Petter Wettre (born 11 August 1967)[1] is a Norwegian Jazz musician (Saxophone) and composer,[2] known from a number of album recordings, accompanied by receiving the Spellemannprisen two times.[3]
Wettre was born and raised in Sandefjord. He studied music at the Toneheim Folk High School (1987), and later at the Berklee College of MusicinBoston (1992), where he studied under the guidance of international Jazz Profiles like Dave Liebman[3] and George Garzone. Moving back to Norway, he immediately formed his own Quartet with engagement at the Kongsberg Jazzfestival in 1993, followed by a Norway Tour in 1994.[2] Eventually, he settled in Oslo and he distinguished himself at the Oslo Jazz Scenes with his own Trio and Quartet, and sat in with the "Storeslem" (Big Band) and "Sandefjord Big Band", toured with his own trio in Tribute to Ornette Coleman (1994), sat in with the band Time Out (1994–95), on tour with Øystein Sevåg's Global House (1995–96), Shirley Bassey (1995–96), played within the bands "Graffiti", "Horns for hire", Oslo Groove Company and Norske Store Orkester.[2] Breakthrough as a jazz musician came with the representation of Norway at the EBU concert in Prague in 1995. He also appears on recordings with, among Others Torbjørn Sunde's Meridians (1998), Frode Alnæs's Frode (1996), the Element – Shaman (1999) and Oslo Groove Company – Anno (1996).[4]
Wettre runs the record label "Household Records" (from 2002), has given lectures Oslo musikkonservatorium and Agder Musikkonservatorium, and released Elvin Jones transcripts in the book Live at the lighthouse (2005).[3] He was a nominee for the 2011 Spellemannprisen, this was his sixth nomination for this Award, an award he received for the album The only way to travel (2000) and for the album Fountain of Youth (2007). This time it was not for an album, but the duets with drummer Audun Kleive, only available as audio and video files, not released on any album.[6]
Although most renown for the projects Petter Wettre Quartet and Petter Wettre Trio with numerous solid contributions to the jazz scene, he is also highly evaluated for the numerous meetings with international Jazz stars over the past few years. Giants as Dave Liebman, Joey DeFrancesco, Kenny Wheeler, Adam Nussbaum and Manu Katche do not decline an opportunity to cooperate with this important Norwegian profiled saxophonist.[5] Wettre is the first choice when the French drummer Manu Katché seek a saxophone substitute for Jan Garbarek in the international Manu Katché Quintet.[6][7]
This autumn Wettre will choose from the top shelf, when introducing himself to the Oslo Jazz audience, with a series of live concerts at the "Viktoria Nasjonale Jazzscene". First sprinkle star comes in the form of a duo with Jason Rebello, which Wettre tuned in with while sitting in with the Manu Katche Quartett. Labello is a permanent member of this quartet and known for collaboration with Star musicians like Sting, Peter Gabriel and Jan Garbarek. Wettre and Labello were united in musical unfolding again on stage on 18 October 2012 in Oslo.[8]
