Helge Lien

Helge Lien (born 23 April 1975) is a Norwegian jazz pianist, composer and band leader.[1] He has in recent years also developed a passion for photography and digital processing of images and has passion for powerful melancholy, dynamics and detail.[2]

Helge Lien
Helge Lien in Aarhus, Denmark 2016.
Helge Lien in Aarhus, Denmark 2016.
Background information
Born (1975-04-23) 23 April 1975
Moelv, Ringsaker, Norway
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
Instrument(s)Piano
LabelsOzella Music
Curling Legs
DIW Records
Jazzaway Records
Websitehelgelien.com

Education

Lien attended Stange High School 1991 and earned his Examen artium in 1994, before taking up musical studies at Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo. He got a Cand.mag. in 1998 under guidance of Mikhail Alperin, known as pianist of the Moscow Art Trio and from solo performances and recordings, and did postgraduate studies with the group Tri O'Trang culminating with cand.musicae exam in 2001.

Career

Lien is known from a variety of musical contexts, such as Tri O'Trang (with Torben Snekkestad on sax and Lars Andreas Haug on tuba), Helge Lien Trio, the duo Hero with saxophonist Rolf-Erik Nystrom, and with the vocalists Live Maria Roggen and Silje Nergaard.

Helge Lien at the 2016 Nattjazz.

The last decade Lien has given us a lot of evidence that a new Norwegian pianist of a very high caliber has entered the Jazz scene. We have encountered him in various constellations from solo piano, duos and as sideman, but it is first and foremost with Helge Lien Trio that he has moved up and out among the truly great. Here we can encounter, more than any other classic piano trio, the balance between jazz tradition and improvisation avantgardist excellent. With their seven albums and thrilling live performances they have already earned a large fan base, and when the Helge Lien Trio completed their first tour of Germany on the Berlin Jazz Club A-Trane in 2008, the album Hello Troll was the first Helge Lien Trio release for Ozella Music in Germany.[3] This album was in many ways the ultimate breakthrough for Helge Lien Trio, although four previous releases on the Japanese DIW company had told us what Lien had to offer.[4]

Lien, who has written all the music on the latest Helge Lien Trio album Natsukashii, is a melodic poet in temperament. In this classic trio format there are lots of references to trios with giants like Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett but even more obvious are the links to the Brad Mehldau trio, which set a new standard for jazz trio for the new 2000 millennium. Along with bassist Frode Berg and drummer Knut Aalefjær, who was substituted with Per Oddvar Johansen from 2013, Lien has taken new steps over again and it is up to that category Helge Lien Trio is also moving.[4][5]

Honors

Discography

As leader/co-leader
Year recorded Title Label Notes
2000 Talking to a Tree Lydlauget ANS Solo piano[7]
2000 Liker Nor-CD As Tri O'Trang; trio, with Torben Snekkestad (sax), Lars Andreas Haug (tuba)[7]
2001 What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life Curling Legs Trio, with Frode Berg (bass), Knut Aalefjær (drums)[8]
2002 Spiral Circle DIW Trio, with Frode Berg (bass), Knut Aalefjær (drums)[7]
2002 Fordivi Challenge As Tri O'Trang; trio, with Torben Snekkestad (sax, bass clarinet), Lars Andreas Haug (tuba, trumpet)[7]
2003 Asymmetrics DIW Trio, with Frode Berg (bass), Knut Aalefjær (drums)[9]
2005 Live Curling Legs Trio, with Frode Berg (bass), Knut Aalefjær (drums); in concert[7]
2005 Plays Jon Eberson Curling Legs As Tri O'Trang, quintet, with Torben Snekkestad (sax), Lars Andreas Haug (tuba), Jon Eberson (guitar), Per Oddvar Johansen (drums)[7]
2005 Prøysen – musikken fra dokumentaren Jazzavdelingen As Hero; duo, with Rolf-Erik Nystrøm (sax)[7]
2006 The Discovery & Exploration of Planet HERO Jazzaway As Hero; duo, with Rolf-Erik Nystrøm (sax)[7]
2006 Må Curling Legs As Tri O'Trang; trio, with Torben Snekkestad (sax, bass clarinet), Lars Andreas Haug (tuba, valve trombone)[7]
2006 To the Little Radio DIW Trio[7]
2008 Hello Troll Ozella Trio, with Frode Berg (bass), Knut Aalefjær (drums);[10] Spellemannprisen 2008[7]
2010 Natsukashii Ozella Trio, with Frode Berg (bass), Knut Aalefjær (drums); released 2011[8]
2011 Kattenslager Ozella/Musikklosen Solo piano[7][11]
2012? Memnon Ozella Duo, co-led with Ruth Wilhelmine Meyer (vocals)[7][11]
2013 Badgers and Other Beings Ozella Trio, with Frode Berg (bass), Per Oddvar Johansen (drums)[7][12]
2015 Bridges ACT Co-led with Adam Baldych (violin); quartet, with Frode Berg (bass), Per Oddvar Johansen (drums)[7]
2016 Guzuguzu Ozella Trio, with Frode Berg (bass), Per Oddvar Johansen (drums)[7]

Collaborations
With LiveLien
  • 2011: Låvesalg (Jazzland/Universal)
  • 2016: YOU (Ozella)
With Arild Andersen and Gard Nilssen
  • 2016: The Rose Window (Deutsche Media Productions), live at Theater Gütersloh

References
  1. "Helge Lien Biography – Store Norske Leksikon". 12 February 2021.
  2. "Helge Lien – iDekor.no".
  3. "Helge Lien Trio – jena.de" (in German). Archived from the original on 6 February 2013.
  4. "Helge Lien Trio – Victoria Nasjonal Jazzscene" (in Norwegian).
  5. "Review: Helge Lien Trio – Musik-Kritik" (in German). 18 May 2023.
  6. "DnB NOR prize for Helge Lien". Archived from the original on 10 August 2011.
  7. "Albums". helgelien.com. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  8. Kelman, John (17 August 2011). "Helge Lien Trio: Natsukashii". All About Jazz. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  9. Wuethrich, Matthew (2 July 2004). "Helge Lien Trio: Asymmetrics". All About Jazz. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  10. Henderson, Alex. "Helge Lien: Hello Troll". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  11. Shaw, Anthony (11 July 2013). "Ruth Wilhelmine Meyer and Helge Lien: Memnon". All About Jazz. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  12. Baekgaard, Jakob (9 July 2014). "Helge Lien Trio: Badgers and Other Beings". All About Jazz. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
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