Helge Lien

Helge Lien
Lien in 2025.
Lien in 2025.
Background information
Born (1975-04-23) 23 April 1975 (age 51)
Moelv, Ringsaker, Norway
GenreJazz
OccupationsMusician, composer
InstrumentPiano
LabelsOzella Music
Curling Legs
DIW
Jazzaway
Websitehelgelien.com

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 at the 2016 Nattjazz.

Lien has written all the music on the latest Helge Lien Trio album Natsukashii. In this, there are lots of references to trios like Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, and Brad Mehldau trio. Along with bassist Frode Berg and drummer Knut Aalefjær, who was substituted with Per Oddvar Johansen from 2013, Helge Lien Trio is also moving.

Honors

Discography

As leader/co-leader

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

Collaborations

With LiveLien
With Arild Andersen and Gard Nilssen

References

  1. ↑ "Helge Lien Biography – Store Norske Leksikon". 12 February 2021.
  2. ↑ "Helge Lien – iDekor.no".
  3. ↑ "Helge Lien Trio – Victoria Nasjonal Jazzscene" (in Norwegian). 12 August 2024.
  4. ↑ "Review: Helge Lien Trio – Musik-Kritik" (in German). 18 May 2023.
  5. ↑ "DnB NOR prize for Helge Lien". Archived from the original on 10 August 2011.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 "Albums". helgelien.com. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  7. 1 2 Kelman, John (17 August 2011). "Helge Lien Trio: Natsukashii". All About Jazz. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  8. ↑ Wuethrich, Matthew (2 July 2004). "Helge Lien Trio: Asymmetrics". All About Jazz. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  9. ↑ Henderson, Alex. "Helge Lien: Hello Troll". AllMusic. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  10. 1 2 Shaw, Anthony (11 July 2013). "Ruth Wilhelmine Meyer and Helge Lien: Memnon". All About Jazz. Retrieved 24 December 2021.
  11. ↑ Baekgaard, Jakob (9 July 2014). "Helge Lien Trio: Badgers and Other Beings". All About Jazz. Retrieved 24 December 2021.