Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen

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Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen

Background information
Born	May 27, 1946
Origin	Denmark
Genre(s)	Jazz
Instrument(s)	Double bass
Years active	1960 — 2005

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (IPA: [nils'hɛneŋ 'ɶɐ̥sd̥əð̥ 'pʰɛð̥ɐ̥sn], May 27, 1946 – April 19, 2005) was a Danish jazz bassist known for his impressive technique and an approach that could be considered an extension of the innovative work of Scott LaFaro. The "great Dane with the never-ending name", Pedersen was known simply as NHØP among many jazz fans. He was born in Osted near Roskilde, on the Danish island of Zealand.

As a child, Pedersen played piano. As a teenager, he started learning to play contrabass and at the age of 14, he began his professional jazz career in Denmark with his first band, Jazzkvintet 60, while studying. At 17 he turned down an offer to join the Count Basie orchestra.

During the 1960s, Pedersen played with several important American jazzmen who were touring in Denmark, including Albert Ayler, Bill Evans, Brew Moore, Bud Powell, Count Basie, Dexter Gordon, Dizzy Gillespie, Jackie McLean, Roland Kirk, Sonny Rollins, and the vocalist Ella Fitzgerald, as well as Canadian jazz artist Oscar Peterson. In the 1970s he worked in a duo with pianist Kenny Drew, and began making occasional appearances with the Oscar Peterson Trio throughout Europe and North America. Together, they have recorded over 50 albums. He has also worked with Stéphane Grappelli and recorded extensively as a leader. His most known songs are My little Anna, Jaywalkin and The Puzzle. Besides jazz, he also was an interpreter of Danish folk poetry and songs. Besides many other awards, he was also awarded the Nordic Council Music Prize in 1991.