Ole Jacob Hansen. 11.06.1988. Photo: Pål Gjersum.
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Ole Jacob Hansen. 11.06.1988. Photo: Pål Gjersum. |
Ole Jacob Hansen became known when he as a member of the Tore Sandnæs Big Band (1958-1959) won the jury's special award as Best Backing Musician at the Norwegian jazz amateur championship in 1958. The next year he won 3rd prize for soloists with Bjørn Jacobsen's septet (member 1958-1960), and from then on he was established as a professional musician, in Kjell Karlsen's small and big orchestras 1959-1964, he was considered Norway's best drummer, played in Mikkel Flagstad's elite quintet (from 1959) and was a frequently used backing musician at the Metropol jazz club 1960-1965, played with Lars Werner and Benny Bailey 1961, Lucky Thompson, Bud Powell and Don Byas 1962, Coleman Hawkins, Don Ellis and Dexter Gordon 1963.
He joined Kjell Karlsen's group for the first Molde festival (1961), was a backing musician at Molde 1962, and made his record debut 1963 with Kjell Karlsen's big band. He was also a member of Arild Wikstrøm's quartet from 1961, Bjørn Johansen's quartet from 1962 (recording November 1963), he did a lot of playing in Sweden with Bernt Rosengren 1963-1964 (recording with Idrees Sulieman 1964), toured with Rosengren in Czechoslovakia 1964, went on to Paris where Ole Jacob was hired by Donald Byrd and Eric Dolphy (summer of 1964).
Back in Oslo he played with a band led by Bjørn Johansen, Arild Wikstrøm and Ditlef Eckhoff 1965-1966, then in various dance bands during the lean years that followed the closure of almost all Norwegian jazz clubs during the mid 1960s.
During the early 1970s he was again active in Ditlef Eckhoff's groups, in Terje Bjørklund's trio (until 1973), the University Big Band, with Paul Weeden (recording 1974) and the jazz rock group Adonis (1974-1975).
From the mid 1970s he was much in demand as a drummer for several bands, such as Laila Dalseth's quartet 1974-1979, Christian Reim / Calle Neumann quartet 1975-1978, Ditlef Eckhoff's groups 1975-1983 (cassette recording 1980), Christian Reim Trio 1977-1979, Richard Badendyck's groups 1977-1980, Magni Wentzel Quintet 1977-1984 (recording 1983), Brinck Johnsen Quintet 1978-1979, Bjørn Johansen / Egil Kapstad Quartet 1978-1985 (several festival gigs, recordings 1979 and 1980) and Harald Gundhus / Eivin Sannes Quintet 1979-1982. He also participated on a number of recordings, such as "Østerdalsmusikk" 1975, with the Roy Hellvin Trio 1975 and Rolf Jacobsen / Egil Kapstad 1978, and played festivals with Norsk Jazzsekstett 1978 and Bill Hardman / Junior Cook (Kongsberg 1979).
In 1980 he was a co-founder of the jazz club Jazz Alive (1980-1986), from the same time he frequently worked in Copenhagen with guitarist Doug Raney (recordings 1982, 83 and 84), he received the Reenskaug award from Drøbak Jazz Club in 1982, played in the groups Friends Connection 1982-1983 (recreated at Dølajazz 1994), Winds Hot & Cool 1983-1984 and Eivin Sannes Trio 1983-1987, recorded with Red Mitchell 1982, Thorgeir Stubø, Bernt Rosengren and Chet Baker 1983, on top of this several tours and festival gigs.
Between 1984-1994 he was again a regular member of the Laila Dalseth Quintet, and from 1985 of the Bjørn Johansen Quartet (recording 1986). Even more recordings have followed, with Laila Dalseth 1984 and 1986, Totti Bergh 1985 and 86, Al Cohn 1986, Thorgeir Stubø 1986, Kenny Davern / Flip Philips / Bjarne Nerem 1987, Warne Marsh 1987, the Norwegian-Czech Jazznost Orchestra 1989, Louis Stewart 1990 and 92, Benny Bailey 1990, Ola Calmeyer 1990, "Norsk Jazz 295 år" 1990, Bjørn Alterhaug 1990, Einar Iversen 1991, Totti Bergh / Plas Johnson 1991 and Vidar Holm 1992.
Entering the 1990s he played for a period at Majorca, and also formed a big band in Oslo with Harald Gundhus (1988) and has helped out in groups that needed a capable mainstream or bop drummer, such as Svein Almquist's Jazz Patrol (1989-1992), Bone Brothers from 1990, and groups led by Ditlef Eckhoff, Knut Riisnæs, Laila Dalseth, Totti Bergh, Kevin Dean, Monica Borgen (recording 1993), Paul Weeden (recording 1996) and others. In 1997 he toured with Bernt Rosengren and Doug Raney, recorded with Ditlef Eckhoff ("Impressions of Antibes"), Kevin Dean ("Over at Ola's") and "Alf Kjellman Project", the following year with Monica Borgen and Jan Erik Vold Storytellers, and in 1999 two CDs with Einar Iversen and Ditlef Eckhoff. For his important work as one of the most central musicians in Norwegian jazz during the last forty years he received the 1997 Buddy award.
Norwegian Jazz Archives / March 2000