Arild Andersen

Norway's Arild Andersen is one of Europe's most versatile double bassists. His credits number in the hundreds across avant, jazz-rock, contemporary jazz, improv, and new age. He appeared with <a href="spotify:artist:7MEyCD4G0Zl6kmikEAZsym">Jan Garbarek</a> on 1967's Til Vigdis, and remained with the saxophonist until 1973. Further, he appeared on recordings led by <a href="spotify:artist:3uPWecBPNXAChysw1uOJwI">Don Cherry</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:3EFzYPEP2mCQoqcLjoWwK1">Terje Rypdal</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4K2Ys4NwPXEYomQrKwAeZc">Bobo Stenson</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:28TWIpfM0tJzuNBWeUvTvt">Karin Krog</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:1CkthcIyaPjnbHLcwhbU7c">George Russell</a>. Andersen debuted Clouds in My Head on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22ECM%22">ECM</a> in 1975, and remained closely affiliated with the label. His album Lifelines was released in 1981, 1993's If You Look Far Enough won global acclaim, and 1997's Hyperborean was recorded with his quintet and strings. In the 21st century, Andersen upped the ante: He released dozens of albums on a variety of labels while remaining an active session player. In 2012, he released Celebration in collaboration with the <a href="spotify:artist:5wv0z2SjNkbEvfZvt7lowX">Scottish National Jazz Orchestra</a>. In 2020, he, <a href="spotify:artist:4PpQjCDxZ1NkoZBC2DYCnX">Clive Bell</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:6RPBxm7QUtkYIWfOnnqjef">Mark Wastell</a> released the album-length improvisation Tales of Hackney, followed by the seven-movement suite Affirmation for jazz quartet. He followed in April 2024 with the trio date As Time Passes, and in November issued Landloper, a solo offering for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22ECM%22">ECM</a>.

Andersen was born in Norway and studied music in public schools. He started his musical career as a jazz guitarist in the Riverside Swing Group in Lillestrøm (1961 to 1963), and played double bass in 1964, soon becoming part of the core jazz bands in Oslo. He studied and played with composer <a href="spotify:artist:1CkthcIyaPjnbHLcwhbU7c">George Russell</a> during the '60s and '70s and studied with Karel Netolička. In 1967 he made his recorded debut with <a href="spotify:artist:7MEyCD4G0Zl6kmikEAZsym">Jan Garbarek</a>'s group on the album Til Vigdis. (He remained with the saxophonist's band for 1970's Afric Pepperbird, 1971's Sart, and 1973's Triptykon.) Andersen was tapped by <a href="spotify:artist:3uPWecBPNXAChysw1uOJwI">Don Cherry</a> at the Berliner Jazztage in 1968; that appearance resulted in Eternal Rhythm. That same year he appeared on <a href="spotify:artist:28TWIpfM0tJzuNBWeUvTvt">Karin Krog</a>'s Joy. Andersen played with <a href="spotify:artist:1VEzN9lxvG6KPR3QQGsebR">Sonny Rollins</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0DNuWm5ZBKuCIXLNmrzuk5">Sam Rivers</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:4HCwj3Nt6DTTmJCpHuQOeM">Paul Bley</a> at various festivals. He also worked with them, <a href="spotify:artist:550VNM96M8mO90texkUWDC">Joe Farrell</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6KEBRNgSvb95hjK9Nh0tzt">Steve Kuhn</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:6aSWZH2HiBFSJ28gv5JG7g">Sheila Jordan</a>, and others in New York during the early '70s.

Andersen made his leader debut on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22ECM%22">ECM</a> with 1975's Clouds in My Head, backed by pianist <a href="spotify:artist:1rFjt7CpwkXN6SB7PjKviq">Jon Balke</a> and drummer <a href="spotify:artist:7tWYMSHg7pBHCimFEPMCWH">Pål Thowsen</a>. He followed it in 1977 with Shimri, adding saxophonist <a href="spotify:artist:4iyTLMsbe5KllOq7kkoAUP">Juhani Aaltonen</a>, and with pianist <a href="spotify:artist:1kW3Vmt2UDZfYhc9So72dS">Lars Jansson</a> replacing <a href="spotify:artist:1rFjt7CpwkXN6SB7PjKviq">Balke</a>. The following year he and <a href="spotify:artist:6aSWZH2HiBFSJ28gv5JG7g">Sheila Jordan</a> released the duet album Sheila, and he released his own Lifelines in 1981. During the '80s, Andersen's work in the studio and on the road increased, along with his sterling reputation across Europe and the U.S. He performed and recorded with <a href="spotify:artist:0UXy6wqMmVQ7PIWFNSXqdk">Alphonse Mouzon</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:0o9WWL7JAXnjjvUNyPwWTF">John Taylor</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:3SONlwqLIP2GtaMh9pLYe5">Bill Frisell</a>. He led the quintet <a href="spotify:artist:3OVW7jr45XUTReKjrUSkij">Masqualero</a> with <a href="spotify:artist:5Li0fvh4kEJOWbLYWfNrPr">Jon Christensen</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:1rFjt7CpwkXN6SB7PjKviq">Balke</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5TqxBHPsl5JnkRqPiZALxh">Tore Brunborg</a>, and trumpeter <a href="spotify:artist:2r1f1zkIjuQ7ETeJHsXpsc">Nils Petter Molvær</a> on four albums between 1983 and 1991; three of them were on <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22ECM%22">ECM</a>, including Aero and Re-Enter. They toured England and Europe.

During the '90s, Andersen began recording more frequently as a leader for a number of labels, releasing 1990's Sagn, 1997's Hyperborean, 2001's Karta, 2004's The Triangle, 2005's Electra, 2008's Live at Belleville. In the second decade of the new century he was truly prolific as a sideman, touring musician, and bandleader. Some of his albums released during that period included 2012's Celebration with the <a href="spotify:artist:5wv0z2SjNkbEvfZvt7lowX">Scottish National Jazz Orchestra</a> and 2013's Under the Rainbow. In 2014, Andersen joined drummer <a href="spotify:artist:6KRqpgcx3IlzqHGiyrBHbJ">Paolo Vinaccia</a> and saxophonist <a href="spotify:artist:2LbRiVusjtrdBlE4lkXxfO">Tommy Smith</a> for the trio album Mira; it was followed two years later by the live The Rose Window. In 2018, he rejoined drummer <a href="spotify:artist:6KRqpgcx3IlzqHGiyrBHbJ">Vinaccia</a> and saxophonist <a href="spotify:artist:2LbRiVusjtrdBlE4lkXxfO">Smith</a> for the trio effort In-House Science.

The following year, Andersen teamed up with composer/multi-instrumentalist <a href="spotify:artist:4PpQjCDxZ1NkoZBC2DYCnX">Clive Bell</a>, playing Asian wind and brass instruments, and percussionist/producer <a href="spotify:artist:6RPBxm7QUtkYIWfOnnqjef">Mark Wastell</a>. They improvised for ten hours, and edited the music down to a 50-minute work that they then divided into nine numbered parts. The recording was released as Tales of Hackney for the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Confront%22">Confront</a> label's Core series.

Following a spate of international touring, Andersen reassembled the Arild Andersen Group with drummer Håkon Mjåset Johansen, pianist <a href="spotify:artist:2HlDnWc1U5F7D30DTyWJ4F">Helge Lien</a>, and saxophonist <a href="spotify:artist:2hG8VlQmj1un8dl8fbRPQi">Marius Neset</a>. They recorded the seven-movement suite reflected in the <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22ECM%22">ECM</a> album title Affirmation. In April 2024, Andersen, drummer/producer Daniel Sommer, and guitarist <a href="spotify:artist:4LgaDOxBtDK4KvEarwuiQL">Rob Luft</a> released As Time Passes on Denmark's <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22April+Records%22">April Records</a>. He wasn't done, though: in November he released Landloper for <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22ECM%22">ECM</a>. A completely solo offering, Andersen accompanied his double bass with a bevy of innovative electronics. ~ Ron Wynn & Thom Jurek, Rovi