTNU, 1989–92). He participated in the "two basses event" with the

Trygve Seim Trygve Seim (born 25 April 1971) is a Norwegian jazz musician (saxophone) and composer. He started to play the saxophone in 1985 after hearing Jan Garbarek's CD ''Eventyr''. Career Seim was born in Oslo. He studied music at Foss videregåe ...

led ''Trondheim Art Orchestra'' later called ''Trygve Seim Ensemble''. He played a key role in a variety of jazz bands, including Nils-Olav Johansen Trio, Christian Belt Trio, Svein Olav Herstad Trio, Jan Erik Kongshaug Quartet and Køhn/ Johansen Sextet. He was a member of several bands, including

Erlend Skomsvoll Erlend Fredrik Skomsvoll (born 12 May 1969) is a Norwegian jazz musician (piano, keyboards, accordion, and tuba), band leader, composer and arranger, known from his own band Skomsork and the band Wibutee with Live Maria Roggen, Madrugada, and Ka ...

's "Hvorfor Ikke?" in 1994, Erik Wesseltoft Quartet from 1995, "Appaloosa Nova" from 1996, and collaborated on the album ''You'll always need friends'' (1997) within The Alf Kjellman Project, and ''Choice'' (1998) with Monica Borgen. He has also played a while with

, releasing an album ''Impressions of Antibes'' (1997). In the last years of his life he had great success in the

. Johnsen has participated on several recordings, such as with Ditlef Eckhoff and Eric Reed on the album ''Impressions of Antibes'' (1997), and on the

Einar Iversen Einar "Pastor'n" Iversen (27 July 1930 – 3 April 2019) was a Norwegian jazz pianist and composer and the son of a "pastor." He went into jazz after World War II ended. Through more than sixty years, he played with everyone in Norwegian jazz. ...

led album ''Merry Christmas'' (1999) by Ditlef Eckhoff. Around the turn of the millennium, he joined Silje Nergaard Band and

, which led to international releases. In addition he has played on recordings with, among others Karl Sundby (2004). Johnsen also played with guitarist and composer Frode Barth since 1984. Their trio TAPE (guitar, bass and drums) along with drummer Tom Erling Lie, won the Youth Festival, Norwegian final, in 1988. They also released the album, ''Blue Spheres'' (2007). Johnsen got an illness that prevented him gradually from playing actively. He died on 24 July 2011 at the age of 41.

Discography (in selection)

;With

*2002: ''

Changing Places ''Changing Places'' (1975) is the first "campus novel" by British novelist David Lodge. The subtitle is "A Tale of Two Campuses", and thus both the title and subtitle are literary allusions to Charles Dickens' ''A Tale of Two Cities''. It is t ...

'' ( ECM) *2004: ''

The Ground ''The Ground'' (released 31 January 2005 in Germany on the label ECM Records, ECM

CM 1892 CM or its variants may refer to: Arts and media Gaming * ''Championship Manager'', a popular football management simulation game * ''Chessmaster'', a chess computer program series Music * C minor, abbreviated Cm, a minor scale or chord based ...

is an album by Norwegian jazz pianist and composer Tord Gustavsen, recorded in 2004. Reception "Melancholia is marvellous – and quiet," stated ''Th ...

'' (ECM) *2006: ''

Being There ''Being There'' is a 1979 American satire film directed by Hal Ashby. Based on the 1970 novel of the same name by Jerzy Kosiński, it was adapted for the screen by Kosiński and the uncredited Robert C. Jones. The film stars Peter Sellers a ...

'' (ECM) ; ;With Svein Olav Herstad Trio ;*1993: ''Dig'' (Ponca Jazz Recordings), trio including Torbjørn Engan ;*1997: ''Sommerregn'' (Ponca Jazz Recordings), trio including

;*2006: ''Suite for Simmons'' ( Jazzaway), trio including Johnsen/Johansen feat.

live from Festiviteten Hall,

Sildajazz Sildajazz is a jazz festival, which is held annually on the second weekend of August, in Haugesund, Norway. The inaugural festival was in 1987. Both domestic and international artists participate at the festival and each year an award Sildjazzpris ...

Haugesund Haugesund () is a municipality on the North Sea in Rogaland county, Norway. While the population is greater in the neighboring Karmøy municipality, the main commercial and economic centre of the Haugaland region in northern Rogaland and southern ...

(2005), performing a commission in six parts ;With Silje Nergaard Band ;*2000: ''Port of call'' (

EmArcy EmArcy Records is a jazz record label founded in 1954 by the American Mercury Records. The name is a phonetic spelling of "MRC", the initials for Mercury Record Company. During the 1950s and 1960s, musicians such as Max Roach, Clifford Brown ...

) ;*2001: ''At first light'' (EmArcy) ;*2003: ''Nightwatch'' (EmArcy) ;With

;1997: ''Impressions of Antibes'' (Gemini Records) ; ;With The Alf Kjellman Project *1997: ''You'll Always Need Friends'' (Gemini Records) ;With Monica Borgen *1998: ''Choice'' (Midnight Blue Music) ;With

*1998: ''The Other World'' (ACT) *2003: ''All These Years'' (

Hot Club Records Hot Club Records is a jazz record label established 1982, by guitarist Jon Larsen in Oslo, Norway.Dregni, Michael (2008) ''Gypsy Jazz: In Search of Django Reinhardt and the Soul of Gypsy Swing'', OUP USA, , p. 229 The label has released over 350 ...

) ;Within "Køhn/Johansen Sextet» *1999: ''Woman's Got to Have It'' *2003: ''Angels'' ;With

& Ditlef Eckhoff *1999: ''Merry Christmas'' (Hi-Di Music) ;With Erik Wesseltoft Quintet *2004: ''Con Amor'' (Normann Records) ;;With Trond Bjertnes & Frode Barth ;*1993: ''Egentlig'' (Ponca Jazz Records) ;*1997: ''JEG'' (MTG) ;Duo with Frode Barth *2007: ''Blue spheres'' (MTG) ;With other projects *1988: ''Hummer og kanari'', Frode A. Danielsen *1996: ''Østkantblues'', Karl Sundby / Erik Wesseltoft *1999: ''Together'', Inge Stangvik / Eivind Sannes

References

External links

Biography: Johnsen, Harald – Norsk musikkinformasjon Ballade.no

Biografi Harald Johnsen in Store norske leksikon
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johnsen, Harald 1970 births 2011 deaths Norwegian jazz upright-bassists Male double-bassists Jazz double-bassists Norwegian University of Science and Technology alumni Musicians from Kristiansand ECM Records artists Male jazz musicians Tord Gustavsen Ensemble members