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Bernt Rosengren

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Bernt Rosengren was a Swedish jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger. He was born on 24 December 1937 in Stockholm and died there on 15 May 2023. He was already playing professionally at nineteen at Jazz Club 57 and in 1959 in the Newport Jazz Band. He also played in the group of Lars Gullin, one of the pioneers of Swedish jazz. The Polish composer Krzysztof Komeda chose him to perform his jazz music for Roman Polanski's film Nóż w wodzie (Knife in the Water).

Music and breakthrough

In the 1960s and 1970s Rosengren made a series of well-received records, including Stockholm Dues in 1965, Improvisations in 1969 and Notes from Underground in 1974. In Europe he played in a sextet of George Russell and worked with the trumpeter Don Cherry, who was then living in Scandinavia. In this way he moved from hard bop to post-bop and more experimental work. In the 1970s he played in Sevda, the group of the trumpeter Maffy Falay, where he picked up elements of Turkish and Middle Eastern music. He also led a big band of his own. In the 1980s he often played with American musicians such as Doug Raney, Horace Parlan and again Russell and Cherry, and in 1996 he recorded an album of songs from Porgy & Bess.

Influence

Rosengren is regarded as one of the most important figures of Scandinavian jazz. He won the Swedish Gyllene Skivan prize five times, in 1965, 1968, 1969, 1974 and 2009. In 2000 and 2003 he received awards from Django d'Or. His tone was expressive and his playing lyrical.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a piece from Notes from Underground from 1974 and notice the tone of his tenor saxophone. Ask yourself whether it sounds warm and singing, or rough and abrasive.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Categories: Artists