Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen
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Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (, 27 May 1946 – 19 April 2005), also known by his abbreviated nickname NHØP, was a Danish
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 major ...
double bassist.


Biography

Pedersen was born in
Osted Osted is a town with a population of 2,204 (1 January 2022) in Lejre Municipality, Region Zealand, Denmark. The town is located at the road between the cities of Roskilde and Ringsted. Notable people * Hans Denver (born 1876 in Osted – 1961) ...
, near
Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...
, on the Danish island of
Zealand Zealand ( da, Sjælland ) at 7,031 km2 is the largest and most populous island in Denmark proper (thus excluding Greenland and Disko Island, which are larger in size). Zealand had a population of 2,319,705 on 1 January 2020. It is the 1 ...
, the son of a church organist. As a child, Ørsted Pedersen played piano, but from the age of 13, he started learning to play
upright bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Similar ...
and at the age of 14, while studying, he began his professional jazz career in Denmark with his first band, Jazzkvintet 60 (
Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...
for Jazz Quintet 60). By the age of fifteen, he had the ability to accompany leading musicians at nightclubs, working regularly at Copenhagen's
Jazzhus Montmartre Jazzhus Montmartre is a jazz club in Copenhagen, Denmark. Many jazz musicians, including Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz, and Chet Baker, have performed there. It is sometimes called Cafe Montmartre. The Montmartre was located first in Dahlerupsgade, then ...
, after his debut there on New Year's Eve 1961, when he was only 15. When seventeen, he had already turned down an offer to join the
Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
orchestra, mainly because he was too young to get legal permission to live and work as a musician in the United States. The Montmartre was a regular stop-off for touring American Jazz stars, and as a member of the house band, the young Ørsted Pedersen performed with saxophonists such as
Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a ...
,
Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and actor. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians, which included other greats such as Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gi ...
,
Rahsaan Roland Kirk Rahsaan Roland Kirk (born Ronald Theodore Kirk; August 7, 1935Kernfeld, Barry.Kirk, Roland" ''The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz'', 2nd ed. Ed. Barry Kernfeld. ''Grove Music Online''. ''Oxford Music Online''. Retrieved February 1, 2009-. "The year ...
and
Stan Getz Stanley Getz (February 2, 1927 – June 6, 1991) was an American jazz saxophonist. Playing primarily the tenor saxophone, Getz was known as "The Sound" because of his warm, lyrical tone, with his prime influence being the wispy, mellow timbre of ...
, and pianist
Bill Evans William John Evans (August 16, 1929 – September 15, 1980) was an American jazz pianist and composer who worked primarily as the leader of his trio. His use of impressionist harmony, interpretation of traditional jazz repertoire, block ch ...
, with whom he toured in Europe in 1965. During the 1960s, Pedersen played with a series of other important American jazzmen who were touring or resident in Denmark, including
Ben Webster Benjamin Francis Webster (March 27, 1909 – September 20, 1973) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Career Early life and career A native of Kansas City, Missouri, he studied violin, learned how to play blues on the piano from ...
,
Brew Moore Milton Aubrey "Brew" Moore (March 26, 1924 – August 19, 1973), was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Early life He was born in Indianola, Mississippi, United States. Moore's formal musical training began at twelve, first on trombone, then ...
,
Bud Powell Earl Rudolph "Bud" Powell (September 27, 1924 – July 31, 1966) was an American jazz pianist and composer. Along with Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Kenny Clarke and Dizzy Gillespie, Powell was a leading figure in the development of modern ...
,
Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...
,
Roy Eldridge David Roy Eldridge (January 30, 1911 – February 26, 1989), nicknamed "Little Jazz", was an American jazz trumpeter. His sophisticated use of harmony, including the use of tritone substitutions, his virtuosic solos exhibiting a departure from t ...
,
Dizzy Gillespie John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie (; October 21, 1917 – January 6, 1993) was an American jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer. He was a trumpet virtuoso and improviser, building on the virtuosic style of Roy Eldridge but addi ...
,
Jackie McLean John Lenwood "Jackie" McLean (May 17, 1931 – March 31, 2006) was an American jazz alto saxophonist, composer, bandleader, and educator, and is one of the few musicians to be elected to the ''DownBeat'' Hall of Fame in the year of their deat ...
, and vocalist
Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...
. He is perhaps best known for his extensive collaboration with
Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...
from 1972 to 1987. His predecessor, Ray Brown, thought highly of the Dane and regarded him as the only upright bassist equal to the task of keeping up with the pianist. He was awarded Best Bass Player of the Year by ''
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 which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...
'' Critics' Poll in 1981. Ørsted Pedersen worked in duo and trio arrangements with pianist
Kenny Drew Kenneth Sidney "Kenny" Drew (August 28, 1928 – August 4, 1993) was an American-Danish jazz pianist. Biography Drew was born in New York City, United States, and received piano lessons from the age of five.Feather, Leonard, & Ira Gitler (2 ...
, recording over 50 albums together. He also worked with
Stéphane Grappelli Stéphane Grappelli (; 26 January 1908 – 1 December 1997, born Stefano Grappelli) was a French jazz violinist. He is best known as a founder of the Quintette du Hot Club de France with guitarist Django Reinhardt in 1934. It was one of the firs ...
and
Joe Pass Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalaqua; January 13, 1929 – May 23, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. Pass is well known for his work stemming from numerous collaborations with pianist Oscar Peterson and vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, an ...
and recorded extensively as a leader. His best known songs are "My Little Anna", "Jaywalkin'", and "The Puzzle", as well as jazz arrangements of traditional Danish folk songs. A duo performance with
Rune Gustafsson Rune Urban Gustafsson (25 August 1933 – 15 June 2012) was a Swedish jazz guitarist and composer. He performed with Arne Domnérus, Jan Johansson, and Zoot Sims among others. Life and career Rune Gustafsson was born in 1933 in Gothenburg. ...
at
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 ...
1980, concluded on the album ''Just The Way You Are'' on the label Sonet Gramofon, recorded half a year after this first meeting. He was awarded the Nordic Council Music Prize in 1991. Pedersen had a particular ability to interpret Danish songs and folk melodies. He often played within trio ensembles, partly collectively with the trumpeter
Palle Mikkelborg Palle Mikkelborg (born 6 March 1941) is a Danish jazz trumpet player, composer, arranger and record producer. He is self-taught on the trumpet, although he studied conducting at the Royal Music Conservatory in Copenhagen. He became a professio ...
and the keyboard player Kenneth Knudsen, and partly under his own name, usually with guitarists like
Philip Catherine Philip Catherine (born 27 October 1942) is a Belgian jazz guitarist. Biography Philip Catherine was born in London, England, to an English mother and Belgian father, and was raised in Brussels, Belgium. His grandfather was a violinist in the ...
and
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 ...
. In 1999, he co-led a duo with pianist
Mulgrew Miller Mulgrew Miller (August 13, 1955 – May 29, 2013) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. As a child he played in churches and was influenced on piano by Ramsey Lewis and then Oscar Peterson. Aspects of their styles remained in ...
, touring Europe, Japan, Australia, and Korea. This format was later enlarged into a trio featuring drummer Alvin Queen. This trio remained intact until Pedersen's death.


Death

Ørsted Pedersen died of heart failure in 2005 at the age of 58 in
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
, Denmark. He was survived by his wife, Solveig, and his three children."N-H. Orsted Pedersen, 58, Bassist in Danish Jazz Scene, Dies" (21 April 2005) ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''
Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...
wrote:


Awards and honors

*1974: Grammy Award. Best Jazz Performance by a Group, The Trio - Oscar Peterson, Joe Pass and Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen *1981: Best Bass Player of the Year by
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 which it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1934 in Chi ...
Critics' Poll *1991: Nordic Council Music Prize


Discography


As leader

* '' Paul Bley/NHØP'' with
Paul Bley Paul Bley, CM (November 10, 1932 – January 3, 2016) was a jazz pianist known for his contributions to the free jazz movement of the 1960s as well as his innovations and influence on trio playing and his early live performance on the Moog and ...
( SteepleChase, 1973) * '' Duo'' with
Kenny Drew Kenneth Sidney "Kenny" Drew (August 28, 1928 – August 4, 1993) was an American-Danish jazz pianist. Biography Drew was born in New York City, United States, and received piano lessons from the age of five.Feather, Leonard, & Ira Gitler (2 ...
(SteepleChase, 1973) * ''
Duo 2 ''Duo 2'' is an album by pianist Kenny Drew and bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen recorded in 1974 and released on the SteepleChase label.
'' with Kenny Drew (SteepleChase, 1974) * '' Two's Company'' with
Joe Albany Joe Albany (born Joseph Albani; January 24, 1924 – January 12, 1988) was an American modern jazz pianist who played bebop with Charlie Parker as well as being a leader on his own recordings. Life and career Born in Atlantic City, New Jersey, ...
(SteepleChase, 1974) * ''
Jaywalkin' ''Jaywalkin is the first album solely credited to Danish bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen which was recorded in 1975 and released on the Danish SteepleChase Records, SteepleChase label.Duo Live in Concert'' with Kenny Drew (SteepleChase, 1975) * ''Movability'' with
Martial Solal Martial Solal (born August 23, 1927) is a French jazz pianist and composer. Biography Solal was born in Algiers, French Algeria, to Algerian Jewish parents. He was persuaded to study clarinet, saxophone, and piano by his mother, who was an oper ...
(MPS, 1976) * ''
Double Bass The double bass (), also known simply as the bass () (or #Terminology, by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched Bow (music), bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern orchestra, symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox addit ...
'' with Sam Jones (SteepleChase, 1976) * ''
Pictures An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...
'' with Kenneth Knudsen (SteepleChase, 1977) * '' In Concert'' with Kenny Drew (SteepleChase, 1979) * '' Dancing on the Tables'' (SteepleChase, 1979) * ''Goin' Straight'' with Edgar Wilson (MPS, 1979) * ''Tania Maria & Niels Henning Orsted Pedersen'' (Medley, 1979) * '' Four Keys'' (MPS) with
Martial Solal Martial Solal (born August 23, 1927) is a French jazz pianist and composer. Biography Solal was born in Algiers, French Algeria, to Algerian Jewish parents. He was persuaded to study clarinet, saxophone, and piano by his mother, who was an oper ...
,
Lee Konitz Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool jazz ...
,
John Scofield John Scofield (born December 26, 1951), sometimes referred to as "Sco", is an American guitarist and composer whose music over a long career has blended jazz, jazz fusion, funk, blues, soul and rock. He first came to mainstream attention in the ...
(MPS, 1979) * ''
Chops CHOPS is the stage name of Scott Jung, also known as Scott Chops Jung, an Asian American hip hop producer, rapper and former member of the Asian American Hip-Hop group, the Mountain Brothers. Jung grew up in Philadelphia and has Chinese ancestry ...
'' with
Joe Pass Joe Pass (born Joseph Anthony Jacobi Passalaqua; January 13, 1929 – May 23, 1994) was an American jazz guitarist. Pass is well known for his work stemming from numerous collaborations with pianist Oscar Peterson and vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, an ...
(Pablo, 1979) * ''Just the Way You Are'' with
Rune Gustafsson Rune Urban Gustafsson (25 August 1933 – 15 June 2012) was a Swedish jazz guitarist and composer. He performed with Arne Domnérus, Jan Johansson, and Zoot Sims among others. Life and career Rune Gustafsson was born in 1933 in Gothenburg. ...
(Sonet, 1980) * '' Northsea Nights'' with Joe Pass (Pablo, 1980) * '' Looking at Bird'' with
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 ...
(SteepleChase, 1981) * ''The Viking'' with Philip Catherine (Pablo, 1983) * ''Trinity'' with
Boulou Ferre Boulou, also known as boulous, is a Libyan Jewish sweet bread or cake of Maghrebi Jewish origin, similar to mouna, tishpishti, or pound cake, that is traditionally made into loaves or rolls and consumed as part of the meal preceding the Yom K ...
, Elios Ferre (SteepleChase, 1983) * '' Face to Face'' with
Tete Montoliu Vicenç Montoliu i Massana, better known as Tete Montoliu (28 March 1933 – 24 August 1997) was a Spanish jazz pianist from Catalonia, Spain. Born blind, he learnt braille music at age seven. His styles varied from hard bop, through afro-Cuban, ...
(SteepleChase, 1984) * ''With a Little Help from My Friend(s)'' with Claes Crona (Skivbolaget, 1985) * ''With Joy and Feelings'' with Ulla Neumann (Four Leaf Clover, 1985) * ''The Eternal Traveller'' (Pablo, 1984) * ''Threesome'' with
Monty Alexander Montgomery Bernard "Monty" Alexander (born 6 June 1944) is a Jamaican jazz pianist. His playing has a Caribbean influence and bright swinging feeling, with a strong vocabulary of bebop jazz and blues rooted melodies. He was influenced by Louis ...
, Grady Tate (Soul Note, 1986) * ''Heart to Heart'' with Palle Mikkelborg, Kenneth Knudsen (Storyville, 1986) * ''Play with Us'' with Louis Hjulmand (Olufsen, 1987) * ''Duologue'' with
Allan Botschinsky Allan Botschinsky (29 March 1940 – 26 November 2020) was a Danish jazz trumpeter and flugelhornist, composer, arranger, conductor, producer, and record label owner. Biography Botschinsky was born in Copenhagen, and had a background in classical ...
(MA Music, 1987) * ''Latin Alley'' with Alain Jean-Marie (IDA, 1988) * ''Copenhagen Groove'' with Moller/Clausen/Cobb (Stunt, 1989) * ''Three for the Road'' with Guitars Unlimited (Sonet, 1989) * ''Homage/Once Upon a Time'' with Palle Mikkelborg (Sonet, 1990) * ''Uncharted Land'' (Pladecompagniet, 1992) * ''Spanish Nights'' with Philip Catherine (Enja, 1992) * ''Art of the Duo'' with Philip Catherine (Enja, 1993) * ''Ambiance'' with Danish Radio Big Band (Dacapo, 1994) * ''Misty Dawn'' with Doky/Riel (Columbia, 1994) * ''Scandinavian Wood'' (Caprice, 1995) * ''Those Who Were'' (Verve, 1996) * ''Elegies Mostly'' with
Dick Hyman Richard Hyman (born March 8, 1927) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Over a 70-year career, he has worked as a pianist, organist, arranger, music director, electronic musician, and composer. He was named a National Endowment for the Art ...
(Gemini, 1996) * ''Friends Forever'' featuring Renee Rosnes (Milestone, 1997) – recorded in 1995 * ''This Is All I Ask'' (Verve, 1998) * ''In the Name of Music'' with Trio Rococo (BMG, 1998) * '' The Duets'' with
Mulgrew Miller Mulgrew Miller (August 13, 1955 – May 29, 2013) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and educator. As a child he played in churches and was influenced on piano by Ramsey Lewis and then Oscar Peterson. Aspects of their styles remained in ...
(Bang & Olufsen, 1999) * ''Breaking the Ice'' with Floris Nico Bunink (BV Haast, 1999) * ''Grundtvigs Sang Til Livet'' with Ole Kock Hansen (Vartov, 2000) * ''The Duo Live!'' with Mulgrew Miller (Storyville, 2016)


See also

*
List of jazz bassists This list of jazz bassists includes performers of the double bass and since the 1950s, and particularly in the jazz subgenre of jazz fusion which developed in the 1970s, electric bass players. The most influential jazz double bassists from the ...


Notes


References

*"Scandinavian Wood": The musical career of Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen in the light of his discography by Jørgen Mathiasen. Books on Demand 2010. .


External links


Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen – Danish virtuoso bassist who kept pace with Oscar Peterson
by John Fordham, 21 May 2005, at
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
* Profile and discographya
allmusic.comNiels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen Autumn Leaves
on YouTube *
Rick Beato Richard John Beato (born April 24, 1962) is an American YouTube personality, multi-instrumentalist, and music producer and educator. Since the early 1980s, he has worked variously as a musician, songwriter, audio engineer, and record producer, a ...

NHØP - Jaco before Jaco...The GREATEST Bass Player You've NEVER Heard Of
on YouTube
Photo of Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen's grave
at
Findagrave Find a Grave is a website that allows the public to search and add to an online database of cemetery records. It is owned by Ancestry.com. Its stated mission is "to help people from all over the world work together to find, record and present fi ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pedersen, Niels-Henning Orsted 1946 births 2005 deaths People from Lejre Municipality 20th-century double-bassists 21st-century double-bassists 20th-century bass guitarists 21st-century bass guitarists Bebop double-bassists Danish jazz double-bassists Male double-bassists Danish jazz bass guitarists Danish jazz composers Enja Records artists Grammy Award winners Hard bop double-bassists SteepleChase Records artists Male bass guitarists 21st-century guitarists DR Big Band members Male jazz composers 20th-century Danish male musicians 21st-century male musicians 20th-century jazz composers Oscar Peterson Trio members