Cecil Aagaard (18 September 1916 – 19 December 1984) was a Norwegian jazz vocalist and bandleader. Dubbed "The biggest thing in swing" in Scandinavia's jazz milieu, he was active in Norway's swing movement (referred to as ''kløverjazz'').

Early life and education

He was born in

Larvik Larvik () is a List of municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestfold county, Norway. It is located in the Traditional districts of Norway, traditional district of Vestfold. The administrative centre of the municipality is the Larvik (town) ...

Career

After singing with his idol, the Oslo and Kaba Bar guest

Fats Waller Thomas Wright "Fats" Waller (May 21, 1904 – December 15, 1943) was an American jazz pianist, organist, composer, and singer. His innovations in the Harlem stride style laid much of the basis for modern jazz piano. A widely popular star ...

in 1938, he led his own band, called Cecil Aagaard & His Swingsters (1939–1940), which consisted of

Fred Lange-Nielsen Fred Lange-Nielsen (28 September 1919 – 28 December 1989) was a Norwegian doctor and jazz musician (bass, vocals), known in the early Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a ...

on bass, Finn Westbye on guitar and saxophone, Ernst Aas on piano, and X Per Gregersen on bass. Aagaard played extensively with Scandinavia's leading musicians, including the Danish musicians Kjeld Bonfils on vibraphone and

Leo Mathisen Leo "The Lion" Mathisen (10 October 1906 – 16 December 1969) was a Danish jazz pianist, composer, arranger, singer and bandleader. He was a leading figure of the thriving Danish scene during the years around World War II—a period which ...

on piano, as well as the Swedish musicians Gösta Törner on trumpet, Thore Jederby on bass, and Arne Hülpher on piano. After the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he toured Europe with musicians, including

Rowland Greenberg Rowland Charles Wentworth Greenberg (28 August 1920 – 2 April 1994) was a Norwegian jazz musician (trumpet), seen by many as one of the foremost names in Norwegian jazz in the 1940s and 1950s. He was born and died in Oslo. Career With a styl ...

and Arne Astrup. From 1961 onward, Aagaard devoted his work to the photography business. One of his last contributions to jazz was his vocal performances with the Big Chief Jazzband (1961). His musical work can be heard on the release ''Portrait of a Norwegian Jazz Artist'' (

Gemini Records Gemini Records (initiated 1984 in Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian record label founded and run by Bjørn Petersen (b. 1939). Background The primary goal of Gemini Records was to release albums by saxophonist Bjarne Nerem. Gradually this aim broad ...

, 2005), as well as ''Jazz in Norway'', volumes 1 and 2, published by the Norwegian Jazz Archive (2001).

Filmography

* 1941: '' Ti gutter og en gjente'' as a firefighter

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aagaard, Cecil Place of death missing 1916 births 1984 deaths 20th-century Norwegian conductors (music) 20th-century Norwegian male singers Musicians from Larvik Norwegian jazz bandleaders Norwegian jazz singers Norwegian male conductors (music) Norwegian male jazz musicians Swing bandleaders Swing singers