Håkon Games Kornstad (born 5 April 1977 in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) 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 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz musician (

tenor saxophone The tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor and the alto are the two most commonly used saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B (whi ...

bass saxophone The bass saxophone is the third lowest member of the saxophone family—larger and lower than the more common baritone saxophone. It was likely the first type of saxophone built by Adolphe Sax, as first observed by Berlioz in 1842. It is a trans ...

, flute and

live looping Live looping is the recording and playback of a piece of music in real-time using either dedicated hardware devices, called loopers or phrase samplers, or software running on a computer with an audio interface. Musicians can loop with either loo ...

) and classically trained singer (

tenor A tenor is a type of male singing voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. Composers typically write music for this voice in the range from the second B below m ...

), known from bands such as Wibutee and Kornstad Trio, and collaborations with musicians such as

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 ...

Anja Garbarek Anja Garbarek (born 24 July 1970 in Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian singer-songwriter. She was raised in Oslo. Career Garbarek's debut album, ''Velkommen Inn'' (1992), is sung in Norwegian. She subsequently released three original albums cont ...

Live Maria Roggen Live Maria Roggen (born 22 March 1970) is a Norwegian jazz singer, songwriter, and composer. Roggen was born in Oslo and educated at Foss High School (violin and vocals). She studied sociology and musicology intermediate at the University of Os ...

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 ...

Sidsel Endresen Sidsel Endresen (born 19 June 1952) is a Norwegian singer, composer, and actress. She was part of the Jon Eberson group. Since 1987, Endresen has pursued a successful solo career, recording for ECM. Career Endresen was one of the most prom ...

, Paal Nilssen-Love,

Mats Eilertsen Mats Eilertsen (born 4 March 1975) is a Norwegian jazz musician and composer. He is known for recording with numerous bands, including the Maria Kannegaard Trio, Ola Kvernberg, Nils Økland, Eldbjørg Raknes, Anders Aarum Trio, Eirik Hegdal, S ...

Knut Reiersrud Knut Reiersrud (born 12 February 1961) is a Norwegian blues guitarist. His work also incorporates elements of Norwegian traditional music and African music. Reiersrud has recorded and played with David Lindley, the Blind Boys Of Alabama, Rickie ...

, Jon Christensen,

Eivind Aarset Eivind Aarset (born 23 March 1961) is a Norwegian guitarist and composer. His style has been associated with nu jazz and electronic music, and often makes extensive use of effects to process his guitar. In addition to his work as a bandleader, A ...

, and

Pat Metheny Patrick Bruce Metheny ( ; born August 12, 1954) is an American jazz guitarist and composer. He was the leader of the Pat Metheny Group (1977–2010) and continues to work in various small-combo, duet, and solo settings, as well as other side pr ...

Career

Kornstad was educated in the Jazz Program at Trondheim Musikkonservatorium. During his studies he founded the jazz trio Triangle, together with Per Zanussi (bass) and Wetle Holte (drums). Later,

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 ...

(piano) and

(vocals) joined the band, and this lineup evolved to become the band Wibutee (1998). He also put together the Håkon Kornstad Trio with Paal Nilssen-Love and

(1998–2003). Kornstad's collaboration with Håvard Wiik was manifested in two albums of duo recordings in 2001. He was involved with the free improvisation bands Tri-Dim and No Spaghetti Edition, and started the band Atomic in 2000. Kornstad has also been part of the bands of

(1999–2003),

(2006–), and

(2008–). Since 2003 Kornstad has focused on his solo projects, in which he plays acoustic saxophones along with electronics in an improvised setting, usually giving solo performances. These have also featured guest appearances from

Ingebrigt Håker Flaten Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (born 23 September 1971 in Oppdal Municipality, Norway) is a Norwegian double bass, bassist active in the jazz and free jazz genres. (in Norwegian) Store Norske Leksikon (in Norwegian) Career Flaten played electric ba ...

, Jon Christensen and beatboxer Julian Sommerfelt. In addition to saxophones and electronics, Kornstad plays something he calls the "flutonett", which is a flute coupled with a clarinet mouthpiece. During a stay in New York in 2009 Kornstad became interested in opera, and began taking singing lessons with teachers there. From the autumn of 2011 he has been a student at ''Operahøgskolen'' ( KHiO), and debuted as a tenor singer in '' Den Norske Opera'' in February 2012 as ''Il Podesta'' in a student production of the Mozart opera ''

La finta giardiniera ' ("The Pretend Garden-Girl"), Köchel catalogue, K. 196, is an Italian-language opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart wrote it in Munich in January 1775 when he was 18 years old and it received its first performance on 13 January at the in M ...

''. In 2011 he was nominated for the

Spellemannprisen The Spellemannprisen (also referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards) is a Norwegian music award ceremony presented by International Federation of the Phonographic Industry#Local associations, IFPI Norge and :no:FONO, FONO. It was first awarded i ...

, in the category of This Year's Jazz Record, for ''Symphonies in My Head'' (Jazzland, 2011). He then presented his new project, ''Tenor Battle'', combining opera and jazz, at the International Jazz Festival

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 jazz, contemporary jazz. It is held annually in late May, coinciding with Festspil ...

Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...

. The new band could best be described as a sort of updated salon orchestra, inspired by the LP era, where jazz standards coexist with opera arias and ballads are followed by improvisations in the known Kornstad style. Kornstad is known as one of the premier Norwegian saxophonists, with a tone so hot that one can be melted freely, his voice has the same impact.

Honors

*2002:

Kongsberg Jazz Award Kongsberg Jazz Festival or Kongsberg Jazzfestival is an international jazz festival that has been held annually in Kongsberg, Norway, since 1964. Artists Several worldwide great artists have visited Kongsberg during this festival; internation ...

, within the ''Håkon Kornstad Trio'' *2012: Enlisted as "Talent deserving further recognition" on tenor saxophone in

Down Beat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

's annual critics poll *2014: Guinness Jazz in Europe Award *2015:

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 ...

Discography

As leader

;Solo albums *''Single Engine'' (

Jazzland Recordings Jazzland Recordings is a Norwegian jazz and improvised music label based in Oslo, Norway, often associated with nu jazz. It was founded in 1996 by pianist Bugge Wesseltoft to release his "New Conception of Jazz" and operate as a standalone label ...

, 2007), with

(

Hammond B3 Organ The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert, first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding #Drawbars, drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, sound was created ...

(guitar),

(double bass) *''Dwell Time'' (Jazzland Recordings, 2009), with recordings from ''Sofienberg kirke'', (

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 ch ...

(sound engineer), produced by Kornstad) *''Symphonies in My Head'' (Jazzland Recordings, 2011), with recordings from ''Sofienberg kirke'', (produced by Kornstad) ;With Håkon Kornstad Trio *''Space available'' (Jazzland Recordings, 2001) *''Live from Kongsberg'' (Jazzland Recordings, 2003) ;With Håkon Kornstad Band *''Tenor Battle'' (Jazzland Recordings, 2015) ;With Kornstad Ensemble and the

Norwegian Radio Orchestra The Norwegian Radio Orchestra (Norwegian, ''Kringkastingsorkestret'', abbreviated as KORK) is a radio orchestra affiliated with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (''Norsk rikskringkasting AS'', or NRK). Its principal base is the ''Store Studi ...

*''Kornstad + KORK Live'' ( Grappa Music, 2017)

As co-leader

;With '' Wibutee'' *''Newborn Thing'' (Jazzland Recordings, 1998) *''Eight Domestic Challenges'' (Jazzland Recordings, 2001) *''Playmachine'' (Jazzland Recordings, 2004) *''

Sweet Mental Wibutee (initiated 1998 in Trondheim, originally a trio named Triangle 1996–98) is a jazz band from Norway, mixing influences from current electronic (dance) music, jazz rock and improvisation. Biography Wibutee was originally formed as the ...

'' (Sonne Disk, 2006) ;With ''Tri-Dim'' *''Tri-Dimprovisations'' (bp, 1999) *''Tri-Dim feat. Barry Guy'' (Sofa Recordings, 2001) ;With Håvard Wiik (duo) *''Eight Tunes We Like'' (Moserobie, 2005) *''The Bad and the Beautiful'' (Moserobie, 2006) ;With

Maria Kannegaard Maria Kannegaard (born 6 October 1970) is a Danish-born Norwegian jazz musician and pianist. She has lived in Norway since age 10. She is known from her own ''Maria Kannegaard trio'' and cooperation with, among others Live Maria Roggen's ''Live ...

*''Maryland'' (Moserobie, 2008) *''Maryland – Live!'' (Moserobie, 2009) ;With

and Jon Christensen *''Mitt hjerte alltid vanker'' (Compunctio, 2011) *''Mitt hjerte alltid vanker II'' (Compunctio, 2011) ;With others *''Schlinger'' (

Smalltown Supersound Smalltown Supersound is an independent record label, founded in Flekkefjord in 1993 and now based in Oslo, Norway. It is dedicated to new forms of jazz, rock and electronic music. Their catalog features albums by Kelly Lee Owens, Deathprod, Nen ...

, 2003), with Paal Nilssen-Love *''Jazzland Community'' (Jazzland Recordings, 2007), with various artists *''Rite'' (

Grappa Grappa is an alcoholic beverage: a fragrant, grape-based pomace brandy of Italian origin that contains 35 to 60 percent alcohol by volume (70 to 120 Alcohol proof, US proof). Grappa is a protected name in the European Union. Grappa is made by ...

, 2008), with Unni Løvlid *''Elise'' (Compunctio, 2008), with Ingebrigt Håker Flaten

As sideman

;With ''

'' *''A Passion for John Donne'' (ECM, 2014) ;With ''

Sternklang ''Sternklang'' (Star Sound), is "park music for five groups" composed in 1971 by Karlheinz Stockhausen, and bears the work number 34 in his catalogue of compositions. The score is dedicated to his spouse, Mary Bauermeister, and a performance of t ...

'' *''My Time is Yours'' (, 2003) *''Transistor Beach'' (, 2006) ;With ''No Spaghetti Edition'' *''Listen ... and tell me what it was'' (Sofa Recordings, 2001) *''Pasta variations'' (Sofa Recordings, 2002) ;With others *''Glow'' (Curling Legs, 2000), with Jacob Young *''Moving'' (Jazzland Recordings, 2001), with

*''Open Reminder'' (Melektronikk, 2004), with ''ARM'' *''Retrospective'' ( F Communications, 2006), with

Laurent Garnier Laurent Garnier (born 1 February 1966), also known as Choice, is a French electronic music producer and DJ. Garnier began DJing in Manchester during the late 1980s. He became a producer in the early 1990s and recorded several albums. Early influe ...

*"Liarbird" (Jazzland Recordings, 2011), with

Ola Kvernberg Ola Kvernberg (born 16 June 1981) is a Norwegian jazz musician known for his virtuosic string swing violin playing and his international performances. He is the son of traditional musicians Liv Rypdal Kvernberg and Torbjørn Kvernberg, and the br ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kornstad, Hakon 20th-century Norwegian male singers 20th-century Norwegian singers 21st-century Norwegian male singers 21st-century Norwegian singers 20th-century Norwegian saxophonists 21st-century Norwegian saxophonists Norwegian operatic tenors Norwegian jazz saxophonists Norwegian jazz composers Norwegian male jazz composers Norwegian University of Science and Technology alumni Jazz musicians from Oslo 1977 births Living people Wibutee members Jazzland Recordings (1997) artists Smalltown Supersound artists Grappa Music artists