Stian Westerhus


Stian Westerhus is a Norwegian guitarist known for his experimental style, explored with keyboardist Øystein Moen in the bands Jaga Jazzist and Puma and with Sidsel Endresen, Nils Petter Molvær, Arve Henriksen, Jan Bang, and Ingar Zach.

Career

Westerhus holds a bachelor in jazz from Middlesex University under Stuart Hall, and a master from the Jazz program at Trondheim Musikkonservatorium,.
He was first recognised by a broader audience within the experimental jazz band Puma, with whom he released four albums. The soloalbum Pitch Black Star Spangled on Rune Grammofon got some attention in reviews.
The album Didymoi Dreams is his debut as a duo with experimental jazz singer Sidsel Endresen, a meeting of experience insane guitar rhythms with a gibberish vocal world. They have been of great inspiration to new experimental Norwegian musicians like Natalie Sandtorv and Torgeir Standal in The Jist duo.

Honors

  • Spellemannprisen 2012, in the class Jazz together with Sidsel Endresen, for the album ''Didymoi Dreams''

    Discography

Solo albums

;With Puma
  • 2007: Isolationism
  • 2008: Discotheque Bitpunching
  • 2009: Fist Full of Knuckles with Lasse Marhaug
  • 2010: Half Nelson Courtship
;With Fraud
  • 2007: Fraud
;With Terje Isungset
  • 2008: Laden With Rain
  • 2015: Terje Isungset & Stian Westerhus
;With Monolithic
  • 2009: Black Science
;With Bladed
  • 2009: Mangled Dreams
;With Eldbjørg Raknes and Eirik Hegdal
  • 2009: From Frozen Feet Heat Came
;With Sidsel Endresen
  • 2012: Didymoi Dreams
;With BOL
  • 2012: Numb, Number
;With Pale Horses
  • 2014: Maelstrom, as Stian Westerhus & Pale Horses
;With Ulver
  • 2017: ''The Assassination of Julius Caesar''

    As producer

  • 2010: Eldbjørg Raknes - Sense
  • 2011: PELbO - Days of Transcendence
  • 2012: Nils Petter Molvær - ''Baboon Moon''

    Awards and scholarships

  • 2010 - Sparebank 1 SNM's jazz scholarship awarded at Moldejazz.
  • 2008 - BBC’s Award for Innovation in Jazz with Fraud
  • 2007 - Sparebank 1 SNM's jazz talent scholarship awarded at Moldejazz
  • 2007 - Ronnie Scott's Award for Best Newcomer 2007 with Fraud
  • 2006 - Trondheim Jazz Festival's talent prize with Bladed
  • 2006 - Moldejazz's young jazz musician of the year with Puma