Knut Værnes

Knut Værnes, Oslo Jazz Festival 2016

Knut Værnes (born April 1, 1954 in Trondheim ) is a Norwegian jazz guitarist.

Værnes began his musical career in Oslo in the early 1970s as a rock guitarist and was a member of the jazz rock band Vanessa from 1974 to 1976 . In 1979 he recorded the album Anatomy of the Guitar with Jon Eberson . In 1980 he founded his own quartet (with Morten Halle , Edvard Askeland and Frank Jakobsen ), from which the group Cutting Edge emerged, which existed until 1986. He performed with Cutting Edge at festivals, toured England and recorded three albums ( Cutting Edge 1982, Our Man in Paradise 1983, Duesenberg 1986).

From 1987 to 1989 Værnes was the director of Foreningen Norske Jazzmusikere , after which he founded the record label Curling Legs , which released the first album Admission for Guitars and Basses in 1992 (recorded by him and Terje Gewelt in 1991).

From 1992 Værnes again led his own band, with which he released several albums. In the 1990s he also led another group with Lars Danielsson , with whom he a. a. performed at the Moldefestival 1995. In 2004 the album A night in Cassis was released , on which he played as a soloist with a string quartet.

Discography

• Vanessa: City Lips , LP, 1975
• Anatomy of the Guitar with Jon Eberson, 1979
• Cutting Edge , 1982
• Our Man in Paradise , Cutting Edge, 1983
• Duesenberg , Cutting Edge, 1986
• Admission for Guitars and Basses with Terje Gewelt, 1991
• Roneo 1993
• Jacques Tati with Frode Berg , Kim Ofstad , 1995
• 8:97 with Frode Berg, Danny Gottlieb , 1997
• Super duper , 1998-99
• 4G guitar quartet with Frode Alnæs , Knut Reiersrud and Bjørn Klakegg , 1999
• A Night in Cassis with the Vertavo String Quartet, 2004

Web links

• Knut Værnes at Allmusic (English)
• Knut Værnes at Discogs (English)