Jon Larsen

Jon Larsen (born 7 January 1959) is a gypsy jazz guitarist, record producer, painter, and amateur scientific researcher. He is the founder of the group Hot Club de Norvège. In 2007 he received the Buddy Award for his lifelong contribution to jazz.

Career When he was in his early teens, he learned rock and soul songs on an acoustic steel-string guitar. Through friends, he learned about blues, jazz, flamenco, and classical guitar. After he heard "Tears" by Django Reinhardt on the radio, he decided that this is how he wanted his guitar to sound. At seventeen he formed a string trio and had his first professional job.

In the 1970s, Larsen worked mainly as a painter. He started the Hot Club de Norvege in 1980 with guitarists Per Frydenlund and bassist Svein Aarbostad. They had a hit record when they performed with pop singer Lillebjørn Nilsen. Larsen started the label Zonic Entertainment to record musicians who have been influenced by Frank Zappa. They recorded the album Strange News from Mars. Willie Nickersons Egg (Hot Club, 2009) No Man's Land (Hot Club, 2024)

With Hot Club de Norvege String Swing (Herman, 1981) Old, New, Borrowed & Blue (Hot Club, 1982) Gloomy (Hot Club, 1984) Swing de Paris (Hot Club, 1986) La Roue Fleurie (Hot Club, 1992) Vertavo (Hot Club, 1995) Moreno (Hot Club, 1999) Swinging with Vertavo, Angelo & Jimmy (Hot Club, 2001) White Night Stories (Hot Club, 2002) A Stranger in Town (Hot Club, 2003) Django Music (Hot Club, 2008) A Portrait of Jon Larsen (2009)

As sideman Lillebjorn Nilsen, Original Nilsen (Studio B, 1982) Lillebjorn Nilsen, Hilsen Nilsen (Grappa, 1985) Ole Paus, Pausposten Extra! (Norsk 1996) Jimmy Rosenberg, Django's Tiger (Hot Club, 2003)

Books Maler I Solnedgang (Painter in the Sunset) – 2009 Norske Meteoritter – 2014 Zappa I Norge – 2015 In Search of Stardust – 2016 (translated to Japanese, Chinese, Norwegian) Robert Normann - Tusenkunstneren fra Sundløkka – 2016 Star Hunter – 2017 Hot Club de Norvège 1979-2019 – 2019 On the Trail of Stardust – 2019 Atlas of Micrometeorites – 2020 How To Find Stardust – 2021 A Life In Pictures – 2023

Film Symphonic Django – Storm Studio – 2007 Jon & Jimmy – Storm Studio – 2010, Winner of the Dutch Edison Award 2010 Fireball – Werner Herzog – 2020