Jon Georg Balke (born 7 June 1955) is a Norwegian

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. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

pianist who leads the group Siwan. He is the younger brother of saxophonist Erik Balke.

Career

Balke started playing

classical piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

but switched to

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

at 12, though he performs within several genres. At the age of 18 he joined

Arild Andersen Arild Andersen (born 27 October 1945) is a Norwegian jazz musician bassist, known as the most famous Norwegian bass player in the international jazz scene. Career Andersen was born at Strømmen, Norway. He started his musical career as jazz g ...

's quartet. By the mid-1980s he worked on his own and would become one of Norway's leading jazz composers. He was active in the groups of Radka Toneff and in the Afrofusion group E'olén before joining Oslo 13 and Masqualero in the early 1980s. From 1989 he focused on his own projects, such as JøKleBa (with

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 went ...

and Per Jørgensen) and the Magnetic North Orchestra for which he composed the commissioned work ''Il Cenoneat'' to

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 by ...

1992. Balke formed the percussion group Batagraf in 2002, and created the concept work
Siwan
' with singer Amina Alaoui in 2007. He is also the creator of a series of multimedia concerts at

festival, labeled ''Ekstremjazz''. The concerts involve various practitioners of extreme sports, such as

parachuting Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes. For hu ...

paragliding Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or in a cocoon-like 'pod' suspended be ...

hanggliding Hang gliding is an air sports, air sport or recreational activity in which a pilot flies a light, non-motorised, fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing heavier-than-air aircraft called a hang glider. Most modern hang gliders are made of an aluminium al ...

, and BMX biking. In 2012 he was artist in residence at Moldejazz. In 2016 he launched the solo piano concept Warp the use of live electronics accompanying the grand piano in live performances.

Awards and honors

*1984: Buddyprisen *1993: Jazz Musician of the Year *2000: Edvard Prize in popular music – major works, for the album ''Solarized'' *2003: Oslo Bys kulturstipend *2008: Gammleng-prisen in the class jazz *2009* Jahrespreis der Deutschen Musikkritiker *2012: Artist in Residence at Moldejazz

Discography

As leader

An asterisk (*) indicates year of release.

As co-leader

With Jøkleba *1991: ''On and On'' (Odin) *1993: ''JøKleBa!'' (Norsk Plateproduksjon) *1996: ''JøKleBa Live'' (

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 ...

) *2011: ''Nu Jøk?'' (EmArcy, Universal Music Norway) *2014: '' Outland'' (ECM) (by Tomas Lauvland Pettersen) *2012: ''Magnetic Works 1993-2001'' (ECM), compilation With Batagraf *2005: ''Statements'' (ECM) *2011: ''Say and Play'' (ECM) *2016: ''On Anodyne'' (

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 ...

) *2018: ''Delights of Decay '' ( Jazzland)

As sideman

With Radka Toneff *1979: ''It Don't Come Easy'' ( PolyGram) *2008: ''Butterfly'' (Curling Legs), recorded 1976–77 With Masqualero *1983: ''Masqualero'' (

Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...

) *1985: ''Bande a Parte'' (ECM) With Oslo 13 *1983: ''Anti-Therapy'' (Odin) *1987: ''Off Balance'' (Odin) *1992: ''Nonsentration'' (ECM) *1994: ''Oslo 13 Live'' (Curling Legs) With others *1975: '' Clouds in My Head'' (ECM), with Arild Andersen Quartet *1977: '' Hi-Fly'' (Compendium), with

Karin Krog Karin Krog (born 15 May 1937) is a Norwegian Vocal jazz, jazz singer. Life and career Krog began singing jazz as a teenager and attracted attention while performing in jam sessions in Oslo. In 1955, she was hired by the pianist Kjell Karlsen ...

and

Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

*1978: ''Høysang'' (NorDisc), with

Lars Klevstrand Lars Klevstrand (born 30 September 1949) is a Norwegian singer, guitarist, composer and actor. He was born in Drammen, Buskerud, the son of Olav Klevstrand and Grethe Sofie Larsen, and was brought up in Bærum. Career His debut album was ''V ...

and Guttorm Guttormsen Kvintett *1978: ''Club 7 jubileumsplate'' (Club 7), with Kråbøl and E'olén *1979: ''E'Olen'' (Mai), with E'Olen *1986: ''A Hip Hop'' (Dragon), with Göran Klinghagen *1991: ''Live at Rockefeller'' (Odin), with

Jazzpunkensemblet Jazzpunkensemblet (established 1983 in Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz ensemble orchestra led by the famous musicians Jon Eberson on guitar and Nils Petter Molvær on trumpet, and known for a clean style duel between two rhythm sections, and the ...

*2002: ''Joko'' (ACT), with Miki N'Doye Orchestra feat.

Paolo Vinaccia Paolo Vinaccia (Camerino, 27 March 1954 – Oslo, 5 July 2019) was an Italian jazz drummer who lived in Norway. He died on 5 July 2019 after almost ten years of living with pancreatic cancer. Career Vinaccia worked with Terje Rypdal, Bendik Ho ...

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 ...

and Cissokho *2003: ''Trialogue'' (Imogena), with

Lars Møller Lars is a common male name in Scandinavian countries. Origin ''Lars'' means "from the city of Laurentum". Lars is derived from the Latin name Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum" or "crowned with laurel", and is therefore related to the name ...

and Morten Lund - trio *2007: '' The Door'' (ECM), with Mathias Eick *2010: ''The Adventures of a Polar Expedition'' (Cowbell Music), with Hans Ulrik, Benjamin Koppel,

Palle Danielsson Nils Paul "Palle" Danielsson (15 October 1946 – 18 May 2024) was a Swedish jazz double bassist born in Stockholm, Sweden. From 1974 to 1979, he was a member of Keith Jarrett's quartet. He was the brother of pianist Monica Dominique. Daniels ...

and

Alex Riel Alex Riel (13 September 1940 – 9 June 2024) was a Danish jazz and rock drummer.''Jeg skal sgu sidde ved trommerne'' Af Bine Madsen. Dagbladenes Bureau, 9 February 2010. Same interview in Flensborg Avis, 17 February 2010, Side 18''Alex Riel ...

References

External links

Official website

Batagraf official website

Siwan official website

''Balkes magnetiske univers''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Balke, Jon 1955 births Living people Jazzland Recordings (1997) artists 20th-century Norwegian pianists 21st-century Norwegian pianists Norwegian jazz pianists Norwegian jazz composers Jazz musicians from Oslo Post-bop pianists ECM Records artists Odin Records artists Curling Legs artists 1300 Oslo members Jazzpunkensemblet members JøKleBa members Masqualero members Musicians from Furnes, Norway