Per Husby (born 2 April 1949 in

Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) 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 1,064,235 in 2022 ...

) 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.Per Husby
by Tom Horvei. He studied piano at the

Music Conservatory of Oslo Music is the arrangement of sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm, or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Music is generally agreed to be a cultural universal that is present in all hum ...

(1962–67), and became a siv.ing. in

acoustics Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician ...

(under Asbjørn Krokstad) at the

Norwegian Institute of Technology The Norwegian Institute of Technology ( Norwegian: ''Norges tekniske høgskole'', NTH) was a science institute in Trondheim, Norway. It was established in 1910, and existed as an independent technical university for 58 years, after which it was ...

(1973), followed up with studies in jazz at

Berklee 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 ...

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. In

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; ), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros, and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2022, it had a population of 212,660. Trondheim is the third most populous municipality in Norway, and is ...

(1971–80), he worked with the local big band Bodega Band where he (and bassist Jan Tro) wrote much original music for recordings. Later, Husby performed in groups led by Asmund Bjørken and

Bjørn Alterhaug Bjørn Alterhaug (born 3 June 1945) is a Norwegian jazz bassist, arranger, composer and professor of music Store Norske Leksikon (in Norwegian) at the Department of Music in the University of Trondheim since 1972. Career Alterhaug was born in Mo ...

. He was a musical director at the local theatre

Trøndelag Teater Trøndelag Teater is a large theater in the city of Trondheim, in Trøndelag county, Norway. Trøndelag Teater stages large-scale dance and musical performances. History Originally built in 1816, the theater is the oldest stage in Scandinavia ...

(1975–80). Husby led his own septet, (1975–78), quintet (1980–83), and released records with his 13-piece ''Per Husby Dedication Orchestra'' (13 tracks). From 1980 in Oslo, he was leader of the Federation of Norwegian Jazz musicians (1983–85), and co-edited the Norwegian Jazz Magazine ''Jazznytt'' (1981–84). Over 20 years, he made regular engagements as a pianist/orchestra leader on Norwegian TV

Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation 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 ...

, including 11 years as a musical director for the "memory lane" TV series ''

Da Capo Da capo ( , , ; often abbreviated as D.C.) is an Italian musical term that means "from the beginning" (literally, "from the head"). The term is a directive to repeat the previous part of music, often used to save space, and thus is an easie ...

''. Husby has produced and played with

Hilde Louise Asbjørnsen Hilde Louise Asbjørnsen (born 3 June 1976 in Sykkylven Municipality, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz singer, songwriter, cabaret artist and songwriter, known from her own releases and appearances. Career After moving to Oslo in 1996 she studied Sc ...

, and plays in the Quartet of tenor saxophonist Bodil Niska as well as with singer

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 ...

. He has through the years worked as an accompanist for visiting jazz soloists such as

Chet Baker Chesney Henry "Chet" Baker Jr. (December 23, 1929 – May 13, 1988) was an American jazz trumpeter and vocalist. He is known for major innovations in cool jazz that led him to be nicknamed the "Prince of Cool". Baker earned much attention and ...

(heard on ''The Improviser'', Cadence Jazz Records),

Clark Terry Clark Virgil Terry Jr. (December 14, 1920 – February 21, 2015) was an American Swing music, swing and bebop trumpeter, a pioneer of the flugelhorn in jazz, and a composer and educator. He played with Charlie Barnet (1947), Count Basie (1948� ...

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and very occasional flute player. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day an ...

Pepper Adams Park Frederick "Pepper" Adams III (October 8, 1930 – September 10, 1986) was an American jazz baritone saxophonist and composer. He composed 42 pieces, was the leader on eighteen albums spanning 28 years, and participated in 600 sessions as a s ...

Kenny Wheeler Kenneth Vincent John Wheeler, Order of Canada, OC (14 January 1930 – 18 September 2014) was a Canadian composer and trumpet and flugelhorn player, based in the U.K. from the 1950s onwards. Most of his performances were rooted in jazz, but he w ...

, James Moody and

Karin Krog Karin Krog (born 15 May 1937) is a Norwegian Vocal jazz, 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 ...

Honors

*1985: Molderosen at the

Moldejazz Molde International Jazz Festival (MIJF) or Moldejazz (established 1961 in Molde Municipality) 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 1 ...

*1985: Work of the year 1985, elected by the composer's organisation NOPA in for ''Poesi'' *1985:

Spellemannprisen The Spellemannprisen (also referred to as the Norwegian Grammy Awards) is a Norwegian music award ceremony presented by International Federation of the Phonographic Industry#Local associations, IFPI Norge and :no:FONO, FONO. It was first awarded i ...

in the class Jazz, for the album ''Dedications'' *1989:

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 ...

by The Norwegian jazz federation's honorary award

Discography

*Per Husby Septet, ''Peacemaker'' ( LP / CD 1976

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 ...

, 2003). With

Knut Riisnæs Knut Riisnæs (13 November 1945 – 22 July 2023) was a Norwegian jazz musician (saxophone and flute), arranger, and composer, son of pianist Eline Nygaard Riisnæs and brother of classical pianist Anne Eline Riisnæs (1951–) and jazz saxopho ...

/ Bjørn Johansen/ Harald Bergersen saxophone

Bernt Anker Steen Bernt is a Scandinavian variant of the German masculine given name Berend, which is the Low German form of Bernard (Bernhard). The name Bernhard means "strong bear" (from Old German ''bero'', "bear", and ''harti'', "strong"). Its use in Sweden was ...

trumpet,

Carl Morten Iversen Carl Morten Iversen (1 May 1948 – 19 October 2023) was a Norwegian jazz musician (upright bass), and the son of jazz violinist Arild Iversen (1920–65). He was known from numerous recordings and had long been central to the Oslo Jazz scene. ...

bass and Svein-Erik Gaardvik drums *'' The Improviser'' ( Cadence Jazz Records, 1983). With

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, K ...

, Espen Rud,

Ole Jacob Hansen Ole Jacob Hansen (16 April 1940 – 6 March 2000) was a Norwegian jazz musician (drums), known from a number recordings and international cooperation. Career Hansen was born in Oslo, and first established himself on the Oslo jazz scene in To ...

and

Terje Venaas Terje Venaas (30 March 1947 – April 2025) was a Norwegian jazz musician (upright bass), known from dozens of recordings and a number of international collaborations. Life and career Venaas started playing music within several local bands in ...

*The Per Husby Dedication Orchestra, ''Dedications'' (

Hot Club Records Hot Club Records is a jazz record label established 1982, by guitarist Jon Larsen in Oslo, Norway.Dregni, Michael (2008) ''Gypsy Jazz: In Search of Django Reinhardt and the Soul of Gypsy Swing'', OUP USA, , p. 229 The label has released over 35 ...

, 1985) won Spellemannprisen 1985, *The Per Husby Dedication Orchestra, ''Your eyes'' (NOPA Records, 1987). *''Notes for nature'' (

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 ...

, 1990) – including jazz adaptions of his music for the prize-winning TV documentary

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 ...

-programme ''2048'' (1988) *''If you could see me now'' (

, 1996). Recorded in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

with Frank Wess, Grady Tate, Jim Pugh, Jay Leonhart, Bucky Pizzarelli, Chris Potter, Howard Johnson a.o. *

Anne Lande Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie and Ana. Anne is sometimes used as a male name in t ...

and Husby, ''Sakte sanger'' ( Park Grammofon, 2006) with music by

Alf Prøysen Alf Prøysen () (23 July 1914 – 23 November 1970) was a Norwegian author, poet, playwright, songwriter and musician. Prøysen was one of the most important Norwegian cultural personalities in the second half of the 20th century. He work ...

Inger Hagerup Inger Hagerup (née Halsør; 12 April 1905, in Bergen (city), Bergen – 6 February 1985, in Fredrikstad (town), Fredrikstad) was a Norwegian people, Norwegian writer, playwright and poet. She is considered one of the greatest Norwegian poets of ...

Antonio Carlos Jobim Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular ...

and others *

and Husby, ''Helt Nær'' ( Park Grammofon, 2009).

Works

* ''Poesi'' (1985) * ''Two pieces for brass quintet'' (1987) * ''Stråler mellom fjell'' (2000) * ''Inverness wedding'' (2001) * ''Mythos'' (2002) * ''Vårsong''/''For ein dag'' (2002) * ''Half a nice day'' (2002)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Husby, Per 1944 births Living people 20th-century Norwegian pianists 21st-century Norwegian pianists Norwegian jazz pianists Norwegian jazz composers Norwegian male jazz composers Norwegian translators Spellemannprisen winners Norwegian civil engineers Hot Club Records artists Gemini Records artists Jazz musicians from Oslo 20th-century Norwegian male musicians 21st-century Norwegian male musicians Bodega Band members Norwegian male jazz pianists