Knut Riisnæs (born 13 November 1945) is 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 ...
musician (
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 ...
and flute), arranger, and composer, son of pianist
Eline Nygaard Riisnæs
Eline Nygaard Riisnæs (5 July 1913 – 3 February 2011) was a Norwegian pianist and musicologist at UiO, mother of the pianist and piano pedagog Anne Eline Riisnæs (1951-), and the saxophonists Knut Riisnæs (1945-) and Odd Riisnæs (1953- ...
and brother of classical pianist
Anne Eline Riisnæs
Anne Eline Riisnæs (born 15 April 1951) is a Norwegian pianist and piano pedagog.
Early life
Riisnæs was born in Oslo. Her mother was Eline Nygaard Riisnæs, a pianist.
Riisnæs's brothers are Knut Riisnæs (1945–2023), a jazz saxophonist ...
(1951–) and jazz saxophonist Odd Riisnæs (1953–). The brothers are both known from a variety of recordings in Norway and internationally.
Career
Riisnæs was born in
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 ...
, where he became central to the local jazz scene at an early age. He contributed to the
bebop
Bebop or bop is a style of jazz developed in the early-to-mid-1940s in the United States. The style features compositions characterized by a fast tempo, complex chord progressions with rapid chord changes and numerous changes of key, instrum ...
inspired records released by some of the greatest jazz musicians of Norway, and made his solo debut with the album ''Escape'', by Knut Borge characterized as "the basis of the Wizard
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music.
Born and rai ...
... by far the best Norwegian jazz production in 1982, besides
New Cool Quartet
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
". Ten years after he released
jazz standards
Jazz standards are musical compositions that are an important part of the musical repertoire of jazz musicians, in that they are widely known, performed, and recorded by jazz musicians, and widely known by listeners. There is no definitive lis ...
on the album ''Confessin, whereupon
Stein Kagge
Stein is a German, Yiddish and Norwegian word meaning "stone" and "pip" or "kernel". It stems from the same Germanic root as the English word stone. It may refer to:
Places In Austria
* Stein, a neighbourhood of Krems an der Donau, Lower Aus ...
said that "Riisnæs have signed up as successor to the great Norwegian tenor saxophonists like Arvid Gram Paulsen and
Bjarne Nerem
Bjarne Arnulf Nerem (31 July 1923 in Oslo, Norway – 1 April 1991 in Oslo), was a Norwegian jazz musician (tenor saxophone, alto saxophone and clarinet) among the foremost soloists in Norwegian jazz. He was in the tradition of Lester Young ...
...". After the third album with guitarist
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 ...
and bassist
Palle Danielsson
Nils Paul "Palle" Danielsson (born 15 October 1946) is a Swedish jazz double bassist born in Stockholm, Sweden. From 1974 to 1979, he was a member of Keith Jarrett's quartet. He is the brother of pianist Monica Dominique.
Career
Danielsson' ...
, Knut Borge repeated his impressions from 1982: "I know a few tenorist in the world so confidently like Riisnæs have seized the saxophone phrases
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music.
Born and rai ...
". The fourth album ''Touching'' was launched at the outdoor stage ''Blå'', and bass player
Arild Andersen
Arild Andersen (born 27 October 1945) is a Norwegian jazz musician bassist, known as the most famous Norwegian bass player in the international jazz scene.
Career
Andersen was born at Strømmen, Norway. He started his musical career as jazz g ...
referers that the Quartet "nursed an elastic expression with good grip on familiar dynamic effects".
Riisnæs has worked with the leading Norwegian jazz musicians, like on
Karin Krog
Karin Krog (born 15 May 1937) is a Norwegian jazz singer.
Life and career
Krog began singing jazz as a teenager and attracted attention while performing in jam sessions in Oslo. In 1955, she was hired by the pianist Kjell Karlsen to sing i ...
(recording debut, 1966),
Egil Kapstad
Egil Kapstad (6 August 1940 – 13 July 2017) was a Norwegian jazz pianist, composer and arranger. He wrote the music for more than 50 theatre productions, and composed for film and television drama. Kapstad composed classical works for orchestr ...
(1967),
Terje Rypdal
Terje Rypdal (born 23 August 1947) is a Norwegian guitarist and composer. He has been an important member in the Norwegian jazz community, and has also given show concerts with guitarists Ronni Le Tekrø and Mads Eriksen as "N3".
Career
Rypdal ...
Ketil Bjørnstad
Ketil Bjørnstad (born 25 April 1952) is a pianist, composer and author. Initially trained as a classical pianist, Bjørnstad discovered jazz at an early age and has embraced the emergence of "European jazz". Store Norske Leksikon (in Norwegian) ...
(''Leve Patagonia'', 1978),
Radka Toneff
Ellen Radka Toneff (25 June 1952 – 21 October 1982) was a Norwegian jazz singer, daughter of the Bulgarian folk singer, pilot and radio technician Toni Toneff, she was born in Oslo and grew up in Lambertseter and Kolbotn. She is still consid ...
(1977),
Laila Dalseth
Laila Dalseth (born 6 November 1940) is a Norwegian jazz singer. She was formerly married to the jazz saxophonist Theodor "Totti" Bergh (1935–2012).
Career
After an early debut in her hometown of Bergen, Dalseth was active on the Oslo jazz ...
Per Husby
Per Husby (born 2 April 1949 in Oslo) is a Norwegian jazz pianist, composer, teacher, civil engineer, and orchestra leader.
Career
Husby was raised in Oslo together with other jazz enthusiasts like jazz journalist Knut Borge.Bjørn Alterhaug (1991), Kjell Öhman (1993), with
Jan Gunnar Hoff
Jan Gunnar Hoff (born 22 October 1958) is a Norwegian jazz pianist, composer, arranger and professor, living in Bodø, known from cooperations with jazz musicians like Pat Metheny, Mike Stern, Alex Acuña, Audun Kleive, Mathias Eick, John Surman ...
Helge Iberg
Helge Iberg (born 27 March 1954 in Skien, Norway) is a Norwegian contemporary composer.
Iberg studied musicology, history of ideas and religious studies at the University of Oslo under the tutorship of composers Olav Anton Thommessen and Ragnar ...
, in "Sharp 9" (2004–), in a Quartet with
Ivar Antonsen
Ivar Antonsen (born April 16, 1946, in Fauske, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz pianist and composer and had his debut at the Oslo jazz scene in 1967 together with Jan Garbarek, Palle Mikkelborg, Arild Andersen, and Espen Rud.
Career
Antonsen sta ...
Espen Rud
Espen Rud (born 29 January 1948 in Asker, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz musician (drums), composer, and music arranger, and the son of Norwegian author Nils Johan Rud (1908–93). He is known from numerous recordings and in collaboration with Kar ...
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 ...
2004. The trio with Petter Wettre in the lead, released the album ''State of the Art'' (2005). Riisnæs played at
Hurtigruten
''Hurtigruten'' (), formally Kystruten Bergen-Kirkenes ("coastal route Bergen-Kirkenes"), is a Norwegian public coastal route transporting passengers that travel locally, regionally and between the ports of call, and also cargo between ports no ...
in 2007 and performed ''Bleak House'' with
Terje Rypdal
Terje Rypdal (born 23 August 1947) is a Norwegian guitarist and composer. He has been an important member in the Norwegian jazz community, and has also given show concerts with guitarists Ronni Le Tekrø and Mads Eriksen as "N3".
Career
Rypdal ...
at
Moldejazz
Molde International Jazz Festival (MIJF) or Moldejazz (established 1961 in Molde) takes place annually in July, and is known as one of the oldest jazz festivals in Europe. It was initiated by the local Storyville Jazz Club. Since 1964 it has r ...
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 ...
1981
*
Spellemannprisen
Spellemannprisen, often referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards in English, is a Norwegian music award presented to Norwegian musicians. The award was established by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), an organizati ...
1982 in the class Jazz, for the record ''Flukt''
*
Spellemannprisen
Spellemannprisen, often referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards in English, is a Norwegian music award presented to Norwegian musicians. The award was established by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), an organizati ...
1992 in the class Jazz, for the record ''Featuring Scofield and Danielsson''
*
Gammleng-prisen
The Gammleng Award ( no, Gammleng-prisen) is a Norwegian culture award created by ''The Fund for Performing Artists'' in 1982, 25 years after the fund was established in 1957. The award's official name is the ''Rolf Gammleng award to performing ar ...
1992
Discography
*1975: ''Nordic Jazz Quintet'' ( Storyville, recorded 8 October 1974) with
Jukka Tolonen
Jukka Jorma Tolonen (born 16 April 1952) is a Finnish jazz guitarist.Lönnqvist, Niclas.Jukka Tolonen är musikern av Guds nåde (in Swedish), Hufvudstadsbladet, August 3, 2018. Tolonen became famous as guitarist for the progressive rock band T ...
Kjell Jannson
Kjell is a Scandinavian male given name. In Denmark, the cognate is Kjeld or Keld. The name comes from the Old Norse word ''kętill'', which means " kettle" and probably also "helmet" or perhaps "cauldron". Examples of old spellings or forms are ...
Spellemannprisen
Spellemannprisen, often referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards in English, is a Norwegian music award presented to Norwegian musicians. The award was established by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), an organizati ...
Bjørn Kjellemyr
Bjørn Kjellemyr (born 4 December 1950 in Bamble, Norway) is a jazz double bassist, known from a variety of musical contexts like Terje Rypdal & The Chasers, Joe Henderson, Bob Berg, Chet Baker, Art Farmer, Pat Metheny, Mike Stern, Dag Arnesen, ...
(bass) and Jon Christensen (drums).
*1991: ''Confessin' the blues'' (Gemini), with
Red Holloway
James Wesley "Red" Holloway (May 31, 1927 – February 25, 2012) was an American jazz saxophonist.
Biography
Born in Helena, Arkansas,Daniel E. Slotnik"Red Holloway, Swinger of the Sax, Dies at 84" ''The New York Times'', February 28, 2012 ...
.
*1992: ''Featuring
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 ...
and
Palle Danielsson
Nils Paul "Palle" Danielsson (born 15 October 1946) is a Swedish jazz double bassist born in Stockholm, Sweden. From 1974 to 1979, he was a member of Keith Jarrett's quartet. He is the brother of pianist Monica Dominique.
Career
Danielsson' ...
'' (
Odin Records
Odin Records is a Norwegian jazz record company and label founded in 1981 by the Norwegian Jazz Federation, when there were not many independent record labels in Norway. Only major international record companies were to be found in Oslo, so Od ...
Spellemannprisen
Spellemannprisen, often referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards in English, is a Norwegian music award presented to Norwegian musicians. The award was established by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), an organizati ...
1992 and
Gammleng-prisen
The Gammleng Award ( no, Gammleng-prisen) is a Norwegian culture award created by ''The Fund for Performing Artists'' in 1982, 25 years after the fund was established in 1957. The award's official name is the ''Rolf Gammleng award to performing ar ...
1992.
*2001: ''Touching'' (Resonant), compositions inspired by
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane (September 23, 1926 – July 17, 1967) was an American jazz saxophonist, bandleader and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music.
Born and rai ...
and
Joe Henderson
Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day and recorded for several prominent l ...
Spellemannprisen
Spellemannprisen, often referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards in English, is a Norwegian music award presented to Norwegian musicians. The award was established by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), an organizati ...
.
*2016: ''2'nd Thoughts'' (
Losen Records Losen Records (initiated 2010 in Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian record label founded by Odd Gjelsnes at the distribution company MusikkLosen.
Background
The distribution company MusikkLosen was founded in 1997 by Odd Gjelsnes, and Losen Records, wh ...
Store Norske Leksikon
The ''Great Norwegian Encyclopedia'' ( no, Store Norske Leksikon, abbreviated ''SNL''), is a Norwegian-language online encyclopedia.
The online encyclopedia is among the most-read Norwegian published sites, with more than two million unique vis ...