Arild Andersen is a Norwegian bass player in the jazz milieu. Born in 1945, he has played with many of the jazz greats including Don Cherry, Dexter Gordon, Stan Getz and Sonny Rollins. He began his musical career in the early 1960s as a guitarist with the Riverside Swing Group before switching to bass with the Roy Hellvin Trio. In 1974, after visiting and playing in New York City, Andersen formed his first quartet and began releasing records on the ECM label.
By 1980, another new quartet was formed under his leadership, followed in 1981 with yet another group and further tours of Europe, this time with John Abercrombie taking guitar role. 1982 saw him join forces with Jon Christensen on drums, Jon Balke on piano, Tore Brunborg on saxophone and Nils Petter Molvær on trumpet to form The Arild Andersen Quartet before changing the band's name to Masqualero. This four-piece remained recording and performing throughout the decade and beyond, with Andersen taking on side work during which he fused improvised jazz with Norwegian folk including a collaboration with singer Kirsten Braaten Berg.
He also produced a stage version of the Nobel prized trilogy 'Kristin Lavransdatter' by author Sigrid Undset in 1994. The new millennium saw more projects including works with Pat Metheney, Paal Nilsen-Love and Ference Snetberger as well as writing the accompanying music to the Athens staging of Sophocles' Greek drama 'Electra' at the Herodes Theater in Athens. Andersen also managed to expand his influences and audiences by visiting Japan as the first decade of the 2000s closed. He continues to write and record.
