''A Portrait of Jon Larsen'' is a compilation album by Norwegian jazz guitarist

Jon Larsen Jon Larsen (born 7 January 1959) is a gypsy jazz guitarist, record producer, painter, and amateur scientific researcher. He is the founder of the group Hot Club de Norvège. In 2007 he received the Buddy Award for his lifelong contribution to ...

that was released on his label,

Hot Club Records Hot Club Records is a jazz record label established 1982, by guitarist Jon Larsen in Oslo, Norway.Dregni, Michael (2008) ''Gypsy Jazz: In Search of Django Reinhardt and the Soul of Gypsy Swing'', OUP USA, , p. 229 The label has released over 350 ...

Review

Larsen is celebrated on this album, which collects his best recordings from the past twenty years. It shows the acoustic string swing enthusiast he is, with vibrant, energetic original compositions that honor and continue the legacy of Django Reinhardt. But there is also room for variation and other genres, especially the tracks taken from Strange news from Mars project stand out. The guitar virtuoso is one of our most productive and open-minded musicians. Here are a number of stories from his diverse career.

Reception

The Norwegian newspaper ''

Hamar Arbeiderblad ''Hamar Arbeiderblad'' (often referred to locally as "HA") is local newspaper published in Hamar, Norway by Hamar Media. The paper is edited by Carsten Bleness. HA was one of the first newspapers to place the internet edition of a newspaper behind ...

'' gave the album five stars, while the Norwegian newspaper ''

Romerikes Blad ''Romerikes Blad'' is a local newspaper published in Lillestrøm, Norway. It covers the Romerike district. History and profile ''Romerikes Blad'' was established by Martin Julius Halvorsen in 1902 in Jessheim under the name ''Akershusingen'', a ...

'' gave it six.

Track listing

Personnel

* Jon Larsen – guitar *

Jimmy Carl Black James Carl Inkanish, Jr. (February 1, 1938 – November 1, 2008), known professionally as Jimmy Carl Black, was a drummer and vocalist for The Mothers of Invention. Background and early career: 1960s–1990s Born in El Paso, Texas, Black was o ...

– vocals * Hilde Hefte – vocals *

Bruce Fowler Bruce Lambourne Fowler (born July 10, 1947) is an American trombonist and composer. He played trombone on many Frank Zappa records, as well as with Captain Beefheart and in the Fowler Brothers Band. He composes and arranges music for movies, ...

– trombone * Biel Ballester – guitar * Pierre Bluteau – guitar * Per Frydenlund – guitar * Pascal de Loutchek – guitar * Stian Mevik – guitar *

Babik Reinhardt Jean-Jacques "Babik" Reinhardt (8 June 1944 – 13 November 2001) was a French guitarist and the younger son of gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt by Django's second wife, Naguine. His elder half-brother Lousson, who was Django's son by his ...

– guitar * Jimmy Rosenberg – guitar *

Ulf Wakenius Ulf, or Ulv is a masculine name common in Scandinavia and Germany. It derives from the Old Norse word for "wolf" (''úlfr'', see Wulf). The oldest written record of the name's occurrence in Sweden is from a runestone of the 11th century. The ...

– guitar * Finn Hauge – harmonica *

Tommy Mars Tommy Mars (born Thomas Mariano on October 26, 1951) is an American keyboard player known for his work with Frank Zappa. Mars began piano lessons at age eight, and later his instrument range expanded to various keyboards and synthesizers. Mars g ...

– keyboards *

Egil Kapstad Egil Kapstad (6 August 1940 – 13 July 2017) was a Norwegian jazz pianist, composer and arranger. He wrote the music for more than 50 theatre productions, and composed for film and television drama. Kapstad composed classical works for orchestra ...

– piano * Svein Aarbostad – double bass *

Bjørn Alterhaug Bjørn Alterhaug (born 3 June 1945) is a Norwegian jazz bassist, arranger, composer and professor of music. Store Norske Leksikon (in Norwegian) Career Alterhaug was born in Mo i Rana, Norway. He is one of the grand masters among European bassp ...

– double bass * Olaf Kamfjord – double bass * Ole Morten Vågan – double bass *

Terje Venaas Terje Venaas (born 30 March 1947 in Molde, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz musician (upright bass), known from dozens of recordings and a number of international cooperation. Career Venaas started playing music within several local bands in the ...

– double bass *

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 Rol ...

– marimba *

Håkon Mjåset Johansen Håkon Mjåset Johansen (born 1 August 1975 in Trondheim, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz drummer and composer, known from playing with the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra featuring Chick Corea at Moldejazz 2000, cooperations with Bugge Wesseltoft's New ...

– drums * Eyvind Olsen Wahlen – drums * Paolo Vinaccia – percussion * Aja Humm – violin *

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 ...

– violin * Kristina Nygaard – violin * Nina Marie Olsen – violin * Berit Værnes – violin * Øyvor Volle – violin * Henninge Båtnes – viola * Maria Syre Mjølhus – viola * Ane Stine Dahl – cello * Bjørg Værnes – cello

Credits

* Jon Larsen – producer, arranger * Egil Kapstad – string arrangements *

Bjørn Kruse Bjørn Howard Kruse (born 14 August 1946) is a Norwegian painter and composer. He is also professor of composition at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. Personal life Kruse is the son of Colonel Erling O. Kruse (born 1922, died 2016) and E ...

– string arrangements *

Gaute Storaas Gaute Storaas (born 20 August 1959 in Bergen, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz musician ( bass) and composer, and the older brother of jazz pianist Vigleik Storaas. Career Storaas grew out of the flowering musical environment in Bergen late 70es, e ...

– string arrangements * Jan Petter Lynau – cover photo * Lars Hellebust – back cover photo * Olav Urdal – photography * Jamie Parslow – photography * Jens Sølvberg – photography

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Portrait Of Jon Larsen, A Jon Larsen albums 2009 albums