Ellen Brekken

Ellen Brekken is a Norwegian jazz musician who plays upright bass, bass guitar, and the tuba. She is also a composer.

Biography

Brekken was born in Tynset Municipality, Norway. She attended the Toneheim Folk High School in 2005, and completed a bachelor's degree in Improvised Music on the jazz program at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo from 2006 to 2010, including a period of exchange studies in Cape Town, South Africa.
Brekken is a member of the Hedvig Mollestad Trio including Ivar Loe Bjørnstad. For the albums All of them witches and Ding dong. You're dead. they were nominated to the Norwegian version of a Grammy award, Spellemannprisen, in the rock category.
In 2021, she released the first album under her own name, Ambush, with her quartet A tonic for the troops. Alongside Brekken, the band consists of Espen Berg, Magnus Bakken, and Magnus Sefaniassen Eide. They released their second album, Realm of Opportunities, in 2023.
Ellen Brekken Quartet, including Dag-Filip Roaldsnes, Eskil Sæter and Jon Audun Baar, did several gigs during the 2010s. Her band Du og jeg og vi 2–3–4 plays music for kids.
With the band MAAR she plays Norwegian folk music. They were nominated for Folkelarmprisen for their album Vrangsvevd. She and Lars Jakob Rudjord lead a 7-piece folk/jazz big band called Gruvar. The band plays newly composed music by Brekken and Rudjord, aiming to build bridges between folk and jazz music.
She has been working regularly for Concerts Norway, different theatres in Norway, in addition to playing with musicians such as Tord Gustavsen, Espen Rud, Staffan William-Olsson, Ketil Bjørnstad, Karl Seglem, Frode Nymo, Bugge Wesseltoft, Frode Alnæs, Jens Wendelboe, Aasmund Nordstoga, and Ine Hoem. She has also been a member of Caledonia Jazzband.

Discography

With A tonic for the troops

Source:

2021: Ambush
2023: ''Realm of Opportunities''

Within Hedvig Mollestad Trio">Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen">Hedvig Mollestad Trio including with [Ivar Loe Bjørnstad]

2011: Shoot!
2013: All of Them Witches
2014: Enfant Terrible!
2016: Black Stabat Mater
2016: Evil In Oslo
2018: Smells Funny
2021: Ding dong. You're dead.
2022: Maternity Beat – Hedvig Mollestad og Trondheim jazzorkester
2025: ''Bees in the Bonnet''

With Du og jeg og vi 2–3–4

2017: Krokodille i baksetet – Du og jeg og vi 2–3–4
2021: Balkongfest – Du og jeg og vi 2–3–4

Within MAAR

2014: Vrangsvevd
2015: ''Epleslang''

Other

2012: Crazy Heart – Sigrun and the Kitchen Band
2013: Uten at du vet det – Sigrun Loe Sparboe
2013: Av en sliters memoarer – Erik Lukashaugen
2013: The Island – Ine Hoem
2014: Mapping the coincidence – Lise Hvoslef
2015: Tel si ega tid – Erik Lukashaugen
2015: Ein song til deg – Kjetil Flatland
2016: Finnskogvegen – Erik Lukashaugen
2016: Just Being Part – Lise Hvoslef
2016: Syng min sorg, gråt min glede – Bjørn Anders Hermundstad
2016: Stifinner – Tone Hulbækmo
2017: Hyttetankar – Kjetil Flatland
2017: Out of silence – FriEnsemblet
2017: Tanken er fri – Trond Granlund
2017: Appily Ever After – Ava Freddy
2017: Hildersyn – Irene Tillung
2021: New constellations – Falkevik
2022: En egen ro – Lise Hvoslef
2022: Kyrkja – Carl Petter Opsahl
2023: Når timen er blå – Kjetil Flatland
2023: Min lille by – Hilde Brunsvik
2023: Denna tida i fjor – Moddi
2024: Jag etter vind – Ketil Bjørnstad
2024: Myth, path, hope – Karl Seglem