Bernt Rosengren



Bernt Rosengren (born 24 December 1937, in Stockholm) is a Swedish jazz tenor saxophonist. His recordings have earned him five Gyllene Skivan awards in Sweden.

Biography
Rosengren first played professionally at age 19, as a member of the Jazz Club 57, and two years later in 1959 he played in the Newport Jazz Band. Roman Polanski's collaborator Krzysztof Komeda used Rosengren in the performance of his jazz score for Polanski's film Knife in the Water (1962). Rosengren recorded a string of critically acclaimed albums in the 1960s and 1970s, including Stockholm Dues (1965), Improvisations (1969), and Notes from Underground (1974).

He played in a sextet led by George Russell in the 1960s in Europe. Later in the decade he moved from hard bop into post-bop experimentation, playing with Don Cherry; in the 1970s, as a member of Sevda led by trumpeter Muvaffak "Maffy" Falay, he began working with elements of Turkish and Middle Eastern music. He also formed his own big band in the 1970s.

In the 1980s Rosengren worked frequently with American Jazz musicians, including Doug Raney, George Russel, Don Cherry and Horace Parlan. Among his activities in the 1990s include an album of songs from Porgy & Bess.

Chris Mosey, a jazz critic from AllAboutJazz, said in his review of Rosengren's album I'm Flying (2009): "All in all, I'm Flying is a worthy Golden Record." Jack Bowers, also writing for AllAboutJazz, wrote in his review of the same album: "Rosengren, for his part, is a model of elegance and consistency, inspiring his companions without stealing their thunder. Together they comprise a tight-knit and consistently engaging foursome. Besides blowing superbly, Rosengren wrote seven of the album's twelve selections. – Rosengren rides their talents like an Indy car driver, and the result is an exemplary team effort that is as stylish as it is rewarding."

Awards
He has won five Gyllene Skivan awards in Sweden, in 1965, 1968, 1969, 1974 and 2009.

As leader or co-leader

 * Bombastica! with Lars Werner (Jazzland, 1960)
 * Stockholm Dues (Columbia, 1965)
 * Improvisations (SJR, 1968/9)
 * Notes from Underground (Harvest, 1974)
 * Bernt Rosengren Quartet with Bobo Stenson (1975)
 * Bernt Rosengren Big Band with Horace Parlan & Doug Raney (Caprice, 1980)
 * Surprise Party (SteepleChase, 1983)
 * Live! (1983)
 * Summit Meeting (1984)
 * The Hug (1992)
 * Late Date: A Tribute to Lars Gullin (Mirrors, 1994)
 * Plays George Gershwin's Porgy & Bess (Liphone, 1996)
 * Bernt Rosengren Octet Plays Porgy & Bess (Arietta, 1996)
 * Bernt Rosengren Octet Plays Evert Taube (Arietta, 1999)
 * Bernt Rosengren Tentet Plays Kurt Weill (Arietta, 2000)
 * Bernt Rosengren Octet Plays Evert Taube Vol. 1 (Arietta, 2002)
 * Inside Pictures: A Tribute to Lars Gullin, Vol. 2 (2002)
 * I'm Flying (pb7, 2009)
 * Plays Swedish Jazzcompositions (pb 7, 2012)
 * In Copenhagen (Stunt, 2013)
 * Ballads (pb7, 2015)

As sideman
With Lester Bowie With Don Cherry With Arne Domnérus With Krzysztof Komeda With Doug Raney With George Russell With Tomasz Stańko With Idrees Sulieman
 * Gittin' to Know Y'All (MPS, 1969)
 * Eternal Rhythm (MPS, 1968)
 * Eternal Now (Sonet, 1973)
 * Face to Face, Dragon, 1999
 * Knife in the Water, 1962
 * Cuttin' Loose (SteepleChase, 1978)
 * Listen (SteepleChase, 1980)
 * I'll Close My Eyes (SteepleChase, 1982)
 * Meeting the Tenors (Criss Cross, 1983)
 * Lazy Bird (SteepleChase, 1984)
 * The Doug Raney Quintet (SteepleChase, 1988)
 * The Essence of George Russell (Sonet, 1971)
 * New York Big Band (Soul Note, 1982)
 * Litania: Music of Krzysztof Komeda (ECM, 1997)
 * The Camel (Columbia, 1964)