Gard Nilssen

Gard Nilssen (born 24 June 1983) is a Norwegian jazz drummer and composer. He is a member of the bands Gard Nilssen' Acoustic Unity, Gard Nilssen's Supersonic Orchestra, Bushman's Revenge, Amgala Temple, and Puma. He also plays in trio format with Bugge Wesseltoft and Arild Andersen.

Career Nilssen was born in Skien, and got his musical education on the Jazz program at Trondheim Musikkonservatorium (2003). He was voted this year's young jazz musicians in 2006 with the group Puma. Otherwise Nilssen is very active in bands like Bushman´s Revenge, Lord Kelvin, and Heidi Skjerve Kvintett.

Honors This year's young jazz musicians 2006, with the band Puma by Rikskonsertene and Norsk Jazzforum

Discography

Solo albums

Gard Nilssen's Acoustic Unity, including André Roligheten and Petter Eldh 2015: Firehouse (Clean Feed Records) 2017: Live in Europe (Clean Feed Records) 2019: To Whom Who Buys a Record (Grappa Musikkforlag AS) 2022: Elastic Wave (ECM Records) 2025: Live At The Barbican (Action Jazz) 2025: Great Intentions (Action Jazz)

Gard Nilssen's Supersonic Orchestra

2020: If You Listen Carefully The Music Is Yours (Odin) 2023: Family (We Jazz)

Band releases

Within Puma trio including Øystein Moen and Stian Westerhus 2007: Isolationism (Bolage Records) 2008: Discotheque Bitpunching (Bolage Records) 2009: Fist Full of Knuckles (Knuckleman Records), with Lasse Marhaug 2010: Half Nelson Courtship (Rune Grammofon)

Within Bushman's Revenge trio including Rune Nergaard and Even Helte Hermansen 2007: Cowboy Music (Jazzaway Records) 2009: You Lost Me At Hello (Rune Grammofon) 2010: Jitterbug (Rune Grammofon) 2012: A Little Bit Of Big Bonanza (Rune Grammofon) 2012: Never Mind The Botox (Rune Grammofon) 2013: Electric Komle – Live! (Rune Grammofon) 2016: Jazz, Fritt Etter Hukommelsen (Rune Grammofon) 2016: Bushman's Fire (Rune Grammofon), live LP with Kjetil Møster and David Wallumrød 2019: Et Hån Mot Overklassen (Hubro) 2023: All The Better For Seeing You (Is It Jazz? Records)

Within Lord Kelvin trio including Eirik Hegdal and Erik Johannessen 2009: Dances In The Smoke (Jazzland Recordings) 2011: Radio Has No Future (Gigafon Records)

Within Cortex quartet including Ola Høyer, Kristoffer Berre Alberts and Thomas Johansson 2011: Resection (Bolage Records) 2012: Göteborg (Gigafon Records)

Within Amgala Temple including Lars Horntveth and Amund Maarud

2018: Invisible Airships (Pekula Records)

Collaborations

With Marita Røstad 2007: Silent Sunday (Magica Records)

Within Team Hegdal quartet including Eirik Hegdal, André Roligheten and Rune Nergaard 2010: Vol 1 (Øra Fonogram) 2011: Vol 2 (Øra Fonogram), sextet including additional Mattias Ståhl and Ola Kvernberg

Within Scent Of Soil quintet including Tore Brunborg, Kirsti Huke, Petter Vågan and Rune Nergaard 2011: Scent Of Soil (Hubro Music)

With Obara International 2013: Komeda (For Tune) 2013: Live At Manggha (For Tune) 2015: Live In Mińsk Mazowiecki (For Tune)

With Elvira Nikolaisen and Mathias Eick 2013: I Concentrate On You (Grappa)

With Arild Andersen and Helge Lien 2016: The Rose Window (Deutsche Media Productions), live at Theater Gütersloh

With Maciej Obara Quartet 2017: Unloved (ECM Records) 2019: Three Crowns (ECM Records)