Frode Thingnæs

Frode Thingnæs (May 20, 1940 – November 15, 2012) was a Norwegian jazz composer, arranger, conductor, trombone player, and the father of pianist Magnus Thingnæs. He formed the quintet Frode Thingnæs Kvintett.

Frode Thingnæs was born in Nore in Buskerud. At 8 years old he started to play trumpet in Sinsen school band. In 1953 he switched to trombone. He received his music education at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. From 1959 onwards he played in orchestras led by Bjørn Jacobsen, Gunnar Brostigen, Mikkel Flagstad and Kjell Karlsen. His own quintet, formed in 1960, was included on Norway's first jazz album, released in 1963. He contributed to releases by Egil Kapstad, Terje Rypdal, Laila Dalseth, Espen Rud, Bjørn Alterhaug and Per Husby.

He was kapellmeister at Norway's most famous revue theater, Chat Noir in 1960. On the pop music scene he made contributions over a period to Popol Ace. He conducted the Norwegian Radio Orchestra. Together with Philip Kruse he wrote the music for the Norwegian Eurovision Song Contest entries "Hvor er du?" (1974, English title "The First Day of Love") and "Mata Hari" (1976), both performed by his former wife, Anne-Karine Strøm. At the time both Thingnæs and Strøm were members of jury member Finn Eriksen's orchestra. Frode Thingnæs has also conducted and been a member of the Defense Staff Marching Orchestra (FSMK) and for more than 30 years he has conducted Norway's most high-profile Janissary orchestra, Kampen Janitsjarorkester. Other pop music collaborations include Wenche Myhre, Lill Lindfors and Svante Thuresson. For a number of years Thingnæs worked together with Einar Schanke, Alfred Næss and Yngvar Numme. He has composed a lot. His most renowned works may be Wheels and the Flåklypa ballet (1985) at the Norwegian National Opera. He also produced records for, among others, Bodega Band (1977). In latter years he led a quintet together with Harald Gundhus. Thingnæs died, aged 72, in Oslo.