Bendik Hofseth

Bendik Hofseth (born 19 October 1962 in Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz musician, who plays the saxophone and sings. He is also a bandleader, and arranges and composes music.

Career
When Bendik Hofseth went to New York in 1987, and replaced the world famous saxophonist Michael Brecker in the band Steps Ahead, it probably came as a surprise to many. A youngster from Lørenskog, Norway in the jazz capital of New York, lining up for one of the most renowned jazz bands in US. Along with Steps Ahead, he have toured world wide several times since 1987.

Hofseth has released seven albums under his own name and has through the years received numerous awards and honors for them. He has also worked as a record producer for among others Jan Eggum and Kenneth Sivertsen. In addition, he has composed numerous commissioned works, film music and founded a chamber music festival in Fredrikstad. He is today a major figure in the Norwegian and international music organizations. He is chairman of NOPA and by-Larm, and the World Composers Organisation, CIAM, where he represents 2.6 million composers and lyricists worldwide. He was for many years chairman of Phonofile. He is also a director of TONO and NCB, to mention a few.

In 1994 Hofseth presented the commission Metamorfoser at Vossajazz. The piece was written for the Norwegian «Rikskonsertene» and was performed on concert tours in 1994. The concert at Rockefeller in Oslo was recorded and the music released in 1995, with Mike Mainieri (vibraphone), Eivind Aarset (guitar), Anders Jormin (double bass), Talvin Singh (tablas) and Jon Christensen (percussion). Hofseth also work as musical instructor and teacher, and is employed by the Agder University College, where he is central to the development of a new course in Music Management. Here he is also responsible for the conference «Challenge of the New».

Solo albums

 * 1991: IX (Columbia)
 * 1993: Amuse Yourself (Columbia)
 * 1995: Metamorfoser (Sonet / Verve), live at Rockefeller in Oslo, 1994
 * 1996: Planets, Rivers And...Ikea (Sonet / Verve)
 * 1996: Colours (Columbia), with Django Bates, Anders Jormin, Eivind Aarset & Audun Kleive
 * 1997: Ludo (Kirkelig Kulturverksted), with Anne-Lise Berntsen & Helge Iberg
 * 1999: Smilets Historie (Sonet)
 * 2004: Itaka (Grappa)

Collaborative works

 * Within Steps Ahead
 * 1989: N.Y.C. (Capitol Records, Intuition Records)
 * 1992: Yin-Yang (NYC Records)


 * With other projects
 * 1991: »N« (Lipstick Records), with Michael Villmow's «KBB» feat. Bendik & Chad Wackerman
 * 2001: Grace (Universal Music, Norway), with Ketil Bjørnstad feat. Eivind Aarset, Arild Andersen, Jan Bang, Anneli Drecker, Trilok Gurtu & Bendik