Haakon Graf

Haakon Graf

Haakon Graf (born March 21, 1955 in Oslo ) is a Norwegian jazz pianist and organist.

Graf, who received classical piano training as a child and was later interested in painting, worked in a music shop after dropping out of school. He became a member of the jazz rock group Ruphus , on whose debut album New Born Day (1973) he worked as a pianist and composer.

He then appeared as a session musician at Club 7 in Oslo before founding the band Hawk On Flight in 1976 with Matz Nilsson , Ulf Wakenius and Niels Nordin . He worked with drummer Jon Christensen in the quintet Blow Out and the duo formation Hideaway . In 1978 he toured with Terje Rypdal , in 1979 he toured the Soviet Union with Jan Garbarek . He performed regularly at the Molde and Kongsberg jazz festivals and worked as a sideman with Miroslav Vitouš , Jack DeJohnette , Michał Urbaniak and Urszula Dudziak .

After a tour of Brazil, Graf was head of Club 7 for three years, where he appeared three to five times a week. With Joeri Hommerson he founded the group Graffiti . From 1988 to 1989 he lived in Brazil. After first trips to Los Angeles in 1985, he began working with Gary Grainger and Dennis Chambers in the early 1990s , who invited him to the Buddy Rich Memorial Scholarship Concert in Boston in 1993. In the same year he participated in Paul Jackson's project Jazz for Kids in Japan . Graf also works as a music producer today.

Discography

• New Born Day (Ruphus), 1973
• Ranshart (Ruphus), 1974
• Let Your Light Shine (Ruphus), 1976
• In Time For (Hawk on Flight), 1976
• Pål Thowsen : Surprise , 1978
• Pål Thowsen: Carnival , 1979
• HOF (Hawk on Flight), 1980
• Memories of tomorrow (Jukka Syrenius Band), 1983
• Graffiti (graffiti), 1983
• True Art (Graffiti), 1984
• Good Grove (graffiti), 1994

Web links

• Website (English)