Introduction
Ellen Brekken (born 20 June 1985) is a Norwegian jazz musician who plays upright bass, bass guitar and the tuba. She currently lives in Oslo.
Biography
Brekken was born in Tynset, Norway. She attended the Toneheim Folk High School in 2005, and completed a bachelor's degree in Improvised Music on the jazz program at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo from 2006 to 2010, including a period of exchange studies in Cape Town, South Africa. She is leading a 7-mans folk/jazz big band called Gruvar with co-composer Lars Jakop Rudjord and she has also led her own Ellen Brekken Quartet including Dag-Filip Roaldsnes (piano), Eskil Sæter (guitar) and Jon Audun Baar (drums). Brekken also collaborates within Hedvig Mollestad Trio including with Ivar Loe Bjørnstad, releasing the albums Shoot! (2011), All of Them Witches (2013) and "Enfant Terrible" (2014). For the album "All of them witches" they were nominated to the Norwegian "Grammy" award in the rock category. She also plays in the band MAAR, which play Norwegian folk music and was nominated for Folkelarmprisen for their album "Vrangsvevd". She has been working a lot for Concerts Norway (Rikskonsertene), different theatres in Norway (Nationaltheatret, Oslo Nye teater, Trøndelag teater) in addition to playing with musicians such as Espen Rud, Frode Nymo, Bugge Wesseltoft, Jens Wendelboe, Aasmund Nordstoga, Ine Hoem and she is currently a member of Caledonia jazzband and plays with artists such as Erik Lukashaugen, Lise Hvoslef and Kjetil Flatland.
Discography
- Within Hedvig Mollestad Trio including with Ivar Loe Bjørnstad
- 2011: Shoot! (Rune Grammofon)
- 2013: All of Them Witches (Rune Grammofon)
- 2014: Enfant Terrible! (Rune Grammofon)
- 2016: Black Stabat Mater (Rune Grammofon)
- 2016: Evil In Oslo (Rune Grammofon)
- Within MAAR
- 2014 Vrangsvevd – MAAR – (ta:lik)
- Other
- 2012 Crazy Heart (EP) – Sigrun and the Kitchen Band (HummingBird records)
- 2013 Uten at du vet det – Sigrun Loe Sparboe (Tylden & Co AS)
- 2013 Av en sliters memoarer - Erik Lukashaugen - (Øksekar)
- 2013 The Island (EP)– Ine Hoem (Impeller recordings)
- 2014 Mapping the coincidence (EP)– Lise Hvoslef (Lise Hvoslef Records)
- "Ellen Brekken Discography". Discogs.com. Retrieved 2013-11-18.