New album from Tor Endresen!
Meeting Per Sælemyr
Gustav Lorentzen was the one that introduced Tor to Per Sælemyr – a former merchat/businessman, and a full-time”globetrotter” since 1990. Sælemyr had no formal music education, but music has always been an important part of his life. At the age of 15 he went on his first consert with jazz-singer Nora Brockstedt – an experiance that played an important role in forming and developing his musical taste. Nora quickly became his favorite singer, and eventually a close friend. She introduced him to the beautiful standard songs of american composers, such as Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Richard Rogers – to mention a few. The ”american songbook” style quickly became, and still is, the music genre he appreciates the most. Up until the age of 60, he had no idea that he could create music – he was more than happy with listening to songs that others had written. But around year 2005, he started humming on a melody he had never heard before – a tune that developed in his own mind, leading eventually to the creation of several more. These would have probably remained in his head if it wasn’t for his good friend Gustav Lorentzen, who wrote them all down, and later on became his mentor in writing lyrics. Because amazingly enough, Per gradually began to write lyrics to his own songs as well.
A project sent from heaven
Before Lorentzens too early death in April 2010, he managed to convey contact with Tor Endresen and introduced him to Per Sælemyr and his work. As Tor himsef said: ”It was unbelivable. Good, swinging, NEW songs written to me in the best american songbook style that I love so much. It was like a project sent from heaven. This is the biggest thing I’ve experianced as a singer so far in my life”.
A music adventure
Tor was wishing for Pete Knutsen to arrange the songs and produce the album, which he gladly agreed to do. With Pete Knutsen as arranger and producer, alongside the Norwegian leading jazz musicians and Stabsmusikkens Storband playing, Endresen found himself pinching his arm. The result is the new album called "Jumping for joy". Enjoy!
