Erik Moseholm
Encyclopedia
Erik Moseholm is a Danish
jazz
bassist
, composer, bandleader
and music administrator. He was the leader of the DR Big Band
from 1961 to 1966 and the principal of the Rhythmic Music Conservatory
in Copenhagen
from 1992 to 1997.
and already as a teenager he performed with his own band in his home town.. In 1948 he moved to Copenhagen
where he soon became one of the most significant modern jazz musicians of his day. He was also active in Classical music
. His work is documented on some 50 albums and he has recorded with international stars such as Don Byas
and Eric Dolphy
. He also played in the chamber ensemble
Societas Musica and as a soloist with the Copenhagen Symphony Orchestra. Over the years he led a number of ensembles of varying sizes, inclusing the DR Big Band
from 1961 to 1966.
As a music composer he composed music for all sizes of orchestras and also created theatre and film music
.
From 1998, as a bassist and composer, he has collaborated with his wife, the storyteller and actress Vigga Bro.
in Copenhagen.
From his various platforms, Moseholm has been a driving force behind numerous initiatives in the Danish rhythmical music environment. These include: orchestra tours to schools, various workshops and the foundation of organisations such as DJBFA, DJF, and FaJaBeFa. He was also involved in the establishment of Nordisk Workshop and Mordjazz.
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
bassist
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, composer, bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
and music administrator. He was the leader of the DR Big Band
DR Big Band
The Danish Radio Big Band , often referred to as the Radioens Big Band is a jazz big band founded in Copenhagen in 1964, when the Copenhagen jazz scene was particularly active, and the city was regularly visited by prominent jazz artists from the USA.- Band history :Originally called The New Radio...
from 1961 to 1966 and the principal of the Rhythmic Music Conservatory
Rhythmic Music Conservatory
The Rhythmic Music Conservatory is a music conservatoire in Copenhagen, Denmark. The RMC was founded in 1986 as an independent institution of higher education under the Danish Ministry of Culture and is the only school in Denmark specializing in contemporary music training programmes.In 2005, it...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
from 1992 to 1997.
Career as a musician
Erik Moseholm was born in FredericiaFredericia
Fredericia is a town located in Fredericia municipality in the eastern part of the Jutland peninsula in Denmark, in a sub-region known locally as Trekanten, or The Triangle...
and already as a teenager he performed with his own band in his home town.. In 1948 he moved to Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
where he soon became one of the most significant modern jazz musicians of his day. He was also active in Classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
. His work is documented on some 50 albums and he has recorded with international stars such as Don Byas
Don Byas
Carlos Wesley "Don" Byas was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, long-resident in Europe.- Oklahoma and Los Angeles :...
and Eric Dolphy
Eric Dolphy
Eric Allan Dolphy was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist. On a few occasions he also played the clarinet and baritone saxophone. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain prominence in the 1960s...
. He also played in the chamber ensemble
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
Societas Musica and as a soloist with the Copenhagen Symphony Orchestra. Over the years he led a number of ensembles of varying sizes, inclusing the DR Big Band
DR Big Band
The Danish Radio Big Band , often referred to as the Radioens Big Band is a jazz big band founded in Copenhagen in 1964, when the Copenhagen jazz scene was particularly active, and the city was regularly visited by prominent jazz artists from the USA.- Band history :Originally called The New Radio...
from 1961 to 1966.
As a music composer he composed music for all sizes of orchestras and also created theatre and film music
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
.
From 1998, as a bassist and composer, he has collaborated with his wife, the storyteller and actress Vigga Bro.
Career as a music administrator
After his time as band leader of the DR Big Band, Moseholm went on to work for the DR, including as the administrative leader of the big band. From 1992 to 11997 he was principal of the Rhythmic Music ConservatoryRhythmic Music Conservatory
The Rhythmic Music Conservatory is a music conservatoire in Copenhagen, Denmark. The RMC was founded in 1986 as an independent institution of higher education under the Danish Ministry of Culture and is the only school in Denmark specializing in contemporary music training programmes.In 2005, it...
in Copenhagen.
From his various platforms, Moseholm has been a driving force behind numerous initiatives in the Danish rhythmical music environment. These include: orchestra tours to schools, various workshops and the foundation of organisations such as DJBFA, DJF, and FaJaBeFa. He was also involved in the establishment of Nordisk Workshop and Mordjazz.
Awards and accolades
- 1958: Danish Jazz Musician of the Year
- 1960: European Jazz Bassist of the Year,
- 1998: Order of the DannebrogOrder of the DannebrogThe Order of the Dannebrog is an Order of Denmark, instituted in 1671 by Christian V. It resulted from a move in 1660 to break the absolutism of the nobility. The Order was only to comprise 50 noble Knights in one class plus the Master of the Order, i.e. the Danish monarch, and his sons...
See also
- Danish jazzDanish jazzDanish jazz goes back to 1923 when Valdemar Eiberg formed a jazz orchestra and recorded what are thought to be the first Danish jazz records in August 1924 . However, jazz in Denmark is typically first dated to 1925, when bandleader Sam Wooding toured in Copenhagen with an orchestra...
- List of Danish composers, Juan-Les-Pins Jazz Festival, France