Celebrating Bo Stief at 75

Everyone who has been interested in Danish jazz in the last half century has inevitably bumped into bassist Bo Stief. He has always been there, he has left his mark everywhere in Danish music, and he has solidly marked himself as a musical zealot, a solid cornerstone and a cheerful and always committed musician who puts his personal mark on all the music he chooses to. Bo Stief started as a bass apprentice in Jazzhus Montmartre around the same time as the icon Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen back in the early 60s.
Here he played behind American super-solists like Dexter Gordon and Ben Webster. Bo Stief was one of the first jazz bassists who also mastered the electric bass in i.a. Rainbow Band (later Midnight Sun), as well as Denmark’s first jazz/rock band, Entrance, who really pushed the boundaries in the early 70s. Bo Stief's distinctive and easily recognizable style has always been a pleasure to listen to, and his rock-solid understanding of what to play and what not to play is legendary.
Bo Stief's career with his own groups is an eventful journey through all the corners and cracks of music: his desire for experience, creativity and completely unstoppable energy makes him one of Danish - if not European - jazz's most innovative and original personalities. For this birthday concert, Bo Stief has invited several musicians which he has been playing with during the past years.
Ingen, der har interesseret sig bare en smule for dansk jazz gennem det sidste halve århundrede, har kunne undgå at støde ind i bassisten Bo Stief. Han har altid været der, han har sat sine spor overalt i dansk musik, og han har solidt markeret sig som en musikalsk ildsjæl, en solid grundsten og en lystfuld og altid engageret musiker, der sætter sit personlige mærke på al den musik, han vælger at deltage i. Bo Stief startede som bas-lærling i Jazzhus Montmartre nogenlunde samtidig med ikonet Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen tilbage i start-60’erne.
Her passede han bassen bag herboende amerikanske supersolister som Dexter Gordon og Ben Webster. Bo Stief var en af de første jazzbassister, der også beherskede den elektriske bas i bl.a. Rainbow Band (senere Midnight Sun), samt Danmarks første jazz/rock-band, Entrance, der flyttede grænserne i de tidlige 70’ere. Bo Stiefs karakteristiske og let genkendelige spil har altid været en fornøjelse at lytte til, og hans stensikre forståelse, for hvad der skal spilles, og hvad der ikke skal spilles, er legendarisk.
Bo Stiefs karriere med egne grupper er en begivenhedsrig rejse gennem alle musikkens kringelkroge: hans oplevelseslyst, kreativitet og fuldstændig ustoppelige energi gør ham til en af dansk – hvis ikke europæisk – jazz’ store innovative og originale personligheder. Til denne fødselsdagskoncert har Bo Stief inviteret en række af de musikere, han spiller med i disse år.