Bjørn Kjellemyr (born 4 December 1950 in Bamble, Norway) is a jazz double bassist, known from a variety of musical contexts like Terje Rypdal & The Chasers, Joe Henderson, Bob Berg, Chet Baker, Art Farmer, Pat Metheny, Mike Stern, Dag Arnesen, Knut Riisnæs, Jon Eberson, Bugge Wesseltoft, Audun Kleive, Jon Balke, Jan Gunnar Hoff and Ketil Bjørnstad.

Career

Kjellemyr played bass in local rock bands in the

Skien Skien () is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. In modern times it is regarded as part of the traditional region of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the ...

area, while he explored the jazz with pianist Rune Klakegg and joined in Guttorm Guttormsen's Big band and Quartet, with performances at the Norwegian Jazz Association's anniversary concerts in 1973 and

Moldejazz 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 r ...

Festival 1974. He moved to

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 ...

and studied at Norges Musikkhøgskole (1974–78). Kjellemyr lived in Bergen from 1978–80 and was employed at Musikkselskabet Philharmonic Orchestra, and was part of Dag Arnesen Trio and Sextet 1978-79, Søbstad/Arnesen Quartet 1979-80, and appeared at different festivals with such as

Jon Balke Jon Georg Balke (born 7 June 1955) is a Norwegian jazz pianist who leads the Magnetic North Orchestra. He is the younger brother of saxophonist Erik Balke. Career Balke started playing classical piano but switched to blues at 12, though he ...

, Jon Eberson and Erling Aksdal, and has actually performed at every «Moldejazz» since 1974. He has participated in a number of different jazz groups including with Knut Riisnæs, Jon Eberson,

Bugge Wesseltoft Jens Christian Bugge Wesseltoft (born 1 February 1964) is a Norwegian jazz pianist, composer, and producer, son of jazz guitarist Erik Wesseltoft. Career In 1989, Wesseltoft collaborated with the Knut Riisnæs Quartet and was soon after ...

Audun Kleive Audun Kleive (born 20 October 1961) is a Norwegian jazz drummer.) He was raised in Skien and is the son of organist Kristoffer Kleive and brother of organist Iver Kleive. Career Kleive began to play drums in a rock and dance band, and then we ...

, Jan Gunnar Hoff,

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) ...

, and is particularly known for his long collaboration with guitarist

Terje Rypdal Terje Rypdal (born 23 August 1947) is a Norwegian guitarist and composer. He has been an important member in the Norwegian jazz community, and has also given show concerts with guitarists Ronni Le Tekrø and Mads Eriksen as "N3". Career Rypdal ...

. Kjellemyr has played with a series of international jazz greats like

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...

Bob Berg Robert Berg (April 7, 1951 – December 5, 2002) was an American jazz saxophonist. Biography Berg was born in Brooklyn, New York, United States. Berg started his musical education at the age of six when he began studying classical piano. He be ...

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

Art Farmer Arthur Stewart Farmer (August 21, 1928 – October 4, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet–flugelhorn combination especially designed for him. He and his identical twin brother, doubl ...

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He is the leader of the Pat Metheny Group and is also involved in duets, solo works, and other side projects. His style incorporates elements of progr ...

and

Mike Stern Mike Stern (born January 10, 1953) is an American jazz guitarist. After playing with Blood, Sweat & Tears, he worked with drummer Billy Cobham, then with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1981 to 1983 and again in 1985. He then began a solo career, ...

. The bassist has contributed on a large number of recordings, among others on the ECM label. He has also played with singers/songwriters Kari Bremnes,

Jan Eggum Jan Eggum (born 8 December 1951) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter. He has been characterized as a "face for the melancholy", and the themes in his songs are often broken hearts, loneliness, and sorrow. Sometimes his lyrics include social critici ...

Anne Grete Preus Anne Grete Preus (22 May 1957 – 25 August 2019) was a Norwegian rock singer in Norway in the 1980s and 1990s, first as member of the bands Veslefrikk and Can Can and later as a solo act. She released nine solo albums and won the Spellemannprise ...

and

Karoline Krüger Karoline Krüger (born 13 February 1970 in Bergen, Norway) is a Norwegian singer, actress and composer. Career Krüger's first TV appearance was at the age of 11, in a youth show called ''Halvsju''. She got her breakthrough in 1988, first by ...

. Kjellemyr received the "Jazz Musician of the Year" (1990) and "Buddy Prize" (1994). He is employed at the 2005 Norges Musikkhøgskole as Associate Professor at the department of jazz and improvised music. With the orchestra Metropolitan he released two albums, ''Metropolitan'' (1999) and ''Love Is Blind'' (2004). "Metropolitan" is Beate S. Lech, Jon Eberson, Morten Halle, Pål Thowsen and

Rob Waring Rob Waring (born December 3, 1956 in Yonkers, New York) is an American-Norwegian Contemporary music composer and performer (drums and vibraphone), commonly associated with symphony orchestras and jazz ensembles. Career Waring studied with R ...

in addition to Kjellemyr. He is an improviser who is comfortable with different musical environments basis. From 1998 he appeared in concerts and recordings with lutenist

Rolf Lislevand Rolf Lislevand (30 December 1961 in Oslo, Norway), is a Norwegian performer of Early music specialising on lute, vihuela, baroque guitar and theorbo. Biography From 1980 to 1984, Lislevand studied classical guitar at the Norwegian Academy of Mu ...

and his improv/baroque ensembles. Latest recording on ECM with this ensemble in 2008 "Diminuito".

Honors

*1990: "Jazz Musician of the Year", by The Association of Norwegian jazz musicians *1994:

Buddyprisen Buddyprisen (established 1956 in Oslo, Norway) is an award, given annually by the Norwegian Jazz Forum to a Norwegian jazz musician that has "been an excellent performer and significantly involved in Norwegian jazz by other means". The award was ...

, by the Norwegian Jazz Forum

Discography (in selection)

;With Knut Riisnæs Quartet *1982: ''Flukt'' ( Odin Records), with Dag Arnesen & Jon Christensen ;With

*''

The Improviser ''The Improviser'' is a live album by trumpeter Chet Baker which was recorded in Norway in 1983 and first released on the Cadence Jazz label.Terje Rypdal Terje Rypdal (born 23 August 1947) is a Norwegian guitarist and composer. He has been an important member in the Norwegian jazz community, and has also given show concerts with guitarists Ronni Le Tekrø and Mads Eriksen as "N3". Career Rypdal ...

*1985: '' Chaser'' (

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 ...

), with Terje Rypdal & The Chasers *1987: ''

Blue Blue is one of the three primary colours in the RYB colour model (traditional colour theory), as well as in the RGB (additive) colour model. It lies between violet and cyan on the spectrum of visible light. The eye perceives blue when ...

'' (ECM Records), with Terje Rypdal & The Chasers *1989: '' The Singles Collection'' (ECM Records), with Terje Rypdal & The Chasers *1993: '' Q.E.D.'' (ECM Records) *1995: ''

If Mountains Could Sing ''If Mountains Could Sing'' is an album by guitarist Terje Rypdal, recorded in 1994 and released on the ECM label.

'' (ECM Records) *2006: ''

Vossabrygg ''Vossabrygg'' is an album by guitarist Terje Rypdal recorded in 2003 and released on the ECM label.Vossajazz Vossajazz or Vossa Jazz (established 19 December 1973) is an international jazz festival in Voss, Norway, which takes place annually during the week before Easter, and which also includes concerts throughout the year. The festival has been led b ...

2003 ;With Jon Eberson *1985: ''Stories'' ( CBS Records), Jon Eberson Band *1987: ''Stash'' (Odin Records), Trio with

*1990: ''Blow!'' (Odin Records), with Morten Halle & Finn Sletten *1992: ''2'' (

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 m ...

), with Morten Halle & Finn Sletten *1993: ''Live At Rockefeller'' (Odin Records), with Jazzpunkensemblet *1997: ''Thirteen Rounds'' (Curling Legs), with "Jazzpunkensemblet" ;With

Knut Kristiansen Knut Johan Bratland Kristiansen (born 14 April 1946) is a Norwegian composer and jazz musician (piano), known from Bergen jazz life primarily for his many interpretations of the music of Thelonious Monk as orchestra leader his own bands with ...

*1987: ''Monk Memorial'' ;With Ab und Zu *1993: ''Den akustiske skygge'' ;With Dag Arnesen *1989: ''Renascent'' (Odin Records), Trio with Svein Christiansen *1990: ''The day after'' (Taurus), Quintet with Wenche Gausdal, Odd Riisnæs and Svein Christiansen ;With Jan Gunnar Hoff *1991: ''Syklus'' (Odin Records) *1995: ''Moving'' (Curling Legs) *1996: ''Crosslands'' (Curling Legs) ;With

*1993: ''Water Stories'' (ECM Records) *2004: ''Seafarer's Song'' (

Universal Music Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

Norway,

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 ...

) *2010: ''Hvalenes sang'' (

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 ar ...

) ;With Berit Opheim *1998: ''Fryd'' (Curling Legs), with Einar Mjølsnes, Per Jørgensen & Sigbjørn Apeland *2005: ''Ein Song Frå Dei Utsunge Stunder'' ( Vossajazz Records), with "BNB" ( Nils Økland) ;With Metropolitan *1999: ''Metropolitan'' (

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

) *2004: ''Love Is Blind'' (Curling Legs), with strings ;With Oslo 13 *2001: ''Live In The North'' (Curling Legs) ;With Kristin Skaare *2008: ''Var'' (Grammofon) ;With Tore Johansen *2008: ''Giving'' (

Inner Ear The inner ear (internal ear, auris interna) is the innermost part of the vertebrate ear. In vertebrates, the inner ear is mainly responsible for sound detection and balance. In mammals, it consists of the bony labyrinth, a hollow cavity in t ...

) *2009: ''Jazz Mass'' (Inner Ear) ;With Geir Lysne Ensemble *2009: ''The Grieg Code'' (ACT) ;With "Northern Arc" *2012: ''Northern Arc'' (Curling Legs) ;With Chamber projects *1992: ''Borealis'' (Aurora), with "Borealis" *2006: ''Nuove musiche'', with

*2009: ''Diminuito'', with

References

External links

Bjørn Kjellemyr Biografi
on

Store Norske Leksikon The ''Great Norwegian Encyclopedia'' ( no, Store Norske Leksikon, abbreviated ''SNL''), is a Norwegian-language online encyclopedia. The online encyclopedia is among the most-read Norwegian published sites, with more than two million unique vis ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kjellemyr, Bjorn 1950 births Living people 21st-century Norwegian guitarists 20th-century Norwegian male musicians 21st-century Norwegian male musicians 20th-century Norwegian bass guitarists 21st-century Norwegian bass guitarists 20th-century Norwegian upright-bassists 21st-century Norwegian upright-bassists Jazz double-bassists Male double-bassists Male jazz composers Norwegian jazz composers Norwegian male bass guitarists Norwegian jazz upright-bassists People from Bamble Jazzpunkensemblet members ECM Records artists