lrossmusic Posted April 25, 2005 Share Posted April 25, 2005 Just found out about this. Sorry to get the news as I had the chance to meet Niels many years ago when he was with O.P. Great guy, very friendly and humble although he was, without question, one of the best. When I cought him he was doing a duo wtih O.P. and just the two of them together was pure musical magic. Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen (Filed: 22/04/2005) Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen, who died in Copenhagen on Tuesday aged 58, was described by Oscar Peterson as "arguably the most inventive bassist in jazz"; a supreme virtuoso of the double bass, he was nevertheless one of the most judicious and least selfish of accompanists. Pedersen, whose name proved such a mouthful that he was customarily referred to as "NHOP", was among the most frequently recorded jazz musicians in history, having taken part in more than 400 albums. There was scarcely a major name with whom he had not played in the course of the last 40 years. Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen, the son of a church organist, was born at Osted, Denmark, on May 27 1946. He began piano lessons at the age of seven, and at 13, when he was tall enough, took up the double bass in order to play in his family band. He made such rapid progress that, within two years, he was playing at the Montmartre Jazzhus, Copenhagen's leading jazz club. He became a member of the resident band, a trio which accompanied the parade of star soloists who passed through the club. These included the saxophonists Ben Webster, Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz and Dexter Gordon, trumpeters Chet Baker and Art Farmer, multi-instrumentalist Roland Kirk and the pianist Bill Evans. At the age of 17 he was invited to join the Count Basie orchestra, but was forced to decline, mainly on account of his youth but also because he wanted to complete his studies. Pederson's instinctive grasp of the jazz idiom allowed him to fit in with a remarkable variety of styles, including such avant garde artists as Archie Shepp and Albert Ayler. However, it was in the broad mainstream of jazz that he felt most at home. Between 1964 and 1982, and occasionally thereafter, he was a member of the Danish Radio Big Band, one of the finest jazz orchestras in Europe. He subsequently recorded an album, Ambiance (1993), which featured him accompanied by this band, in which his extraordinary technique is heard to full advantage. He had developed a method of playing pizzicato using all four fingers of the right hand, enabling him to execute very high-speed passages without sacrificing either tone or definition. Although he used an amplifier, there was always a deep, woody core to his sound. During the early 1970s, Pedersen joined the American pianist Kenny Drew, then resident in Scandinavia, to perform duets at European festivals. Together they recorded a superb album, Duo, in 1973. He also recorded acclaimed duet albums with the guitarists Joe Pass and Philip Catherine, but it was his association with Oscar Peterson which brought him universal recognition. From 1974 until 1987, Pedersen toured regularly as a member of Peterson's trio. He was originally hired as an emergency replacement, on the recommendation of Peterson's original bassist, Ray Brown. "He's the only one I know that might keep up with you," were Brown's words, and they proved to be prophetic. Peterson wrote in his memoirs: "His virtuosity on the bass surpasses anyone else that I have known." Perhaps the best of Pedersen's many recordings with the trio is The Paris Concert (1978). Pedersen remained firmly attached to his Danish roots. In recent years he led his own bands, made up mostly of Scandinavian players. Notable among these were the guitarist Ulf Wakenius, trumpeter Palle Mikkelborg and pianist Kenneth Knudsen. He also taught at the Rytmiske Musikkonservatorium in Copenhagen. He was married with children. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerCan Posted April 25, 2005 Share Posted April 25, 2005 Man thats bad news. I have an recording of his with joe pass (chops) that actually inspired me to be a bassist. I never quite managed to play close to him but I enjoyed trying just the same. He will be missed. Information doesn't kill you... --FZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linwood Posted April 25, 2005 Share Posted April 25, 2005 Yea i read that last week. Bummer. I think I'll go listen to the Tete Montoliu Trio. RIP Niels Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marino Posted April 25, 2005 Share Posted April 25, 2005 So many greats gone in these few months! And, NHOP was still young, with lots of great music still to be played. Awful news. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrossmusic Posted April 25, 2005 Author Share Posted April 25, 2005 Originally posted by marino: So many greats gone in these few months! And, NHOP was still young, with lots of great music still to be played. Awful news. Yeah and today marks a year that a good friend and mentor passed who had worked in Duke's band and who used to always say: Live every day as if it were your last because one day you are going to be right. Another one of his funny sayings was what he would often say to an applauding audience: Don't clap, throw money! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted April 25, 2005 Share Posted April 25, 2005 Oh wow... I didn't realize he was that young. It makes a huge loss even that much worse. RIP NHOP. David My Site Nord Electro 5D, Novation Launchkey 61, Logic Pro X, Mainstage 3, lots of plugins, fingers, pencil, paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanS Posted April 25, 2005 Share Posted April 25, 2005 Saw him with Oscar last year at the Jazz Fest. Blew me away. What a shame, RIP NHOP! What we record in life, echoes in eternity. MOXF8, Electro 6D, XK1c, Motif XSr, PEKPER, Voyager, Univox MiniKorg. https://www.abandoned-film.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrossmusic Posted April 25, 2005 Author Share Posted April 25, 2005 Originally posted by DanS: Saw him with Oscar last year at the Jazz Fest. Blew me away. What a shame, RIP NHOP! As you may know Oscar suffered a stroke a few years back. Did his playing seem to have been affected much. One record reviewer wrote that he has lost some of his brilliance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David R Posted April 25, 2005 Share Posted April 25, 2005 His left hand isn't nearly as agile as it used to be (the stroke affected the left side of his body). His right hand is still in top form, though, and his swing and joy is still plentiful. David My Site Nord Electro 5D, Novation Launchkey 61, Logic Pro X, Mainstage 3, lots of plugins, fingers, pencil, paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanS Posted April 25, 2005 Share Posted April 25, 2005 Originally posted by David R: His left hand isn't nearly as agile as it used to be (the stroke affected the left side of his body). His right hand is still in top form, though, and his swing and joy is still plentiful. David I agree. He lumbered out slowly to the piano, but once he sat down... What we record in life, echoes in eternity. MOXF8, Electro 6D, XK1c, Motif XSr, PEKPER, Voyager, Univox MiniKorg. https://www.abandoned-film.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan South Posted April 27, 2005 Share Posted April 27, 2005 NHØP was my favorite upright bassist of all time. My jaw dropped WIDE OPEN the first time I heard his playing on an Oscar Peterson record. I still can't believe that he could play that stuff on an upright. I'm betting that there aren't more than a handful of guys would could play those lines on an electric bass, which has a smaller scale and much lower string action. Sad, sad news! The Black Knight always triumphs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptehan Posted April 27, 2005 Share Posted April 27, 2005 There's a new DVD out called Oscar Peterson A Night in Vienna where NHOP was in fine form. I saw Oscar Peterson last year and with his physical struggles, I was a bit sad and worried i wouldn't see him again. Never occured to me we'd lose NHOP first. NHOP and Eddie Gomez are tough to beat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ptehan Posted April 29, 2005 Share Posted April 29, 2005 Oscar Peterson posted an update to his website regarding Pedersen's passing http://oscarpeterson.com/op/newmomentsframe.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrossmusic Posted April 29, 2005 Author Share Posted April 29, 2005 Ptehan thanks for the link. A moving tribute indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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