Kristin Asbjørnsen

Kristin Asbjørnsen (born 12 May 1971) is a Norwegian jazz singer and composer whose focus is on improvised music. She is known for musical projects like Dadafon including with Carl Haakon Waadeland, Krøyt, Kvitretten, and Nymark Collective among others.[1][2]

Kristin Asbjørnsen
Kristin Asbjørnsen performing at the 2019 Jazz på Jølst festival
Kristin Asbjørnsen performing at the 2019 Jazz på Jølst festival
Background information
Born (1971-05-12) 12 May 1971
Lillehammer, Norway
OriginNorway
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician, composer,
band leader
Instrument(s)Vocals
WebsiteOfficial website

Career

Asbjørnsen was born in Lillehammer and educated at the Jazz Program at the Trondheim Conservatory of Music, Norwegian Academy of Music and the University of Oslo,[3][4] Her style has its roots in the singer-songwriter tradition and includes elements from African music, World music, spirituals and jazz.[3]

Kristin Asbjørnsen

Wayfaring Stranger – A Spiritual Songbook (2006) was her first solo album, based on African-American spirituals, and the note sheets she inherited from singer Ruth Reese, her former song teacher. The album, as well as an extended European tour, was met with outstanding reviews.[1][2][5][6] The album has received a Platinum Disc and nomination for the Spellemannprisen (Norwegian Music Awards equiv. to Grammy).[2]

A live recording, The Bessie Smith Songbook, sheds new light on the songs of legendary jazz and blues singer, sung with the quartet Nymark Collective. In 2005 Asbjørnsen, Tord Gustavsen and Knut Aalefjær were asked to perform together at Molde International Jazz Festival. Two years later the concept was continued with a Norwegian tour. The concerts at Cosmopolite in Oslo and at the Nattjazz Festival in Bergen in 2007 were recorded. The Bessie Smith Songbook includes many of the early jazz standards, such as "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out" and "Oh, Daddy Blues".[2]

Asbjørnsen made her international debut as a film score composer for the film Factotum, based on the novel of the same name by Charles Bukowski.[5][7] Asbjørnsen has featured on a number of album releases, as well as a series of tours and festival performances in Europe. In 2009 she won the Babel Med Mondomix Award.[3][8]

She is a member of the bands Dadafon and Krøyt, and was also in the Kvitretten, who split in 2001. In 2000 she received the Gammleng-prisen in the class jazz. For the album The Night Shines Like the Day[9] she received the Spellemannprisen 2009 in open class. Asbjørnsen together with the world-renowned a cappella group Ladysmith Black Mambazo holding concerts in seven different townships in South Africa Back to eKasi, organized by, among others, Rikskonsertene.[2][10]

Honors

Discography

Solo albums
Year Title Label Chart positions Certifications
NOR
[13]
2005 Factotum Milan —
2006 Wayfaring Stranger – A Spiritual Songbook Universal Music 3
2009 The Night Shines Like the Day Universal Music 5
2013 I'll Meet You in the Morning Universal Music 14

Collaborations
Within Dadafon
  • 1998: Coloured Moods (Rim Records)
  • 2002: And I Can't Stand Still (Rim Records)
  • 2002: Release Me (Via Music)
  • 2002: Visitor (Via Music)
  • 2004: Harbour (Universal Music/EmArcy Records)
  • 2005: Lost Love Chords (Milan)
Within Krøyt
  • 1997: Sub (Curling Legs)
  • 1999: Low (Bergland Productions)
  • 2001: Body Electric EP (Music Network Records)
  • 2001: One Heart Is Too Small (Yonada Records)
Within Kvitretten
  • 1996: Voices (Curling Legs)
  • 1999: Everything Turns (Curling Legs)
  • 2002: Kloden Er En Snurrebass Som Snurrer Oss (Curling Legs)
With other projects

References
  1. "Kristin Asbjornsen: Wayfaring Stranger - A Spiritual Songbook - AllAboutJazz.com".
  2. "Kristin Asbjørnsen Biography – Kalleklev.no".
  3. "Kristin Asbjørnsen Biography – JazzBasen MIC.no". (in Norwegian)
  4. "Kristin Asbjørnsen Biography – Store Norske Leksikon". (in Norwegian)
  5. "På vandring med arven – BergenPuls BT.no". (in Norwegian)
  6. "Kraftfullt, skjørt og vakkert – BergenPuls BT.no". (in Norwegian)
  7. "Factotum - MilanRecords.com".
  8. "Kristin Asbjørnsen - Myspace.com".
  9. "Review: The Night Shines Like the Day – Puls.no".
  10. "Kristin Asbjørnsen til Sør-Afrika – Rikskonsertene.no".
  11. "Gammleng-prisen - eNotes.com".
  12. "Om Kristin Asbjørnsen - tutorialonline.biz".
  13. Kristin Asbjørnsen discography
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