Morten Gunnar Larsen
Morten Gunnar Larsen is a Norwegian jazz pianist and composer, well known for several ragtime and stride piano recordings and collaborations.
Career
Larsen studied classical piano at Norges Musikkhøgskole. In 1975 he had his debut record, Classic Rags and Stomps, for which he won Spellemannprisen in 1976. He next founded Ophelia Ragtime Orchestra in 1977 and performed with stride pianist Eubie Blake, for whom Larsen composed Memories of Eubie. Larsen worked in New Orleans over longer periods of time, resulting in a tour and the performance One mo' time written by Vernel Bagneris.Larsen's collaboration with Bagneris continued with the performance Jelly Roll!! – The Music and the Man, dedicated Jelly Roll Morton, and performed at Oslo Jazzfestival 1990. It also had eleven months at Off-Broadway and was released as a CD. This work gave Larsen the OBIE Award 1995. He had earlier received the Buddy Award of Foreningen norske jazzmusikeres "Årets jazzmusiker" in his home country.
He participated in several recordings in the Magnolia Jazzband and Ytre Suløens Jassensemble up until 1992 and has participated in Norbert Susemihl's Joyful Gumbo.
In a review of Larsen's 2015 CD Sorgenfri for the music magazine OffBeat, the pianist Tom McDermott described him as "the greatest ragtime player in the world, and one of the world’s best traditional jazz pianists".
Discography
Classic Rags and Stomps LP; all tracks later reissued on Charleston Rag CDDon't You Leave Me Here LP; all tracks later reissued on Charleston Rag CDPlays Robert Clemente LP; all tracks reissued on the Ophelia Ragtime Orchestra CD Echoes from the Snowball Club Echo of Spring Maple Leaf Rag Hot Jazz, Pop Jazz and Ragtime Charleston Rag CD compilation of all the tracks from Larsen's first two LPsFingerbreaker Rhapsody with clarinettist Georg Michael ReissRagtime and Rhapsody 1997 concert in LevangerIn a Rag Bag with singer Karin KrogErnesto Nazareth: Creole Connections- ''Sorgenfri''