Bendik Hofseth started his career as a superstar in the jazz rock band Steps Ahead, when he took over the job from Michael Brecker. He was then launched as Norway´s Sting or perhaps Peter Gabriel on the revered Columbia Records in the US, where he made his solo debut with IX in 1991. Twenty years later, the album was named one of the best Norwegian albums of all time in the Morgenbladet top 100 award. But Bendik did not want to be dictated to by American market forces, so he moved home and released a number of critically acclaimed records, both in the jazz genre, but also in the crossover segment of pop/world music/contemporary music…preferably all at once. In Norwegian, English and instrumentally.
Hofseth has always gone his own way and is known among other musicians for giving his fellow players plenty of space. In the ´90s, he brought with him musicians such as Knut Reiersrud, Audun Erlien, Eivind Aarset, Paolo Vinaccia and Øystein Sevåg. Relatively unknown back then, but world stars later.
In 2025, he released his most ambitious project, the 4LP box Forest, consisting of four records representing four different sides of Bendik’s life, both musically and privately. There was the “jazz record” Trunks, the “pop record” Branches, the “contemporary/jazz/improv record” Roots and most recently the miniature collection Pollen and Leaves.
In 2025, he also released the album “Lux ex lacrimis”. This is Latin for “light out of tears” (or “light from tears”) and expresses the idea of finding hope or beauty in the midst of grief or suffering. The album is dedicated to Bendik’s late wife, and the music expresses this theme precisely: finding light after loss. According to Dagsavisen, this is one of his finest works, with the newspaper pronouncing it one of the best jazz albums of 2025.
Look forward to an exciting meeting with beautiful music and fantastic musicians!
Bendik Hofseth – on vocals and saxophone
Mats Eilertsen – on bass
Per Oddvar Johansen – on drums
Helge Iberg – on grand piano
TBA – on guitar
Photo: Svein Erik Fylkesnes
Time and place:
Stavangeren, Friday 8 May at 20:00 hrs.