Egil Kapstad

Egil Kapstad (born 6 August 1940) is a Norwegian jazz pianist, composer and arranger. He stands behind the music for more than 50 productions for theater, and has also composed for film and television drama. Kapstad has written a number of classical works for orchestra, choir, string quartet, and smaller ensembles, and was a chief executive of the association Ny Musikk. He has also worked as a host in television for NRK. Egil Kapstad's Trio worked as a small orchestra in the Norwegian Melodi Grand Prix of 1965.

Kapstad was born in Oslo. He teaches jazz history and improvisation at the Musikkonservatoriet i Kristiansand. He has contributed as pianist on more than 60 albums, and is known for his longstanding collaboration with poet Jan Erik Vold. He has played with jazz greats like Karin Krog, Chet Baker, Red Mitchell, Bjørn Johansen, Bjarne Nerem, Jon Larsen and Magni Wentzel.

Kapstad has received numerous awards and honors. He received Norsk jazzforbund's Buddyprisen in 1977, NOPA's award for the work of the year, (Epilog) in 1984, Gammleng-prisen in the class jazz in 1985 and was awarded Spellemannprisen in the class jazz twice, for the record Cherokee at the 1989 award of Spellemannprisen and Remembrance with the Egil Kapstad Trio at the 1994 award of Spellemannprisen.

Kapstad became a government scholar in 2003.

Compositions (selection)

• Syner (1967), performed in the new version 1990
• Epilog – Bill Evans in Memoriam (Vossajazz, 1983)
• Døgn for kammerorkester
• Theater music for Shakespeare's King Lear
• Theater music for Ibsen's Kongsemnerne
• Theater music for Helge Hagerup's Kuler og krutt i solnedgangen

Discography

As leader

• Syner (1967)
• …spiller Einar Schanke (1979)
• Friends (1980)
• Epilog – Bill Evans in Memoriam (1984)
• Cherokee (1988)
• Remembrance (1993)
• Wolfvoices (2003)

As sideman

• By Myself (1964), with Karin Krog
• Twostep og blå ballader (1974), with Lars Klevstrand
• I fløyterens hjerte (1990), with Lars Klevstrand
• I anstendighetens navn (1976), with Ole Paus
• Everything Happens to Me (1977), with Bjarne Nerem
• Til jorden (1978), with Rolf Jacobsen
• Live fra ABC-teatret (1979), with Odd Børretzen & Alf Cranner
• Live at Jazz Alive (1983), with Thorgeir Stubø
• Sofies plass (1983), with Magni Wentzel
• All or Nothing at All (1985), with Magni Wentzel
• My Wonderful One (1987/88)
• Dedications (1985), with Per Husby
• I Hear a Rhapsody (1985), with Totti Bergh
• Major Blues (1990), with Totti Bergh
• Time for Love (1986), with Laila Dalseth
• A Woman's Intuition (1995), with Laila Dalseth
• Den dagen Lady døde (1986), with Jan Erik Vold
• Blåmann! Blåmann! (1988), with Jan Erik Vold
• Sannheten om trikken er at den brenner (1990), with Jan Erik Vold
• Pytt pytt blues (1992), with Jan Erik Vold
• Obstfelder Live på Rebekka West (1993), with Jan Erik Vold
• Her er huset som Per bygde (1996), with Jan Erik Vold
• Storytellers (1998), with Jan Erik Vold
• Constellations (1990), with Bjørn Alterhaug
• Three Shades of Blue (1995), with Staffan William-Olsson
• Oslo Jazz Circle – Jubileumskonsert (1998), with various artists
• Round Chet's Midnight (1999), with Hilde Hefte
• Playsong (2001), with Hilde Hefte
• First Song (2000), with Bodil Niska
• Violin (2000), with Ola Kvernberg