Photo: Urko Dorronsoro from Donostia - San Sebastian, Euskal Herria (Basque Country) · CC BY-SA 2.0 · credits
Tier 3 · vertical & regional
Terje Rypdal
Person · male · Norway · Oslo · born 1947 · recording since 1968
Norwegian jazz guitarist and composer
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Also known as テリエ・リピダル
Timeline
37 events▣ Album 32✦ Award 3◦ Birth 1★ Debut release 1
1940s
1960s
· Debut release
Debut release: Bleak House
First documented Album in the MusicBrainz discography.
source: musicbrainz
1970s
1980s
1990s
· Album
Album: Undisonus For Violin And Orchestra / Ineo For Choir And Chamber Orchestra
Album
source: musicbrainz
2000s
2010s
2020s
Biography
English biography269 words · 3 sectionssource: wikipedia-en · licence CC BY-SA 4.0 · revision 1367305622
Biography
Terje Rypdal (born 23 August 1947) is a Norwegian guitarist and composer. He has been an important member in the Norwegian jazz community, and has also given show concerts with guitarists Ronni Le Tekrø and Mads Eriksen as "N3".
Career
Rypdal was born in Oslo, Norway, the son of a composer and orchestra leader. He studied classical piano and trumpet as a child, and then taught himself to play guitar as he entered his teens. Starting out as a Hank Marvin-influenced rock guitarist with The Vanguards, Rypdal turned towards jazz in 1968 and joined Jan Garbarek's group and later George Russell's sextet and orchestra. An important step towards international attention was his participation in the free jazz festival in Baden-Baden, Germany, in 1969, where he was part of a band led by Lester Bowie. During his musical studies at Oslo university and conservatory, he led the orchestra of the Norwegian version of the musical Hair. He has often been recorded on the ECM record label, both jazz-oriented material and classical compositions (some of which do not feature Rypdal's guitar).
His compositions "Last Nite" and "Mystery Man" were featured in the Michael Mann film Heat, and included on the soundtrack of the same name.
Personal life
Rypdal was married to the Norwegian singer Inger Lise Andersen/Rypdal from 1969 to 1985, and they had two children, the auditor Daniel (born 1970) and the electronica musician Marius (born 1977). Rypdal was married again in 1988 to Elin Kristin Bergei (born 28 May 1955). They have two children Ane Izabel (born 1988) and the guitarist Jakob Rypdal (born 1989). They (as of 2013) live in Tresfjord.
Discography & profile
Normalised profile
Percentiles are computed over every artist in the database, so a tier-3 artist can still sit in the 95th percentile on a single axis.
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 23 | 84.8th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 37 | 92.1th |
| Studio albums | 33 | 98.4th |
| Awards recorded | 3 | 95.4th |
| Timeline events | 37 | 97.8th |
| Recording span (years) | 56 | 95.5th |
| Genres | 13 | 98.2th |
Percentiles are computed at render time; missing values mean the artist has no data on that axis.
Discography (37 release groups · 33 studio albums)
Albums · 33
1968 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 32:17
A1Dead Man’s Tale7:03A2Wes4:15A3Winter Serenade: Falling Snow / Snow Storm / Melting Snow6:04B1Bleak House7:05B2Sonority5:21B3A Feeling of Harmony2:291971 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 43:07
A1Keep It Like That - Tight12:19A2Rainbow7:10B1Electric Fantasy15:37B2Lontano II3:16B3Tough Enough4:451973 · studio album
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Tracklist · 4 tracks · 42:52
A1Cloudless Sky8:09A2Iron Man12:51B1Norwegian Steel — Septimus9:28B2Hinc Illae Lacrimae — For us all (Hence These Tears)12:24Whenever I Seem to Be Far Away
1974 · studio album
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Tracklist · 3 tracks · 37:05
A1Silver Bird Is Heading for the Sun14:04A2The Hunt5:22BWhenever I Seem to Be Far Away17:391974 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 40:38
A1Bend It10:00A2Yearning3:27A3Icing7:55B1What Comes After11:03B2Séjours3:55B3Back of J.4:181975 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:26:37
Disc 1A1Darkness Falls3:27A2Midnite16:37B1Adagio13:09B2Better Off Without You7:31Disc 2C1Over Birkerot4:42C2Fare Well11:22C3Ballade5:55DRolling Stone23:541976 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 38:11
A1Autumn Breeze4:36A2Air4:29A3Now and Then2:54A4Wind1:26A5After the Rain6:09B1Kjare Maren4:12B2Little Bell1:39B3Vintage Year3:49B4Multer2:56B5Like a Child, Like a Song6:011977 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 38:11
A1No Time for Time7:15A2More Cymbals3:02A3Pox3:33A4Craggy Mountains3:55B1The Tamborim2:51B2P. T.7:46B3Only Two3:05B4Mauve Stripes4:24B5May, 17th2:201978 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 41:22
1Per Ulv8:372Karusell8:123Stenskoven3:494Waves5:435The Dain Curse8:456Charisma6:16Terje Rypdal & Miroslav Vitous & Jack DeJohnette
1979 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 42:36
A1Sunrise8:30A2Den forste sne6:40A3Will8:05B1Believer6:28B2Flight5:30B3Seasons7:231980 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 45:13
1Avskjed5:472Circles11:183Descendre3:154Innseiling8:025Men of mystery8:286Speil8:231981 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 39:18
A1Maya6:23A2Mountain in the Clouds5:02A3Morning Lake7:26B1To Be Continued9:17B2This Morning5:29B3Topplue, Votter & Skjerf3:50B4Uncomposed Appendix1:511985 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 47:46
1Waves5:422Den Forste Sne6:433The Hunt5:234Better Off Without You7:395Innseiling8:026Rainbow7:127Topplue, Votter & Skjerf3:538Descendre3:121985 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 44:59
1Ambiguity8:452Once Upon a Time6:163Geysir6:024A Closer Look5:045Ornen6:236Chaser5:527Transition1:388Imagi (Theme)4:591987 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 35:57
A1The Curse1:27A2Kompet går6:53A3I Disremember Quite Well5:06A4Og hva synes vi om det5:54B1Last Nite3:31B2Blue5:44B3Tanga4:19B4Om bare3:03Undisonus For Violin And Orchestra / Ineo For Choir And Chamber Orchestra
1990 · studio album
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Tracklist · 2 tracks · 40:07
1Undisonus (op. 23)21:402Ineo (op. 29)18:271993 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 52:42
1Quod erat demonstrandum, op. 52: 1st Movement5:022Quod erat demonstrandum, op. 52: 2nd Movement2:263Quod erat demonstrandum, op. 52: 3rd Movement5:004Quod erat demonstrandum, op. 52: 4th Movement4:575Quod erat demonstrandum, op. 52: 5th Movement18:306Largo, op. 5516:471994 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 48:25
1The Secret File5:092We Love the Woods6:093Since3:504Daredevil2:585Clint... Make My Day5:216Warning: Electric Guitars5:567Just a Smile5:578Tralletonetroll4:509A Few Lines Written by Hand8:151995 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 48:00
1The Return of Per Ulv5:032It's in the Air4:043But on the Other Hand5:084If Mountains Could Sing5:165Private Eye5:476Foran Peisen4:277Dancing Without Reindeers3:278One for the Roadrunner5:039Blue Angel3:0510Genie3:4811Lonesome Guitar2:521995 · studio album
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Tracklist · 9 tracks · 50:24
1Traces7:142Unwritten Letter3:493Offshore Piper2:104Gone to the Dogs3:595Double Tripper6:196Ved Svørevatn8:067Watching Shadows5:208The Illusion5:579Wild Bird7:301997 · studio album
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Tracklist · 7 tracks · 49:48
1Skywards4:032Into the Wilderness7:353It's Not Over Until the Fat Lady Sings!4:294The Pleasure Is Mine, I'm Sure3:125Out of This World (Sinfonietta)16:026Shining5:437Remember to Remember8:441997 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 47:04
1Cathedral6:392Very Loud Harold Lloyd4:273The Man Who Would Be King4:214New Ritual2:595The Golden Raven4:176Le Tekno7:307From a Northern Family4:228Before6:069Two Friends and a Dog2:3810Be That as It May3:452000 · studio album
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Tracklist · 11 tracks · 1:04:21
1Sezopen4:502Flower of Now9:183Wood and Naphta2:584Sway4:275Auma8:066Legacy5:207Invocation4:448Wildcat7:599Emanation4:0110Choral3:5711Lighthouse8:41Double Concerto / 5th Symphony
2000 · studio album
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Tracklist · 8 tracks · 1:07:31
1Double Concerto I5:032Double Concerto II5:453Double Concerto III9:354Double Concerto IV11:4355th Symphony I13:0065th Symphony II8:2175th Symphony III5:1485th Symphony IV8:50Rypdal: Sonata Op. 73 Og Nimbus Op. 76
2002 · studio album
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Tracklist · 2 tracks · 52:59
1Sonata Op. 73 for Violin & Keyboards29:232Nimbus Op. 76 for Violin, Organ and Percussion23:362002 · studio album
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Tracklist · 5 tracks · 1:00:45
1First Movement: Luminous Galaxy15:492Second Movement: Fjelldåpen11:283Third Movement: Escalator7:234Fourth Movement: Toccata10:455Fifth Movement: Lux Aeterna15:202006 · studio album
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Tracklist · 10 tracks · 1:08:06
1Ghostdancing18:312Hidden Chapter5:403Waltz for Broken Hearts/Makes You Wonder10:074Incognito Traveller4:045Key Witness1:366That's More Like It10:087De slagferdige2:398Jungeltelegrafen2:409You're Making It Personal8:5410A Quiet World3:472010 · studio album
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Tracklist · 42 tracks · 5:48:20
Disc 11Though Enough11:512Happy Ryp1:273Skywald8:134Mystery Man8:315The Curse10:186Last Night5:457Paolissimo2:388Dare Devil11:04Disc 21Skywards10:002Mystery Man9:323The Curse10:364But Then Again6:015Memory Lane4:556The Return of Per Ulv4:237Easy Now4:068Last Night11:049Paolissimo11:4210The Chaser4:00Disc 31Skyward8:272Elvin11:383Mystery Man6:444Dare Devil6:165The Curse7:596The Chaser8:25Disc 41The Curse7:422Last Night4:273Living Metal2:314Paolissimo4:245Memory Lane2:126Dare Devil7:507The Return of Per Ulv5:42Disc 51Arendal Overture13:192Terje Aren 19:063Terje Aren 29:344Storm8:025Paolissimo5:076Memory Lane11:03Disc 61Moving Metal7:432Budapest33:383Bugge 17:484Bugge Amsterdam21:155Paolos Siste Sang1:222010 · studio album
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Tracklist · 14 tracks · 59:22
1Clint - The Menace2:162Prime Suspects6:553Don Rypero5:314Suspicious Behaviour2:565The Good Cop3:446Is That a Fact4:147Parli con me?!5:278The Criminals3:039Action2:1710One of Those2:5911It's Not Been Written Yet8:5312Investigation5:4613A Minor Incident2:1814Crime Solved3:032013 · studio album
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Tracklist · 13 tracks · 1:11:26
1Melodic Warrior, op. 79: Awakening3:052Melodic Warrior, op. 79: Easy Now4:313Melodic Warrior, op. 79: Song of Thunders2:554Melodic Warrior, op. 79: The Secret File5:495Melodic Warrior, op. 79: My Music Reaches to the Sky4:266Melodic Warrior, op. 79: But Then Again3:407Melodic Warrior, op. 79: A Prayer6:148Melodic Warrior, op. 79: Magician Song9:169Melodic Warrior, op. 79: The Morning Star4:1810And the Sky Was Coloured With Waterfalls and Angels, op. 97: Waterfalls 16:5111And the Sky Was Coloured With Waterfalls and Angels, op. 97: Waterfalls 27:0112And the Sky Was Coloured With Waterfalls and Angels, op. 97: Waterfalls 37:5013And the Sky Was Coloured With Waterfalls and Angels, op. 97: Waterfalls 45:302020 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 35:02
1As If the Ghost … Was Me!?5:432What Was I Thinking5:363Conspiracy6:104By His Lonesome6:545Baby Beautiful8:016Dawn2:382024 · studio album
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Tracklist · 6 tracks · 1:19:45
1I Cover the Mountain Top22:182Dodovoodoo21:123Psychedelic Backfire12:364John Tinnick4:515Fugl Fønix10:286Skink8:20— · studio album
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Tracklist · 4 tracks · 40:17
1Part I17:372Part II6:553Part III4:084Part IV11:37
Album · 4
| Cover | Year | Title | Notes | First release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | The Singles CollectionSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 10 tracks · 38:021There Is A Hot Lady In My Bedroom And I Need A Drink4:28 2Sprott4:38 3Mystery Man4:43 4The Last Hero2:37 5Strange Behaviour3:02 6U.N.I.5:37 7Coyote2:54 8Somehow, Somewhere3:03 9Steady4:09 10Crooner Song2:51 | Compilation | 1 June 1989 | |
| 2002 | Selected RecordingsSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 13 tracks · 1:10:211Silver Bird Is Heading for the Sun14:04 2Transition1:34 3Waves5:39 4The Curse1:27 5Double Concerto for Two Electric Guitars and Symphony Orchestra: 2nd Movement5:46 6Over Birkerot4:45 7I Disremember Quite Well5:08 8The Return of Per Ulv5:00 9Tough Enough4:48 10Ørnen6:21 11The Hunt5:19 12Chaser5:50 13Mystery Man4:40 | Compilation | 29 April 2002 | |
| 2005 | Trio: Live in StuttgartSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 6 tracks · 57:061The Return of Per Ulv7:40 2Centers / Genie14:45 3Improvisation / Goose Bumps11:43 4Baba8:00 5Mountain in the Clouds5:59 6Tough Enough8:59 | Live | 2005 | |
| 2008 | Life in LeipzigSearch SpotifySearch YouTube MusicTracklist · 11 tracks · 53:571The Sea V8:01 2The Pleasure Is Mine, I'm Sure5:28 3The Sea II7:29 4Flotation and Surroundings6:43 5Easy Now4:36 6Notturno (Fragment)1:01 7Alai's Room1:38 8By the Fjord3:06 9The Sea IX5:24 10Le Manfred / Foran Peisen5:10 11The Return of Per Ulv5:21 | Live | 15 February 2008 |
Stats & PK
Percentile within all 23,672 published artists.Put Terje Rypdal head-to-head →
| Metric | Value | Percentile |
|---|---|---|
| Wikipedia language versions | 23 | 84.8th |
| Spotify monthly listeners | — | no data |
| Release groups in DB | 37 | 92.1th |
| Studio albums | 33 | 98.4th |
| Awards recorded | 3 | 95.4th |
| Timeline events | 37 | 97.8th |
| Recording span (years) | 56 | 95.5th |
| Genres | 13 | 98.2th |
Awards & honours
| Year | Award | Category | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Buddyprisen | won | |
| 1995 | Spellemann Award open category | won | |
| 2005 | Jury Honorary Award in Spellemannprisen | won |
Line-up
| Name | From | To | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Vanguards(band) | — | present | |
| Terje Rypdal and The Chasers(band) | — | present | |
| Rypdal & Tekrø(band) | — | present | |
| The Terje Rypdal Group(band) | — | present | eponymous,original |
| Min Bul(band) | — | present | |
| Jan Garbarek Quartet(band) | — | present |
Where this record comes from
portrait—Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Terje_Rypdal_%2B_Elephant9%4051._Heineken_Jazzaldia_%2828766660972%29.jpgaliases/urls—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/6a5e6105-b1c4-4c5c-97ae-5ee4b7f746b4discography—musicbrainz · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://musicbrainz.org/artist/6a5e6105-b1c4-4c5c-97ae-5ee4b7f746b4core—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q615123genre—wikidata · CC0 · retrieved 11 October 2026
https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q615123seed-list—wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terje_Rypdalbiography—wikipedia-en · CC BY-SA 4.0 · retrieved 10 October 2026
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terje_Rypdal
Why this artist is in the database
- List of Norwegian musicians
Tier rule: curated genre/region list
Image: Urko Dorronsoro from Donostia - San Sebastian, Euskal Herria (Basque Country) · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Wikidata: Q615123 · MusicBrainz: 6a5e6105-b1c4-4c5c-97ae-5ee4b7f746b4
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