Knut Hamre was born in 1952 in Granvin, in Hardanger. He is one of Norway’s leading Hardanger fiddlers, and has created a distinctive mode of expression. His fiddle playing was influenced primarily by two teachers: Anders Kjerland from Granvin and Eivind Mo from Telemark.
Hamre himself has also been involved in teaching young fiddlers for many years, in addition to pursuing an active career as a performing artist, with solo concerts in Norway and abroad.
He won the first prize at the National Contest for Traditional Music for the first time in 1974, and has since won several more times. He is the only person to win that many first prizes in modern times. He was also awarded the King’s Trophy in 1981. His powerful and lyrical interpretations of fiddle tunes have made him a central figure in the West Coast tradition, and in addition to the awards already mentioned, he has received a number of grants.
In 2000 Knut Hamre received the Anders Kjerland Memorial Prize. In 2017 he was appointed commander of the Order of St. Olav for his oustanding work in Norwegian folk music.
Discography
* Nøringen, with Leif Rygg (Grappa Musikkforlag (MC) HK 7005, 1980)
* Norwegian Folk Songs Grieg Op. 66 &72, with Geir Botnen and Reidun Horvei (Simax PSC 1102, 1993)
* Fargespel (Grappa Musikkforlag HCD 7092, 1993)
* Høgdepunkt frå Landskappleiken (Grappa Musikkforlag HCD 7103, 1994)
* Norsk Folkemusikk 7 (Rogaland og Hordaland) (Grappa Musikkforlag GRCD 4067, 1995)
* Meisterspel, with various artists (Grappa Musikkforlag HCD 7132, 1997)
* Devil’s Tune, with various artists (Grappa Musikkforlag HCD 7139, 1998)
* Toneflaum, with Bjarne Herrefoss and Hallvard T. Bjørgum (Sylvartun SYLVCD 6, 1998)
* Å, with Steve Tibbetts and guest artists Turid Spildo, Marc Anderson and Anthony Cox (Hannibal/Rykodisc HNCD 1438, 1999)
* Håstabøslåttar, together with Åse Teigland and Frank Rolland (1999)
* Rosa – Botnen, with Benedicte Maurseth (Heilo, 2006)
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
