Kristian Bergheim (6 June 1926 in Bærum – 30 May 2010) was a noted

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

, considered one of the few in

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 ...

of international caliber.

Biography

Bergheim was raised in

Asker Asker ( no, Asker), properly called Askerbygda in Norwegian, is a district and former Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Akershus, Norway. From 2020 it is part of the larger administrative municipality Asker, Viken (also known as Greate ...

and in

Stabekk Stabekk is a suburban centre in the municipality of Bærum, Norway, west of Oslo. It is predominantly a residential area, with many residents commuting to Oslo. As of 2005 the population was 6,261. Bærum has the highest income per capita and the hi ...

in the neighboring municipality Bærum, where he lived most of his life. He played in a number of bands and orchestras before devoting his professional life to music, in 1948. He was repeatedly named best Norwegian saxophonist when such contests were common in the 1950s and 1960s. He led his own bands and orchestras starting in 1960, focusing mostly on swing. He won the highest Norwegian jazz award, Buddyprisen, in 1978 and the

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 1991. Because of a lung ailment, he retired in 1990. Bergheim was for some time married to noted singer and actress

Anita Thallaug Anita Thallaug (born 14 February 1938) is a Norwegian actress and singer. Biography Thallaug was born in Bærum on 14 February 1938. She has featured in musicals, cinema and TV programs. Under the name Vesla Rolfsen, at the age of seven, she was ...

Honors

*1978: Buddyprisen *1991: Gammlengprisen in the class Jazz

Discography

* Jazz in Norway, volume 1 (RCA, 1954) * Arvid Gram Paulsen, Mikkel Flagstad, Kristian Bergheim (1977, Herman) * Liva at Malla, (1977, Norjazz) * Rainbow Session - vol 2, with Bjarne Nerem, Kristian Bergheim (1990) OCP 101-2

References

External links

Kristian Bergheim in memoriam
by Jan Ditlev Hansen at

NRK Jazz NRK Jazz is a Norwegian radio station operated by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (NRK) that broadcasts jazz on DAB Digital Radio Digital radio is the use of digital technology to transmit or receive across the radio spectrum. Digital ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bergheim, Kristian 1926 births 2010 deaths Musicians from Bærum Norwegian jazz saxophonists 20th-century saxophonists