Kristin Asbjørnsen (born 12 May 1971) 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 ...

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 ...

singer and composer whose focus is on

improvised music Musical improvisation (also known as musical extemporization) is the creative activity of immediate ("in the moment") musical composition, which combines performance with communication of emotions and instrumental technique as well as spontaneous ...

. She is known for musical projects like Dadafon including with Carl Haakon Waadeland,

Krøyt Krøyt (established 1993 in Trondheim, Norway) was a Norwegian jazz band, known from several album releases. Biography Krøyt was an experimental musical adventure, exploring subtile elements of different musical landscapes. They can not be fra ...

Kvitretten Kvitretten (1991-2001 in Trondheim, Norway) was a Norwegian vocal group, known for improvisation and a cappella music releases, concerts, television shows, and international tours. Biography Kvitretten was initially comprising arranger and c ...

, and

Nymark Collective Nymark (Norwegian: "new ground") was the name that artist Alex Hartley gave to a small island he discovered in the arctic archipelago of Svalbard, a Norwegian territory, in 2004. It is officially named Nyskjeret by the Name Committee for Norwegian ...

among others.

Career

Asbjørnsen was born in

Lillehammer Lillehammer () is a municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Gudbrandsdal. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Lillehammer. Some of the more notable villages in the municip ...

and educated at the Jazz Program at the Trondheim Conservatory of Music,

Norwegian Academy of Music The Norwegian Academy of Music (Norwegian: ''Norges musikkhøgskole'', NMH) is a university-level music conservatory located in Oslo, Norway, in the neighbourhood of Majorstuen, Frogner. It is the largest music academy in Norway and offers the co ...

and the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo ( no, Universitetet i Oslo; la, Universitas Osloensis) is a public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the highest ranked and oldest university in Norway. It is consistently ranked among the top universit ...

, (in Norwegian) (in Norwegian) Her style has its roots in the singer-songwriter tradition and includes elements from

African music Given the vastness of the African continent, its music is diverse, with regions and nations having many distinct musical traditions. African music includes the genres amapiano, Jùjú, Fuji, Afrobeat, Highlife, Makossa, Kizomba, and others. The ...

, World music,

spirituals Spirituals (also known as Negro spirituals, African American spirituals, Black spirituals, or spiritual music) is a genre of Christian music that is associated with Black Americans, which merged sub-Saharan African cultural heritage with the e ...

and

''Wayfaring Stranger – A Spiritual Songbook'' (2006) was her first solo album, based on African-American spirituals, and the note sheets she inherited from singer Ruth Reese, her former song teacher. The album, as well as an extended European tour, was met with outstanding reviews. (in Norwegian) The album has received a Platinum Disc and nomination for the

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 organizati ...

(Norwegian Music Awards equiv. to Grammy). A live recording, ''The

Bessie Smith Bessie Smith (April 15, 1894 – September 26, 1937) was an American blues singer widely renowned during the Jazz Age. Nicknamed the " Empress of the Blues", she was the most popular female blues singer of the 1930s. Inducted into the Rock and ...

Songbook'', sheds new light on the songs of legendary jazz and blues singer, sung with the quartet Nymark Collective. In 2005 Asbjørnsen,

Tord Gustavsen Tord Gustavsen (born 5 October 1970) is a Norwegian jazz pianist and composer. He tours extensively worldwide, and he has been a bandleader for a trio, ensemble and quartet at various times, all bearing his name. Early life Gustavsen was born on ...

and

Knut Aalefjær Knut Aalefjær (born 21 December 1974 in Bærum) is a Norwegian jazz musician (drums and percussion), and composer, educated at the Norwegian Academy of Music. He is known as an eminent drummer who provide significant contributions in the ''Helg ...

were asked to perform together at

Molde International Jazz Festival Molde International Jazz Festival (MIJF) or Moldejazz (established 1961 in Molde) takes place annually in July, and is known as one of the oldest jazz festivals in Europe. It was initiated by the local Storyville Jazz Club. Since 1964 it has rec ...

. Two years later the concept was continued with a Norwegian tour. The concerts at ''Cosmopolite'' in Oslo and at the

Nattjazz Bergen International Jazz Festival or Nattjazz, is one of the largest jazz festivals of Norway. The festival has a musical profile with an emphasis on ethnic and contemporary jazz. It is held annually in late May, coinciding with Festspillene ...

Festival in

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

in 2007 were recorded. ''The Bessie Smith Songbook'' includes many of the early jazz standards, such as "

Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" is a blues standard written by pianist Jimmie Cox in 1923 and originally performed in a Vaudeville-blues style. The lyrics in the popular 1929 recording by Bessie Smith are told from the point of vie ...

" and "Oh, Daddy Blues". Asbjørnsen made her international debut as a film score composer for the film ''

Factotum Factotum may refer to: *A handyman, employed as a servant * ''Factotum'' (novel), a 1975 novel by Charles Bukowski * ''Factotum'' (film), a 2005 film adaptation of the novel *Factotum (arts organisation), an arts organisation based in Belfast *fact ...

'', based on the novel of the same name by

Charles Bukowski Henry Charles Bukowski ( ; born Heinrich Karl Bukowski, ; August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994) was a German-American poet, novelist, and short story writer. His writing was influenced by the social, cultural, and economic ambience of his adopted ...

. Asbjørnsen has featured on a number of album releases, as well as a series of tours and festival performances in Europe. In 2009 she won the Babel Med Mondomix Award. She is a member of the bands Dadafon and

, and was also in the Kvitretten, who split in 2001. In 2000 she received 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 the class jazz. For the album ''The Night Shines Like the Day'' she received the

2009 in open class. Asbjørnsen together with the world-renowned a cappella group

Ladysmith Black Mambazo Ladysmith Black Mambazo are a South African male choral group singing in the local vocal styles of ''isicathamiya'' and '' mbube''. They became known internationally after singing with Paul Simon on his 1986 album ''Graceland'', and have won m ...

holding concerts in seven different townships in South Africa ''Back to eKasi'', organized by, among others,

Rikskonsertene Concerts Norway ( no, Rikskonsertene) was established in 1967 on the initiative of the Arts Council Norway ( no, Norsk kulturråd), with its main purpose described as follows: "Concerts Norway is to make living music of high artistic quality acces ...

Honors

1999 with ''Krøyt'' in open class for the album ''Low'' *

2000 in the class jazz *

Edvard Prize The Edvard Prize is a Norwegian music award in given by TONO, copyright organization for musicians and composers. The award, which was first awarded in 1998, is awarded annually and can only be awarded to members of the organization. The goal is t ...

2000 for the composition ''Silent'' from the EP ''Body Electric'' *''Konon Prize'' 2006 for best film music *

2009 in open class for the album ''The Night Shines Like the Day'' *''Babel Med Mondomix Award'' 2009

Discography

Solo albums

Collaborations

;Within Dadafon *1998: ''Coloured Moods'' (Rim Records) *2002: ''And I Can't Stand Still'' (Rim Records) *2002: ''Release Me'' (Via Music) *2002: ''Visitor'' (Via Music) *2004: ''Harbour'' (Universal Music/

EmArcy Records 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 ...

) *2005: ''Lost Love Chords'' (Milan) ;Within Krøyt *1997: ''Sub'' (

Curling Legs __NOTOC__ Curling Legs Productions A/S (established 1992 in Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian record label with a catalogue encompassing all styles of jazz and improvised music. It was started by Knut Værnes and Morten Halle to release their own mus ...

) *1999: ''Low'' (Bergland Productions) *2001: ''Body Electric'' EP (Music Network Records) *2001: ''One Heart Is Too Small'' (Yonada Records) ;Within Kvitretten *1996: ''Voices'' (Curling Legs) *1999: ''Everything Turns'' (Curling Legs) *2002: ''Kloden Er En Snurrebass Som Snurrer Oss'' (Curling Legs) ;With other projects *2001: ''Smak Av Himmel, Spor Av Jord'' (

Grappa Music Grappa Musikkforlag (established 1983 in Norway) is a Norwegian music company initiated and directed by Helge Westbye. It is one of the oldest and biggest independent record companies in Norway today. The company represents prominent Norwegian a ...

), with various artists *2004: '' Seafarer's Song'' (

), with

Ketil Bjørnstad Ketil Bjørnstad (born 25 April 1952) is a pianist, composer and author. Initially trained as a classical pianist, Bjørnstad discovered jazz at an early age and has embraced the emergence of "European jazz". Store Norske Leksikon (in Norwegian) ...

*2008: ''Bessie Smith Revisited Live in Concert'' (Nymark Collective Records), with

*2009: ''

Restored, Returned ''Restored, Returned'' is an album by Norwegian jazz pianist and composer Tord Gustavsen Ensemble recorded in 2009 and released on the ECM label. Reception ''The Guardian'' review by John Fordham awarded the album 4 stars. The All About Jaz ...

'' (

ECM Records ECM (Edition of Contemporary Music) is an independent record label founded by Karl Egger, Manfred Eicher and Manfred Scheffner in Munich in 1969. While ECM is best known for jazz music, the label has released a variety of recordings, and ECM's a ...

), within Tord Gustavsen Ensemble

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Asbjornsen, Kristin Norwegian women jazz singers Norwegian jazz composers Musicians from Lillehammer Spellemannprisen winners Norwegian University of Science and Technology alumni Living people 1971 births 20th-century Norwegian women singers 21st-century Norwegian women singers 21st-century Norwegian singers Krøyt members