Erik Balke (born 7 November 1953)

Store Norske Leksikon The ''Great Norwegian Encyclopedia'' (, abbreviated ''SNL'') is a Norwegian-language online encyclopedia. It has several subdivisions, including the Norsk biografisk leksikon. The online encyclopedia is among the most-read Norwegian publishe ...

is a Norwegian jazz musician (saxophone), known as leader of the "Lille Frøen Saksofonkvartett" with

Vidar Johansen Vidar Johansen (born 17 December 1951) is a Norwegian former ice hockey player. He was born in Asker, Norway and represented the club Frisk Asker. He played for the Norwegian national ice hockey team at the 1980 Winter Olympics The 1980 Winte ...

, Arne Frang and Odd Riisnæs/

Tore Brunborg Tore Brunborg (born 20 May 1960) is a Norwegians, Norwegian jazz musician and composer who plays saxophone. He was born in Trondheim but grew up in Voss where a jazz environment was flowering. Known from numerous appearances with international g ...

/ Olav Dale, as member of his younger brother

Jon Balke Jon Georg Balke (born 7 June 1955) is a Norwegian jazz pianist who leads the group Siwan. He is the younger brother of saxophonist Erik Balke. Career Balke started playing classical piano but switched to blues at 12, though he performs withi ...

's early orchestras, and for cooperations with

Don Cherry Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. He played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins. After concluding a playing career in the A ...

Ed Blackwell Edward Joseph Blackwell (October 10, 1929 – October 7, 1992) was an American jazz drummer, best known known for his work with saxophonist Ornette Coleman. Biography Blackwell was born in New Orleans on October 10, 1929. His career began ther ...

, Per Jørgensen,

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 ...

Nils Petter Molvær Nils Petter Molvær (), also known as NPM (born 18 September 1960), is a Norwegian jazz trumpeter, composer, and record producer. He is considered a pioneer of future jazz, a genre that fuses jazz and electronic music, best showcased on his most ...

Torbjørn Sunde Torbjørn Sunde (born 16 February 1954) is a Norwegian jazz trombonist who has worked with Terje Rypdal, Edward Vesala, Jon Balke, Knut Værnes, Rickie Lee Jones, Randy Crawford, Dr. John, Jan Eggum, Jan Garbarek, and Mezzoforte (band), Mezzofort ...

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 ...

, and

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 ...

Career

Balke was born in Oslo. In 1973–94 he worked with his brother,

. He studied at the

University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...

, where he was a member of the

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

, and at

Berklee School of Music Berklee College of Music () is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level ...

in Boston (1977–79). He played with the Carl Morten Iversen Trio (1980–81), the Gambian/Norwegian Friendship Orchestra (1982), with Miki N'Doye in E'Olen and Tamma ( Finn Sletten, Miki N'Doye, Per Jørgensen & Sveinung Hovensjø), and established Lille Frøen Saksofonkvartett (1979–89), played 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 ...

(1983–), Oslo 13 og Extended Noise (1983–94). He also chaired the Foreningen norske jazzmusikere before he moved to Berlin. Back in Norway, he participated in Baktruppen and Ignore. He and Jon Balke composed the commissioned work ''Palmevinsdrankeren'' for the

Kongsberg Jazz Festival Kongsberg Jazz Festival or Kongsberg Jazzfestival is an international jazz festival that has been held annually in Kongsberg, Norway, since 1964. Artists Several worldwide great artists have visited Kongsberg during this festival; internation ...

(1984). Balke was part of the band E'Olen with Jon Balke, Miki N'doye (percussion), Sveinung Hovensjø (bass), Finn Sletten (drums), and Zakhir Helge Linaae (percussion).

Discography

* ''E'Olen'' (Mai, 1979), with E'Olen * ''Tamma'' (Odin, 1985), Tamma with

* ''4 menn'' (Odin, 1986), with Lille Frøen Saksofonkvartett * ''Off Balance'' (Odin, 1988), with Oslo 13 * ''Joko'' with Miki N'Doye Orchestra feat.

, Solo Cissokho &

(2002)

References

External links

Erik Balke Biography – Norsk jazzarkiv JazzBasen.no

Lille Frøen Saxophone Quartet – Kanal 1 10.01.1986
on

NRK The Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (), commonly known by its initialism NRK, is a Norwegian state-run, government-influenced radio and television public broadcasting company. The NRK broadcasts three national TV channels and thirteen nat ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Balke, Erik 20th-century Norwegian saxophonists 21st-century Norwegian saxophonists Norwegian jazz saxophonists Norwegian jazz composers ECM Records artists 1953 births Living people Jazz musicians from Oslo 1300 Oslo members Extended Noise members Jazzpunkensemblet members