Jens Wendelboe (born 28 February 1956 in
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
,
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
and raised 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 ...
,
Norway
Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
), is 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 ...
trombonist
The trombone (german: Posaune, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate ...
, composer, music arranger and orchestra leader, known from collaborations with artists like
Slide Hampton
Locksley Wellington Hampton (April 21, 1932 – November 18, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. As his nickname implies, Hampton's main instrument was slide trombone, but he also occasionally played tuba and flugelho ...
,
Phil Woods
Philip Wells Woods (November 2, 1931 – September 29, 2015) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, clarinetist, bandleader, and composer.
Biography
Woods was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. After inheriting a saxophone at age 12, he began ...
,
Bill Watrous
William Russell Watrous III (June 8, 1939 – July 2, 2018) was an American jazz trombonist. He is perhaps best known for his rendition of Sammy Nestico's arrangement of the Johnny Mandel ballad "A Time for Love", which he recorded on a 1993 albu ...
,
Monty Alexander
Montgomery Bernard "Monty" Alexander (born 6 June 1944) is a Jamaican jazz pianist. His playing has a Caribbean influence and bright swinging feeling, with a strong vocabulary of bebop jazz and blues rooted melodies. He was influenced by Louis ...
,
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her mus ...
and
Blood, Sweat and Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is a jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. In addition to original music, the group has performed popular songs by Laura Ny ...
.
Career
Wendelboe was educated at the "Østlandske Musikkonservatorium" (1975–79), joined the "Radiostorbandet" in 1980–84 and 1985–90, and was part of the
Jazzpunkensemblet
Jazzpunkensemblet (established 1983 in Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz ensemble orchestra led by the famous musicians Jon Eberson on guitar and Nils Petter Molvær on trumpet, and known for a clean style duel between two rhythm sections, and the ...
1982–84, and led his first big band in 1983. He holds a master's degree at the
Manhattan School of Music
The Manhattan School of Music (MSM) is a private music conservatory in New York City. The school offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in the areas of classical and jazz performance and composition, as well as a bachelor's in mu ...
(1984–85), and released at the same time the big band album ''Letter from New York'' with American musicians. From 1985, he was in charge of the Big band
Oslo Groove Company
Oslo Groove Company (active 1985-1996) was a Norwegian big band initiated and led by Jens Wendelboe (1985–87). In 1987 Lars Erik Gudim took the lead and Harald Devold led the band. They released three albums, two on their own label, Groove Rec ...
, and led his own big band "Big Crazy Energy Band and jazz Quartet". Otherwise, he was the conductor and arranger for singer Donna Summer and also for a series of stage productions and television shows
[ ] and led the orchestra in the period 1985–1987. From 1991 he has been leading his own Big Crazy Energy Band, and the Crazy Energy Jazz Quartet. From 2006-2014 he was the regular trombonist with the legendary American
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 ...
/rock-band
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Blood, Sweat & Tears (also known as "BS&T") is a jazz rock music group founded in New York City in 1967, noted for a combination of brass with rock instrumentation. In addition to original music, the group has performed popular songs by Laura Ny ...
.
He has received the
NOPA award for
Work of the year three times as a composer, for "Suite to Bjørn" (1982), "Animal-Suite for 5 tromboner" (1986) and "Winter Landscape" (1996).
Honors
*AMC (American Mussic Center) 2009
*The "Lys Music Composition Contest" 2nd Prize for Jazz Orchestra Belgium 2003.
*2000-2002. Scholarship to write a symphony.
*Norwegian Association for Popular Authors, stipend 1990, 1996, 1999, 2014
*Barga Jazz '92. 2nd Prize, International Arr. & Composition competition for Jazz Orchestra, Italy.
*Tono, stipend 1990, 1996, 2010
*Norwegian Association for Popular Authors' (NOPA) Prize of the Year for Best Composition, 1982 and 1986.
*Norwegian Composers Union, Anders Klæstads Scholarship.
*Composers Foundation, Scholarship, Oslo 1986.
*The City of Oslo, Cultural Stipend, 1986
*Study Scholarships by TONO (Ascap), (2) NOPA, Found. for Performing Artists Norwegian
*Government Establishing Scholarship & Travel and Cultural Stipend. 1980, 1986.
*Denmark Radio Cup, 1988 for originally composed orchestra piece.
*Grammy nominated with the BS&T horn section on two Jeff Lorber CDs: «He Had A Hat» 2009 and «Now Is The Time» 2010
Discography
*1983: '' 'lone attic'' – Jens Wendelboe Big Band (NOPA)
*1985: ''Letter From New York'' – Jens Wendelboe New York Big Band (NOPA)
*1991: ''Big Crazy Energy Band Vol. 1'' – Jens Wendelboe (NOPA)
*1992: ''Big Crazy Energy Band Vol. 2'' – Jens Wendelboe (NOPA)
*1996: ''Crazy Energy Jazz Quartet'' – Crazy Energy Jazz Quartet (Crazy Music)
*1997: ''Strolling with the Groove'' – Jens Wendelboe (Rosa Records)
*1999: ''Get Crazy'' – Crazy Energy Jazz Quartet (Crazy Music)
*2000: ''LOGOS'' – Cantata for: Choir, Soloists, Symphony Orchestra, Rhythm and Horn section (LYNOR)
*2001: ''A Look Inside'' – The Military Band, Western Region of the Norwegian Armed Forces (FMKV)
*2010: ''Inspirations'' – Jens Wendelboe's Big Crazy Energy New York Band (Rosa CD)
*2012: ''Fresh Heat'' – The Jens Wendelboe New York Band (Rosa CD)
*2012: ''Erobreren (The Conqueror)'' Symphony Orchestra Film score for a mini, TV series
References
External links
CrazyEnergy official websiteBiografi fra Norsk Jazzarkiv
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wendelboe, Jens
20th-century Norwegian trombonists
21st-century Norwegian trombonists
Norwegian jazz trombonists
Male trombonists
Norwegian jazz composers
Jazz bandleaders
1956 births
Living people
Musicians from Oslo
21st-century trombonists
Male jazz composers
20th-century Norwegian male musicians
21st-century Norwegian male musicians
Oslo Groove Company members