Michael "Mikkel" Flagstad (23 April 1930 – 29 June 2005) was 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 ...

musician (saxophone), son of the cellist Ole Flagstad and nephew of the pianist Lasse Flagstad, the singer

Karen-Marie Flagstad Karen-Marie Flagstad (November 24, 1904 – December 25, 1992) was a Norwegian soprano opera singer and one of Norway's leading singers in her time. Born in Oslo,Kutsch, Karl-Josef Kutsch, & Leo Riemens. 2003. ''Großes Sängerlexikon'', 4th ed, ...

and opera singer

Kirsten Flagstad Kirsten Malfrid Flagstad (12 July 1895 – 7 December 1962) was a Norwegian opera singer, who was the outstanding Wagnerian soprano of her era. Her triumphant debut in New York on 2 February 1935 is one of the legends of opera. Giulio Gatti-Casaz ...

. His paternal grandparents were the violinist

Michael Flagstad Michael Flagstad (4 February 1869 – 1 December 1930) was a Norwegian musician and conductor from Hamar. Biography Flagstad studied violin with Gudbrand Bøhn, and he was the conductor at the Central TheaterVogt, Howard. 1987. ''Flagstad: Si ...

and the pianist, organist, and accompanist

Maja Flagstad Marie "Maja" Flagstad (née Johnsrud) (November 15, 1871 – January 18, 1958) was a Norwegian pianist, choral conductor, and répétiteur.Randel, Don Michael. 1996. ''The Harvard Biographical Dictionary of Music''. Cambridge, MA: The Belknap P ...

. He was known for his

cool jazz Cool jazz is a style of modern jazz music inspired by bebop and big band that arose in the United States after World War II. It is characterized by relaxed tempos and a lighter tone than that used in the fast and complex bebop style. Cool jazz of ...

–inspired style and as a musician that frequented the Hotel Viking in Oslo.

Career

Flagstad was raised in a musical family surrounded by future jazz talents like

Einar Schanke Einar Leonard Schanke (19 May 1927 – 23 February 1992) was a Norwegian composer, pianist, revue writer, theatre director and theatrical producer. He wrote revues for the Edderkoppen Theatre, and later for Chat Noir, where he was also directo ...

and Bonsak Schieldrop at

Ris, Oslo Ris (formerly written Riis) is an affluent neighborhood Per Asplin Per Asplin (10 August 1928 – 9 October 1996) was a Norwegian-Danish pianist, singer, composer and actor, born in Tønsberg. He co-starred in a handful of films as well as participating in Melodi Grand Prix five times in the 1960s. He is still p ...

(1948), Karl Otto Hoff, and contributed in

Egil Monn-Iversen Egil Ragnar Monn-Iversen (14 April 1928 – 7 July 2017) was a Norwegian musician, one of the most influential modern composers in Norway. He has had many important roles in Norwegian music, film, opera, television, comedy and theater. For so ...

's orchestra (1951), before joining the lineup of the Swede

Rolf Ericson Rolf Ericson (August 29, 1922 – June 16, 1997) was a Swedish jazz trumpeter. He also played the flugelhorn. Yanow, Scott. Biography ''AllMusic'' Early career Ericson was born in Stockholm, Sweden. He moved to New York City in 1947 and, in 19 ...

(1952–54). In the lineup of Simon Brehm's Orchestra together with

Lars Gullin Lars Gunnar Victor Gullin (4 May 1928 – 17 May 1976) was a Swedish jazz saxophonist. Career Lars Gullin was born in Visby, Sweden. He was a child prodigy on the accordion. At age thirteen, he played clarinet in a military band and later l ...

and

Bengt Hallberg Bengt Hallberg (13 September 1932 – 2 July 2013) was a Swedish jazz pianist, composer and arranger.John Fordha"Bengt Hallberg obituary" theguardian.com, 7 August 2013 Born in Gothenburg, he studied classical piano from an early age, and wro ...

(1952–53). He suffered from

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

in 1954, and after convalescence in the country he slowed his music ministry. His film music for the ''Line'' was awarded with

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 ...

in 1960, and he led his own Mikkel Flagstad Quintet including Atle Hammer (trumpet),

Kjell Karlsen Kjell Oddvar Karlsen (29 July 1931 – 5 May 2020) was a Norwegian band leader, composer, arranger, jazz pianist and organist, and a Nestor of Norwegian music and show business, with a career spanning more than 60 years. He was the father of the ...

(piano), Erik Amundsen (bass) and

Ole Jacob Hansen Ole Jacob Hansen (16 April 1940 – 6 March 2000) was a Norwegian jazz musician (drums), known from a number recordings and international cooperation. Career Hansen was born in Oslo, and first established himself on the Oslo jazz scene in To ...

(drums), while he took dentist education. Flagstad was suffering from fear of flying and therefore avoided the so-called Bent Sølve Accident, the plane crash 1 May 1969 where the rest of the pop-jazz-orchestra of Bent Sølves were killed. The disease shortened his career in the early 1970s, then he suffered a stroke in 1990 and died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an Inflammation, inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as Pulmonary alveolus, alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of Cough#Classification, productive or dry cough, ches ...

in 2005.

Honors

*1960:

Discography

*1988: ''Oslo Jazz Circle Presents: Arvid Gram Paulsen, Mikkel Flagstad, Kristian Bergheim'' (

Gemini Music Gemini TV is an Indian Telugu language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Sun TV Network. It is the first satellite TV channel in Telugu. It was launched on 9 February 1995 by the Gemini Group of Hyderabad (run by Akkineni M ...

) *2001: ''Portrait of a Norwegian Jazz Artist: Kjell Karlsen'' (Gemini Music)

References

External links

Mikkel Flagstad Biography
at Ballade.no {{DEFAULTSORT:Flagstad, Mikkel Norwegian dentists Norwegian jazz saxophonists Norwegian male jazz composers Jazz musicians from Oslo 1930 births 2005 deaths 20th-century Norwegian saxophonists 20th-century Norwegian male musicians 20th-century Norwegian jazz composers 20th-century dentists