Jon Balke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jon Balke
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Balke at Berchidda on Sardinia, 2006
(Photo by Gianfranco Rota) |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jon Georg Balke |
| Born | 7 June 1955 Furnes, Norway |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instruments | Piano |
| Associated acts | Magnetic North Orchestra |
Jon Georg Balke (born June 7, 1955) is a talented jazz pianist from Norway. He is known for leading his own music group called Siwan. Jon also has a brother, Erik Balke, who plays the saxophone.
Contents
Jon Balke's Musical Journey
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Jon Balke started playing classical piano when he was young. By age 12, he switched to blues music. He plays many different types of music. When he was 18, Jon joined a music group led by Arild Andersen. In the mid-1980s, Jon began working on his own music. He became one of Norway's top jazz composers.
He played in groups like Radka Toneff's band and E'olén. Later, he joined Oslo 13 and Masqualero in the early 1980s. From 1989, Jon focused on his own music projects. These included JøKleBa, with Audun Kleive and Per Jørgensen. He also formed the Magnetic North Orchestra. For this group, he wrote a special piece called Il Cenoneat for the Vossajazz festival in 1992.
In 2002, Jon Balke started a percussion group called Batagraf. He also created a special music project called Siwan in 2007. He worked with singer Amina Alaoui on this project. Jon also created a series of multimedia concerts for the Vossajazz festival. These concerts, called Ekstremjazz, combined music with extreme sports. They featured activities like parachuting, paragliding, hang gliding, and BMX biking. In 2012, he was a special guest artist at the Moldejazz festival. In 2016, he started a solo piano project called Warp. This project uses live electronic sounds with a grand piano during performances.
Awards and Honors
Jon Balke has received several awards for his amazing music:
- 1984: Buddyprisen
- 1993: Jazz Musician of the Year
- 2000: Edvard Prize in popular music for his album Solarized
- 2003: Oslo Bys kulturstipend
- 2008: Gammleng-prisen in the jazz category
- 2009: Jahrespreis der Deutschen Musikkritiker
- 2012: Artist in Residence at Moldejazz
Music Albums
Jon Balke has released many albums, both as a leader of his own groups and with other musicians.
As a Leader
Here are some albums where Jon Balke was the main artist:
| Year | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Further | ECM | With Morten Halle, Per Jørgensen, Tore Brunborg, Anders Jormin, Marilyn Mazur, Audun Kleive |
| 1997 | Rotor | Curling Legs | With Morten Hannisdal, Marek Konstantynowicz, Henrik Hannisdal, Odd Hannisdal |
| 1998 | Saturation | Jazzland/EmArcy | With Nils-Olav Johansen, Fredrik Lundin, Sidsel Endresen |
| 1999 | Solarized | EmArcy | With Magnetic North Orchestra |
| 2002 | Kyanos | ECM | With Magnetic North Orchestra |
| 2004 | Diverted Travels | ECM | With Magnetic North Orchestra |
| 2006 | Book of Velocities | ECM | Solo piano album |
| 2008 | Siwan | ECM | With Amina Alaoui, Jon Hassell, Kheir-Eddine M'Kachiche, Helge Andreas Norbakken, Pedram Khavar Zamini, and others |
| 2009 | Say and Play | ECM | With Helge Andreas Norbakken, Emilie Stoesen Christensen, Erland Dahlen, Torgeir Rebolledo Pedersen |
| 2012 | Magnetic Works | ECM | With Magnetic North Orchestra |
| 2014 | Warp | ECM | Solo piano and keyboards with field recordings |
| 2017 | Nahnou Houm | ECM | Second album with the Siwan project |
| 2020 | Discourses | ECM | Solo album, building on the Warp album |
| 2022 | Hafla | ECM | Third album with Siwan, featuring Mona Boutchebak, Derya Turkan, and Pedram Khavarzamini |
| 2025 | Skrifum | ECM | Solo album, continuing the ideas from Warp and Discourses |
As a Co-Leader
Jon Balke has also made albums as a co-leader in these groups:
With Jøkleba
- 1991: On and On (Odin)
- 1993: JøKleBa! (Norsk Plateproduksjon)
- 1996: JøKleBa Live (Curling Legs)
- 2011: Nu Jøk? (EmArcy, Universal Music Norway)
- 2014: Outland (ECM)
- 2012: Magnetic Works 1993-2001 (ECM), a collection of songs
With Batagraf
- 2005: Statements (ECM)
- 2011: Say and Play (ECM)
- 2016: On Anodyne (Grappa)
- 2018: Delights of Decay (Jazzland)
As a Sideman
Jon Balke has played on albums with many other artists and groups:
With Radka Toneff
- 1979: It Don't Come Easy (PolyGram)
- 2008: Butterfly (Curling Legs), recorded in 1976–77
With Masqualero
- 1983: Masqualero (Odin)
- 1985: Bande a Parte (ECM)
With Oslo 13
- 1983: Anti-Therapy (Odin)
- 1987: Off Balance (Odin)
- 1992: Nonsentration (ECM)
- 1994: Oslo 13 Live (Curling Legs)
With Other Musicians
- 1975: Clouds in My Head (ECM), with Arild Andersen Quartet
- 1977: Hi-Fly (Compendium), with Karin Krog and Archie Shepp
- 1978: Høysang (NorDisc), with Lars Klevstrand and Guttorm Guttormsen Kvintett
- 1978: Club 7 jubileumsplate (Club 7), with Kråbøl and E'olén
- 1979: E'Olen (Mai), with E'Olen
- 1986: A Hip Hop (Dragon), with Göran Klinghagen
- 1991: Live at Rockefeller (Odin), with Jazzpunkensemblet
- 2002: Joko (ACT), with Miki N'Doye Orchestra featuring Paolo Vinaccia, Bugge Wesseltoft and Cissokho
- 2003: Trialogue (Imogena), with Lars Møller and Morten Lund - trio
- 2007: The Door (ECM), with Mathias Eick
- 2010: The Adventures of a Polar Expedition (Cowbell Music), with Hans Ulrik, Benjamin Koppel, Palle Danielsson and Alex Riel
See Also
- List of jazz pianists
