Karin Krog

Karin Krog (born 15 May 1937 in Oslo, Norway) is one of the leading Norwegian jazz singers, the great granddaughter of Anders Heyerdahl (1832–1918), a Norwegian composer, musician, genealogist, folklorist and local historian, and married (1957–2001) to the jazz journalist Johannes (Johs.) Bergh (1932–2001). She is able to sing anything from standards to free improvisations.

Krog with Bergen Big Band 2014

Krog with Bergen Big Band in 2014

Krog started singing jazz as a teenager, and attracted justified attention during jam sessions in Oslo. In 1955 she was hired by the pianist Kjell Karlsen to sing in his sextet.

In 1962 she started her first band and that same year she became a student of the Norwegian-American singer Anne Brown. Karin studied with Brown until 1969. In the 1960s she performed with the rhythm and blues band Public Enemies, releasing the hit singles Sunny and Watermelon Man.

During her career, she has worked with musicians such as Vigleik Storaas, Jacob Young, Terje Rypdal, Arild Andersen, Jan Garbarek, Dexter Gordon, Kenny Drew, Don Ellis, Steve Kuhn, Archie Shepp, Paul Bley, John Surman, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, Red Mitchell, and Bengt Hallberg among others.

In 1994 she was the first Norwegian artist to release an album on U.S. Verve, an anniversary album with cuts from the last 30 years of record production - and the appropriate title Jubilee.

• 1965: Buddyprisen from the Norwegian Jazz Forum
• 1969: Down Beat Poll Winners in Berlin
• 1970: European Poll Winners in Osaka
• 1971: Some other spring, her album with Dexter Gordon 1970 (voted to "record of the year" in Japan
• 1974: Spellemannprisen, Norwegian Grammy named Årets spellemann
• 1975: Female Singer of the Year from European Jazz Federation
• 1981: Oslo Council Artist Award
• 1983: Gammleng-prisen
• 1999: Radka Toneff Memorial Award
• 1999: Spellemannprisen in the category Jazz, with John Surman for the album Bluesand
• 2005: Knighted by 1 class in the Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav, for her position in Norwegian jazz
• 2007: Anders Jahre's Cultural Award
• 2008: Ellaprisen
• 2012: Spellemannprisen, Honorary award
• 2013: Spellemannprisen, in the category Jazz, with John Surman for the album Songs About This And That

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Solo recordings

• 1964: By Myself (Philips)
• 1966: Jazz Moments (Sonet)
• 1968: Joy (P-Vine)
• 1970: Some Other Spring (Sonet) with Dexter Gordon
• 1974: You Must Believe in Spring (Meantime)
• 1974: George Gershwin + Karin Krog (Meantime)
• 1974: We Could Be Flying (P-Vine)
• 1974: Different Days, Different Ways (Philips)
• 1977: A Song for You (Phontastic)
• 1980: With Malice Toward None (Bluebell)
• 1986: Freestyle (Odin)
• 1989: Something Borrowed, Something Blue (Meantime)
• 1993: Karin Krog Sings Gershwin (Meantime)
• 1995: Jubilee (Verve)
• 1996: Huskonsert I Aurskog Musikk Av Og Etter Anders Heyerdahl (Meantime)
• 2001: Karin's Voyage (Universal)
• 2002: Raindrops, Raindrops (Crippled Dick Hot Wax)
• 2003: Where Flamingos Fly (Norway Music), with guitarist Jacob Young
• 2003: Where You At? (Enja)
• 2006: Sweet Talker – The Best of Karin Krog (Grappa)
• 2008: Oslo Calling (Meantime)
• 2011: Folkways (Meantime)
• 2013: Songs About This and That (Meantime), feat. John Surman, including with Ivar Kolve, Bjørn Klakegg, Terje Gewelt, and Tom Olstad

With John Surman

• 1978: Cloud Line Blue (P-Vine)
• 1999: Bluesand (Seven Seas)
• 1982: Such Winters of Memory (ECM)
• 1994: Nordic Quartet (ECM), feat. Vigleik Storaas and Terje Rypdal

With various artists

• 1976: Hi-Fly (Meantime), feat. Archie Shepp
• 1977: Three's a Crowd (Meantime), feat. Red Mitchell
• 1980: I Remember You (Meantime), with Red Mitchell
• 1982: Two of a Kind (Meantime), feat. Bengt Hallberg
• 2000: Man, Woman And Child (Gemini), with Tore Johansen
• 2005: Like That (Gemini), with Tore Johansen
• 2006: Together Again (Grappa), feat. Steve Kuhn
• 2006: Seagull (Grappa), with Bergen Big Band
• 1997: One on One (Meantime), feat. Bengt Hallberg
• 2011: Cabin In The Sky (Gazell), feat. Bengt Hallberg

• Fordham, John (2011-03-03). "Karin Krog: Folkways – review". The Guardian. Retrieved 2013-10-07. )