Tor E Bekken

Pianist Tor E 'Dr' Bekken is a musician who is interested in the whole history of jazz. A lifelong dedication to the art of traditional blues driven piano has given him a mastery of that idiom which few players can grasp, much less deliver. He has a monster left hand which is the mandatory driving force for this type of piano playing, and his right hand soloing and clean technical dexterity present the whole package. At the same time, Bekken works within the field of modern, free improvisation, citing pianists like Don Pullen, Bobby Few and Charles Gayle as central sources of inspiration. Tor E Bekken was born in Drammen, Norway.He has played jazz and blues piano since childhood, and has absorbed all the nuances in the process. He completed a Master's degree in music in 1996, with a thesis on James Booker (shows in his approach) and New Orleans piano traditions.

Bekken has worked for US artists such as Eddie Bo, Marva Wright, Benny Turner, Big Al Carson,etc. He has also performed with artists such as blues harmonica player James Harman, Nick Gravenites and Louisiana Red. He is currently working mainly as a solo performer on the club and festival scene in Norway and Europe. He occasionally performs with the DR BEKKEN TRIO, featuring drummer Dag Kittilsen and bassist Mattis Kleppen. In addition, Bekken is currently Associate Professor of Music at NTNU - The Norwegian University of Science & Technology in Trondheim, Norway. Bekken has released “The Naked Blues”(1995) “Train - Stone Blues Piano, Vol.1”(2001) “Got Milk If You Want It”(2003)”The Ticklers” (2004)”Flood Street”(2006)”Hardcore Piano”(2008), “Songs From a Forest (2009) and the solo ukulele/vocal album “JazzBluesRagtimeVaudeville” (2011). Recent releases are 'Extended Blues' (2012), 'Grand Piano' and 'Slaveriet' (2013) and 'Crescent City Impressions - Solo Piano' (2014). Bekken is also an accomplished pianist for silent movies, improvising on-the-spot scores for films by Buster Keaton as well as German expressionist epics.

SONGS FROM A FOREST (2009) and SLAVERIET (2013) are duets with harmonica wizard Richard Gjems, who plays all kinds of harmonicas - from dime store junk harps to silver-plated chromatic ones. Stylistically, the recordings move back and forth between blues, jazz and ancient Norwegian folk music. In addition to various non-piano projects, Bekken's solo piano albums GRAND PIANO (2013), SILVER SONGS (2015), LUXURY (2015), SANCTUARY (2016) and UPRIGHT PIANO - LIVE AT BAR MOSKUS (2017) continue his exploration into older jazz and blues as well as free form improvisation. The 2018 album PNO (Seven Piano Improvisations) consists of free form improv exclusively, showcasing a large expressive range and total command of the instrument. This interest in free form piano improvisation continued on the albums ØRA I and ØRA II, before he released a rare example of his acoustic guitar music, HELP US IN THE HOUR OF NEED, late in 2019.

Check out the Youtube clip of Bekken performing in a piano duo with the late great New Orleans pianist Eddie Bo, recorded in Hell, Norway, Sept 5, 2008. This was Eddie Bo's last European appearance. See also the video of Bekken jamming four hands with Allen Toussaint, at Toussaint's concert in Trondheim, Norway in 2012.

To see Bekken solo, check out the Youtube clip of ST.PETE, recorded live at a jazz club in Drammen, Norway, March 2010 or the home recording of OLA's SONG (2010). Other videos are a version of DJANGO (2013) or the live concert recording of ROSETTA (2017).

Awards

Nominated for a Spellemann Award (Norwegian equivalent of Grammy) for the album UPRIGHT PIANO - LIVE AT BAR MOSKUS in 2017.

Gear

FOR SOLO GIGS: A good acoustic or digital piano.