Jesper Lundgaard

Jesper Lundgaard stands out among Danish jazz bassists for his understated warmth and assured handling of contemporary jazz alongside classic standards. Active since the 1970s, he has contributed to recordings by Paul Bley, Doug Raney, and Chet Baker while also leading his own projects, among them the 1994 release This Bass Was Made for Walking, the 2002 duo effort Two Basses alongside Mads Vinding, and the 2013 album Love & Peace: The Music of Horace Parlan.

Born in 1954 in Hillerød, Denmark, Lundgaard began on guitar before taking up the bass at age sixteen. During the late 1970s he pursued music studies at Århus University and performed locally, often within pianist Bent Eriksen’s trio. That period brought encounters with Danish musicians Jesper Thilo, Thomas Clausen, and Niels Jørgen Steen, as well as visiting Americans such as Dexter Gordon, Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis, and Harry “Sweets” Edison. In 1978 he toured for three months with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra, after which he relocated to Copenhagen with Jones. There he maintained his connection with Jones, joined the house band at La Fontaine Jazz Club, and worked throughout the city with Teddy Wilson, Benny Carter, Mose Allison, and Stanley Turrentine. His first recording session took place in 1979 on Duke Jordan’s Steeplechase album Time on My Hands.

Throughout the following decade Lundgaard became a sought-after accompanist and studio player, appearing on dates with Frank Foster, Chet Baker, John McNeil, Warne Marsh, and Kirk Lightsey. He also held positions in Radiojazzgruppen, Ernie Wilkins’ big band, Thad Jones’ big band, and the DR Big Band while maintaining regular collaborations with Doug and Jimmy Raney, Paul Bley, and Duke Jordan. As a leader he debuted in 1994 with This Bass Was Made for Walking, then recorded the co-led 1995 session Playing in the Breeze with trumpeter Thomas Fryland and guitarist Jacob Fischer, followed in 1999 by Fine Together with Fischer and saxophonist Anders Lindskog. He further formed the Repertory Quartet with saxophonist Bob Rockwell, releasing Turn Out the Stars: The Music of Bill Evans in 1995, Plays Ellington/Strayhorn in 1996, and Plays Mingus/Pettiford in 1998.

Beyond performance, Lundgaard has conducted teaching and master classes at conservatories in Denmark, Rotterdam, Zürich, and Helsinki. In 2002 he joined drummer Alex Riel and pianist Kenny Werner for Celebration, an album honoring Riel’s sixtieth birthday, and subsequently recorded with Svend Asmussen, Jan Lundgren, and Thomas Claussen. He paired with Mads Vinding for the 2005 release Two Basses and led his own trio on 2007’s Plays Cornelis. Further work included the 2011 recording Scott Hamilton Meets Jesper Thilo and the saxophonist’s 2013 project Swedish Ballads & More with Jan Lundgren. In 2015 Lundgaard issued the trio album 60 Out of Shape featuring pianist Enrico Pieranunzi and drummer Riel.