Helge Lien (born 23 April 1975) is a Norwegian jazz pianist, composer and band leader. 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.
Education Lien attended Stange High School in Stange Municipality in 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. degree fin 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.
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.
Honors 2002: Norwegian Government Grants 2007: Nattjazzprisen 2008: Spellemannprisen in the class Jazz 2008: Kongsberg Jazz Award
Discography
As leader/co-leader Year recordedTitleLabelNotes2000Talking to a TreeLydlauget ANSSolo piano2000LikerNor-CDAs Tri O'Trang; trio, with Torben Snekkestad (sax), Lars Andreas Haug (tuba)2001What Are You Doing the Rest of Your LifeCurling LegsTrio, with Frode Berg (bass), Knut Aalefjær (drums)2002Spiral CircleDIWTrio, with Frode Berg (bass), Knut Aalefjær (drums)2002FordiviChallengeAs Tri O'Trang; trio, with Torben Snekkestad (sax, bass clarinet), Lars Andreas Haug (tuba, trumpet)2003AsymmetricsDIWTrio, with Frode Berg (bass), Knut Aalefjær (drums)2005LiveCurling LegsTrio, with Frode Berg (bass), Knut Aalefjær (drums); in concert2005Plays Jon EbersonCurling LegsAs Tri O'Trang, quintet, with Torben Snekkestad (sax), Lars Andreas Haug (tuba), Jon Eberson (guitar), Per Oddvar Johansen (drums)2005Prøysen – musikken fra dokumentarenJazzavdelingenAs Hero; duo, with Rolf-Erik Nystrøm (sax)2006The Discovery & Exploration of Planet HEROJazzawayAs Hero; duo, with Rolf-Erik Nystrøm (sax)2006MåCurling LegsAs Tri O'Trang; trio, with Torben Snekkestad (sax, bass clarinet), Lars Andreas Haug (tuba, valve trombone)2006To the Little RadioDIWTrio2008Hello TrollOzellaTrio, with Frode Berg (bass), Knut Aalefjær (drums); Spellemannprisen 20082010NatsukashiiOzellaTrio, with Frode Berg (bass), Knut Aalefjær (drums); released 20112011KattenslagerOzella/MusikklosenSolo piano2012?MemnonOzellaDuo, co-led with Ruth Wilhelmine Meyer (vocals)2013Badgers and Other BeingsOzellaTrio, with Frode Berg (bass), Per Oddvar Johansen (drums)2015BridgesACTCo-led with Adam Baldych (violin); quartet, with Frode Berg (bass), Per Oddvar Johansen (drums)2016GuzuguzuOzellaTrio, with Frode Berg (bass), Per Oddvar Johansen (drums)
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
External links Helge Lien Biography – Store Norske Leksikon