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Jon Balke

Norwegian jazz pianist (born 1955)

Wikipedia contributorsAdapted for Fathomly · View authors
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Source updated September 12, 2026
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Jon Georg Balke (born 7 June 1955) is a Norwegian jazz pianist who leads the group Siwan. He is the younger brother of saxophonist Erik Balke.

01Career

Balke started playing classical piano but switched to blues at 12, though he performs within several genres. At the age of 18 he joined Arild Andersen's quartet. By the mid-1980s he worked on his own and would become one of Norway's leading jazz composers. He was active in the groups of Radka Toneff and in the Afrofusion group E'olén before joining Oslo 13 and Masqualero in the early 1980s. From 1989 he focused on his own projects, such as JøKleBa (with Audun Kleive and Per Jørgensen) and the Magnetic North Orchestra for which he composed the commissioned work Il Cenoneat to Vossajazz 1992.

Balke formed the percussion group Batagraf in 2002, and created the concept work Siwan with singer Amina Alaoui in 2007. He is also the creator of a series of multimedia concerts at Vossajazz festival, labeled Ekstremjazz. The concerts involve various practitioners of extreme sports, such as parachuting, paragliding, hanggliding, and BMX biking. In 2012 he was artist in residence at Moldejazz. In 2016 he launched the solo piano concept Warp the use of live electronics accompanying the grand piano in live performances.

Balke performing in the Kunstsilo during the 2025 Punktfestivalen
Balke performing in the Kunstsilo during the 2025 Punktfestivalen

02Awards and honors

  • 1984: Buddyprisen
  • 1993: Jazz Musician of the Year
  • 2000: Edvard Prize in popular music, major works, for the album Solarized
  • 2003: Oslo Bys kulturstipend
  • 2008: Gammleng-prisen in the class jazz
  • 2009* Jahrespreis der Deutschen Musikkritiker
  • 2012: Artist in Residence at Moldejazz

03Discography

As leader

An asterisk (*) indicates year of release.

Year recorded Title Label Personnel/Notes
1994 Further ECM With Morten Halle (sax), Per Jørgensen (trpt), Tore Brunborg (sax) Anders Jormin (bass) Marilyn Mazur (perc) Audun Kleive (perc)
1997 Rotor Curling Legs With Morten Hannisdal (cello), Marek Konstantynowicz (viola), Henrik Hannisdal and Odd Hannisdal (violin)
1998* Saturation Jazzland/EmArcy With Nils-Olav Johansen (guitar, vocals), Fredrik Lundin (sax, flute), Sidsel Endresen (vocals)
1999 Solarized EmArcy Magnetic North Orchestra
2002 Kyanos ECM Magnetic North Orchestra
2004 Diverted Travels ECM Magnetic North Orchestra
2006 Book of Velocities ECM Solo piano
2007-08 Siwan ECM With Amina Alaoui (vocals), Jon Hassell (trumpet, electronics), Kheir-Eddine M'Kachiche (violin), Helge Andreas Norbakken (percussion), Pedram Khavar Zamini (zarb), Bjarte Eike, Per Buhre, Peter Spissky, Anna Ivanovna Sundin and Miloš Valent (violin), Rastko Roknic and Joel Sundin (viola) Tom Pitt (cello), Kate Hearne (cello, recorder), Mattias Frostensson (double bass), Andreas Arend (theorboe, archlute), Hans Knut Sveen (harpsichord, clavichord)
2009 Say and Play ECM With Helge Andreas Norbakken (sabar, gorong, djembe, talking drum, shakers, percussion), Emilie Stoesen Christensen (vocals), Erland Dahlen (drums), Torgeir Rebolledo Pedersen (poetry reading)
2012 Magnetic Works ECM Magnetic North Orchestra
2014 Warp ECM Solo piano and keyboards with field recordings
2017 Nahnou Houm ECM Second album with the Siwan concept
2020 Discourses ECM Solo album that further develops the methodology introduced on the Warp album
2022 Hafla ECM Third album with Siwan featuring Mona Boutchebak, Derya Turkan and Pedram Khavarzamini.
2025 Skrifum ECM Solo album that further develops the methodology introduced in the Warp and Discourses albums

As co-leader

With Jøkleba

  • 1991: On and On (Odin)
  • 1993: JøKleBa! (Norsk Plateproduksjon)
  • 1996: JøKleBa Live (Curling Legs)
  • 2011: Nu Jøk? (EmArcy, Universal Music Norway)
  • 2014: Outland (ECM)
  • 2012: Magnetic Works 1993-2001 (ECM), compilation

With Batagraf

  • 2005: Statements (ECM)
  • 2011: Say and Play (ECM)
  • 2016: On Anodyne (Grappa)
  • 2018: Delights of Decay (Jazzland)

As sideman

With Radka Toneff

  • 1979: It Don't Come Easy (PolyGram)
  • 2008: Butterfly (Curling Legs), recorded 1976-77

With Masqualero

  • 1983: Masqualero (Odin)
  • 1985: Bande a Parte (ECM)

With Oslo 13

  • 1983: Anti-Therapy (Odin)
  • 1987: Off Balance (Odin)
  • 1992: Nonsentration (ECM)
  • 1994: Oslo 13 Live (Curling Legs)

With others

Watch videos about Jon BalkeExplainers and documentaries on YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “Jon Balke”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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Related topics

List of jazz pianists

This is a list of musicians, alphabetized by last name, notable for playing or having played jazz piano. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings.