Helge Lien

Jazz pianist, composer and band leader Helge Lien was born on April 23, 1975, in Moelv, Ringsaker, Norway. He is best known for his work with Tri O’Trang, the Helge Lien Trio, Hero, and accompanying vocalists Live Maria Roggen and Silje Nergaard. After graduating from Stange High School in 1994, he began to study piano under Mikhail Alperin (Moscow Art Trio) at the Norwegian Academy of Music in Oslo, receiving his degree in 1998. He moved on to post-graduate studies with jazz trio Tri O’Trang, recording a total of four albums with them between 2000 and 2006: Liker (2000), ‘Fordivi’ (2002), Plays Jon Eberson with Jon Eberson and Per Oddvar Johansen (2005), and Må (2006). Helge Lien released his debut solo album, Talking to a Tree, in 2000. He formed his own trio and released What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life, which was the first album credited to the Helge Lien Trio, in 2001. That album was quickly followed by 2002’s Spiral Circle, which was nominated for a Spellemannprisen (Norway’s equivalent of a Grammy Award). After an album with Tri O’Trang and another solo release, Asymmetrics (2003), he collaborated with saxophonist Rolf-Erik Nystrom in the duo Hero, releasing the album Prøysen-Musikken Fra Dokumentaren (2005), which was nominated for an Edvard Prize. His prolific output continued with more albums from his own trio – including the Spellemannprisen-winning Hello Troll in 2008 – one more with Hero and another with Trio O’Trang. In 2011, he began recording with vocalist Live Maria Roggen in a duo named LiveLien, releasing two albums: Låvesalg (2011) and You (2016). Throughout this very busy period, the Helge Lien Trio continued to release their own critically acclaimed albums including Badgers and Other Beings (2014), Bridges (2015), and Guzuguzu (2016). In 2016, Helge Lian collaborated with dobro player Knut Hem on the album Hummingbird. The duo collaborated again in 2022 on the album Villingsberg.

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