Sigurd Eystein Køhn (6 August 1959 – 26 December 2004) 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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

and composer.

Career

Køhn was born in

Kristiansand Kristiansand is a seaside resort city and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Agder county, Norway. The city is the fifth-largest and the municipality the sixth-largest in Norway, with a population of around 112,000 as of January 2020, f ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, and started playing the

violin The violin, sometimes known as a ''fiddle'', is a wooden chordophone (string instrument) in the violin family. Most violins have a hollow wooden body. It is the smallest and thus highest-pitched instrument (soprano) in the family in regular ...

and the clarinet at the age of 9, and begun playing the alto saxophone when he was 14. 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 ...

when he was 19 years old, and became quickly a part of the city's

life. In the 1980s, he played the

saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of Single-reed instrument, single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed (mouthpi ...

with different fusion and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '':wikt:soul, soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The ea ...

bands ("Lava", "Son of Sam", "The Heavy Gentlemen" and more), but he returned to the jazz in the 1990s. He played with the jazz quartet The Real Thing from 1992 until his death, in addition to his own "Sigurd Køhn Quartet" from 1994 and "Køhn/ Johansen Sextet" from 1999. In 1996, Køhn's first record under his own name was released, ''More Pepper, Please''. On the album, Køhn performed the music of

Art Pepper Arthur Edward Pepper Jr. (September 1, 1925 – June 15, 1982) was an American alto saxophonist and very occasional tenor saxophonist and clarinetist. Active in West Coast jazz, Pepper came to prominence in Stan Kenton's big band. He was known ...

, in cooperation with, among others, Dag Arnesen and

Jarle Vespestad Jarle Vespestad (born 16 April 1966) is a Norwegian jazz musician (percussion), the younger brother of jazz musician Liz Tove Vespestad, and a central member of Tord Gustavsen's projects. Career Vespestad was born in Kirkenes and picked up ...

. The album was well received. He performed with the band

a-ha A-ha (usually stylised as ''a-''h''a''; ) is a Norwegian synth-pop band formed in Oslo in 1982. Founded by Paul Waaktaar-Savoy (guitars and vocals), Magne Furuholmen (keyboards, guitars and vocals), and Morten Harket (lead vocals), the band ...

on their tours between 1991–1994, and he also recorded a jazz cover of their song "October". He had just finished his last album, ''This Place'', before the tsunami disaster, which was due to be released in January 2005 along with a release concert planned for January 17. Because of the tragic events, the release of his record was delayed, but the concert became a tribute concert to Køhn's music, where many of his friends participated. The record was released by his widow Heidi Køhn on 26 October 2005.

Death

Sigurd Køhn and his 16-year-old son Simen drowned after being struck by the

tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater exp ...

during their vacation in

Khao Lak Khao Lak ( th, เขาหลัก, ) is a series of villages, now tourist-oriented, mainly in the Takua Pa District and partly in the Thai Mueang District of Phang Nga Province, Thailand. The name "Khao Lak" literally translated means 'Mai ...

Thailand Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...

, on 26 December 2004.

Discography (in selection)

Solo albums

*1996: ''More Pepper, Please'' (Real Records) *2005: ''This Place'' (Real Records), as S.K. Quartet

Collaborative works

;Within The Real Thing *1992: ''The Real Thing'' (Real Records) *1992: ''In New York'' (Real Records) *1994: ''A Perfect Match'' (Real Records), with

Bohuslän Big Band The Bohuslän Big Band is a modern jazz ensemble from Sweden which started as a military band in the 19th century. They play original music as well as compositions by Lars Jansson, Maria Schneider, Frank Zappa and others. The Bohuslän Big Band ...

*1995: ''Live'' (Real Records) *1995: ''Pleasure Is An Attitude'' (Real Records) *2000: ''Deluxe'' (Real Records) *2003: ''New Wrapping'' (Real Records) ;Within "Køhn/Johansen Sextet" *1999: ''Woman's Got To Have It'' (Real Records) *2003: ''Angels'' (Real Records)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kohn, Sigurd 1959 births 2004 deaths Deaths by drowning Victims of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami 20th-century Norwegian saxophonists 21st-century Norwegian saxophonists Norwegian jazz saxophonists Norwegian jazz composers Male jazz composers Musicians from Kristiansand Natural disaster deaths in Thailand 20th-century saxophonists 20th-century Norwegian male musicians 21st-century Norwegian male musicians Lava (band) members The Real Thing (Norwegian band) members 20th-century jazz composers