Stian Westerhus (born 2 April 1979) is a Norwegian guitarist known for his experimental style, explored with keyboardist Øystein Moen in the bands Jaga Jazzist and Puma and with Sidsel Endresen, Nils Petter Molvær, Arve Henriksen, Jan Bang, and Ingar Zach.
Career
Westerhus holds a bachelor in jazz from Middlesex University under Stuart Hall, and a master from the Jazz program at Trondheim Musikkonservatorium, (NTNU, 2005).
He was first recognised by a broader audience within the experimental jazz band Puma, with whom he released four albums. The soloalbum Pitch Black Star Spangled (2010) on Rune Grammofon got some attention in reviews.
The album Didymoi Dreams (2012) is his debut as a duo with experimental jazz singer Sidsel Endresen. They have been of great inspiration to new experimental Norwegian musicians like Natalie Sandtorv and Torgeir Standal in The Jist duo.
Gallery
Honors Spellemannprisen 2012, in the class Jazz together with Sidsel Endresen, for the album Didymoi Dreams
Discography
Solo albums 2009: Galore (Rune Grammofon/The Last Record Company) 2010: Pitch Black Star Spangled (Rune Grammofon) 2012: The Matriarch and the Wrong Kind of Flowers (Rune Grammofon) 2016: Amputation (House of Mythology) 2020: Redundance (House of Mythology) 2023: SOTT (House of Mythology)
Collaborations With Puma 2007: Isolationism (Bolage Records) 2008: Discotheque Bitpunching (Bolage Records) 2009: Fist Full of Knuckles with Lasse Marhaug (Knuckleman Records) 2010: Half Nelson Courtship (Rune Grammofon)
With Fraud 2007: Fraud (The Babel Labell UK)
With Terje Isungset 2008: Laden With Rain (FMR Records) 2015: Terje Isungset & Stian Westerhus (All Ice Records)
With Monolithic 2009: Black Science (RoggBif/Vendlus)
With Bladed 2009: Mangled Dreams (Crispin Glover Records)
With Eldbjørg Raknes and Eirik Hegdal 2009: From Frozen Feet Heat Came (MyRecordings)
With Sidsel Endresen 2012: Didymoi Dreams (Rune Grammofon)
With BOL 2012: Numb, Number (Gigafon)
With Pale Horses 2014: Maelstrom (Rune Grammofon), as Stian Westerhus & Pale Horses
With Ulver 2017: The Assassination of Julius Caesar (House of Mythology)
As producer 2010: Eldbjørg Raknes - Sense (MyRecordings) 2011: PELbO - Days of Transcendence (Riot Factory) 2012: Nils Petter Molvær - Baboon Moon (Sula Records)
Awards and scholarships 2010 - Sparebank 1 SNM's jazz scholarship awarded at Moldejazz. 2008 - BBC’s Award for Innovation in Jazz with Fraud 2007 - Sparebank 1 SNM's jazz talent scholarship awarded at Moldejazz 2007 - Ronnie Scott's Award for Best Newcomer 2007 (UK) with Fraud 2006 - Trondheim Jazz Festival's talent prize with Bladed 2006 - Moldejazz's young jazz musician of the year with Puma
References
External links
Live session for BBC at YouTube Album review from Allaboutjazz