BIOGRAPHY

KARL SEGLEM (f.1961)

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composer, tenor saxophone player, goat horn player, poet and producer

 

Karl Seglem is described as one of the most exciting contemporary tenor saxophonists and composers in Norway. This country has spawned quite a plethora of distinctive musicians that have made it their enterprise to merge musical traditions, often from their respective homesteads, with contemporary expressions, world music, and improvisational jazz. Karl Seglem looms prominently among these and he is unquestionably one of the great innovators and visionaries of Norwegian music; reinvigorating both Norwegian traditional genres and jazz with his unwavering will to fuse expressions, pursue crossover ventures and embrace new instruments, sounds, and perspectives. 

Seglem's main instrument is the tenor saxophone and he has played an important role in the Norwegian jazz scene. His CD-production counts 19 solo-albums and 17 albums with different ensembles (2017). Already at an early stage in his career, he became interested in more diverse and genre-crossing perspectives of music. Especially he has been deeply involved with Norwegian folk music and has explored it as a basis for improvisation and composition. For Seglem is much more than an instrumentalist, he has worked widely and diversely as a composer -developing new contemporary forms on the basis of jazz, folk music, and more eclectic inspirations- and has also been instrumental to the growth of cross over expressions and projects as a producer and record label manager for NORCD. 

 

International renown has grown steadily and not least his releases Ossicles, Som Spor, JazzBukkBox, and Nordic Balm have captivated international critics and audiences. On these records, the use of goat horns and other traditional instruments -notably the Hardanger fiddle- is masterly and excitingly blended with a plethora of modern and eclectic elements; electronic loops, jazz improvisation, world music traits, and rock characteristics. Seglem often returns to the notion of the acoustic heart of his music, which is the grounded and timeless leitmotif. With this heart intact electronic elements and engineered sounds, as well as genre-specific traits, create a dynamism that is reciprocally enhancing.  

In 2010 he received THE BUDDY AWARD, Norwegian highest Jazz award. In 2012 Egil Storbekkens Musikkpris for his work with goat-horns and årets Musikkverk from NOPA, for his comission work to Vossa Jazz 2012 "Som spor" (Like traces). He was awarded the EDVARD prize for his work "Tya" (with R.Skår), and have received other National and local prizes, grants and awards for his work. 

 

Karl Seglem has toured Norway, Scandinavia and Germany, played in the UK, France, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Japan, Pakistan, India, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Poland, Hungary, Italy, Iceland, The Pharaoe Islands, USA among other countries.