Robert Normann
(27.06.1916 - 20.05.1998)
One of the greatest European Jazz musicians of all time!
The sad message from Østfold in Norway is that Robert Normann the jazz guitarist is dead at the age of 81. The Norwegian poet Olaf Bull wrote "This madness, that when a single person dies; time, streets, whole worlds sink into the sea". Normann has passed away, and an entire musical universe has disappeared. Normann was a legend far beyond the borders of Norway. One person that recognised the genius in Normann's playing was Django Reinhardt, who is reported to have said: "Why do you want me to come to Norway? You've got Robert Normann!" Normann's career from the 1930's onward involved moving from a succession of bands, and from dance hall to dance hall. But not even the most rigorous demands for "dance music" could prevent Normann from developing into a world class jazz musician, immortalized on five fabulous CD's with practically everything he has played in, Robert Normann's collective works. They should be bound in leather.
Obitutuary: Fredrik Wandrup, June 1998
He has had his own museum and is praised on the international stage as one of the jazz world's original guitar pioneers. For most of his life he lived an isolated and withdrawn existence, and avoided the press. Jazz aficionado Knut Borge labeled him the jazz world's Greta Garbo, but who really was this Norwegian - the jazz world’s best-kept secret?
Robert Uno Normann by his own words, got music "with his mother's milk". His earliest memories from his childhood are connected to positive experiences of enjoying playing and making music at home. Everyone played an instrument, and at the end of a hard working day, a musical warm-up with Donauwellen was compulsory before the evening's improvised concert on the accordion, mandolin and guitar. Robert stood by a crack in the door and listened - until he was old enough to take part.
His father (1) and grandfather had been itinerant workers at the nickel plant in the Czar's Petersburg, where the Russian peasants gathered on Sundays to play music and sing. So it was not unusual to hear mournful Russian peasant songs ringing out from the Normann childhood home in Sundløkka at Borge, near Sarpsborg. Robert Normann had an ear for music and learnt to play without tuition. He later learnt the accordion and tenor sax.
His first encounter with jazz was a clarinet on the radio in around 1926. This was early radio history, where the first radio broadcasts in Oslo had started under private managment only the year before. The studios were in Brødrene Hals piano works in Klingenberggaten. In the very same year his mother died, leaving his father to care for the four children alone (2). Just a couple of years on and Robert, together with the accordionist Sverre Samuelsen are playing a larger, mixed repertoire of foxtrot and jazz. Sixty years later he came out with the statement that "better jazz has never been played on the accordion". His first playing job gave a welcome increase in his pocket money, but when "Zinken" the zinc works where his single parent father worked, closed in 1928 - things got serious. Robert Uno Normann's professional career began here. Dreams of becoming a mechanic had to give way to the family's more pressing need for a solid income, vital to ease the family’s difficult situation, and for Robert the choice had to be music. Twelve years old, with a guitar, a natural affinity for Russian gypsy ballads, and with a burgeoning curiosity toward jazz, Robert's wandering existence began. A noteworthy biographical parallel to another great guitarist, who had cut his debut platter in the same year - Django Reinhardt.
His first venture out as a "bum" was to Moss, and Robert proudly wound his way home from the outside world with cash in his pockets and had learnt to swear and spit just like the locals. Over the next few years the duo of Sverre Samuelsen and Robert Normann became a trio, with the addition of Sverre Selmer Johansen on Drums, and the general depression in Norway spurred the young trio of dance musicians on even more. They occupied themselves with playing gigs, and their repertoire for the most part was plain old dance music.
Normann's encounter with accordion virtuoso and vagabond Willy Eriksen was the stimulation he'd been waiting for, and soon after the trio broke up and Normann and Eriksen led the life of vagabonds and buskers. As street entertainers they could earn a little cash - but it wasn't exactly demanding musically. The fact that they travelled around 150 miles on foot to Kragerø, busking as they went - because of a rumour of pea soup selling for only a few pence, even though it was "so thick the spoon stood up!" - gives an indication of the times they were living in. They travelled the length and breadth of Norway, and became familiar faces to musicians and travelling people. Music was not something you heard every day in those days, and they got a good reception pretty well everywhere they played. However, there is one newspaper cutting from this period, which tells of the two underage vagrants, arrested in Bodø and taken home. Robert Normann had fond recollections of this part of his life - a period full of powerful impulses, for a free spirit with a need to wander and explore. They busked as they went.
From the mid 1930's their trips increasingly led to Oslo. The suntanned musicians now had an exciting repertoire, which included the semi-classical swashbuckling style of the accordion kings - Robert Deiro and Pietro Frosini. Robert Normann and Willy Eriksen, sometimes with the guitarist Hans Larsen, spent three or four years busking, mostly in the streets and backyards of the capital. A breath of fresh air and (surprisingly enough) a relatively lucrative business in the depression hit Norwegian towns and cities of the 1930's.
Following their debut radio broadcast (under the management of Leif Rustad) in the newly formed NRK (Norwegian National Radio - formed in 1933) in Klingenberggaten, they all agreed that they were wasting their time: they made three times as much as buskers on their patch in town! Guitarist Hans Larsen's comment during one of their rare indoor session jobs at this time says it all. "Are we gonna sit here losin' money?"
Robert was challenged by the difficult accordion pieces - and learnt to play them on the guitar. As gradually, he got the hang of the technical side of guitar playing, he started "embellishing" the melodies. Starting with small improvements and subtle ornamentation he gradually introduced longer improvisational work into his play. "We tried to create a little something," explained Robert. The repertoire was completed with film music, hits and jazz. The rumours spread, of the thin guitarist who played in the back streets.
Many people claim the honour of having discovered Robert Normann, but following an invitation from the guitarist Finn Westbye, he found his own way to Sissener's Bar in Oslo. This was the home venue of Westbye and the Funny Boys, who were the best jazz band in Oslo. Westbye had already seen Django Reinhardt in Paris in 1934 and now worked occasionally for Carl M Iversen’s music business in Youngsgate, which was also a recording studio. After a brief introduction Robert and Finn Westbye began playing together there after closing.
At the same time, Fritjof Linnaae, raised in Spain, with a French mother, moved to Norway. Like the dandy he was, he took the stage name Freddie Valier. It was his idea to try to form a Norwegian string quartet à la Django Reinhardt and the Quintette du Hot Club de France. In the winter of 1937-38 Freddie Valier’s String Swing started; with Freddie Valier (guitarist and singer), Robert Normann and Stein Musum (and later on, Finn Westbye) on guitars, Arild Iversen (violin), and Fredrik Lange-Nielsen (bass). Strengthened by the vocal talents of the singer Betty Moe the band entered the studio on the 5th December 1938 and played four tunes - one of the first music sessions in Norway that was consciously jazz.
Django Reinhardt and QHCF came to Norway on the 8th of February 1939 and held two concerts in the Gamle Logen in Oslo. The presitigious venue was full to bursting, and the audience spellbound. Even the notorious music critic, the composer Pauline Hall (feared for her unmerciful reviews), praised the orchestra for their cultivated musical style. She called Django an artist, but she is also said to have been more than a little disparaging over Stéphane Grappelli’s violin playing, which she compared to a cat’s miaowing! The entire String Swing sat on the front row.
21-year old Robert Normann was convinced that Django sat and stared at him as he played. In the interval Finn Westbye took the rest of the band with him backstage, and introduced them to the friends he had made in Paris five years earlier. Robert recalled many years later "it got better afterwards - in the second set I could hear what he played!" Backstage after the concert it was Django that got the surprise: Robert was passed the legendary Maccaferry guitar, and played some improvised solos. After listening for a while, Django smiled broadly and is reputed to have said: "What do you want me for? You've got Robert Normann!" But as Robert said: "None of us knew any French....".
The following month Freddie Valier's String Swing held a new studio session, following which the conductor quit, reportedly to devote himself to singing. He was probably the only one in the group guided by the impulses from the French jazz manouche. After this Robert kept the band’s name as String Swing, but later when there was a move away from using non-Norwegian titles, they became Robert Normanns Strengekvartett.
War had now broken out in other parts of the world, and in another part of the globe a guitarist by the name of Charlie Christian was writing his name in the annals of jazz history.
One might ask where the elegant improvisational style Normann developed at this time came from, it had no apparent connections to Django, preceded Charlie Christian, and was a far more modern interpretation than the style of Eddie Lang. The jazz historian Johs Bergh suggests that Robert "in the world he lived in" developed a unique style, in the same manner as Charlie Christian did in the USA, and Oscar Alemán in Argentina, essentially by listening primarily to prominent performers on other instruments. It seems that the saxophonists Leon "Chu" Berry and Coleman Hawkins were for Robert Normann what Lester Young was for Charlie Christian.
In autumn 1939, after playing in the band at a Bernau-performance at the New Theatre in Oslo, Robert replaces the guitarist Sverre Jensen in The Hot Kiddies. Shortly afterwards the band changed their name to that of the conductor and pianist - Gunnar Dues Kvartett. They held a regular spot at The Lido, in Oslo - now the Restaurant Larsen in Majorstua. They played six days a week at the onset of the war - but with the increasing restrictions a new period as freelancer begins for Robert. He is a leading character in the town`s jazz scene at the height of the swing movement in Norway, 1941.
At about this time the electric guitar began its triumphant appearance on the world stage. Robert Normann built his first electronic pickup from stolen telephone magnets, copper wire, pitch, and a small wooden plate. The results were amazing, and can be heard on the session with the all-star band Syv Muntre from 1942-43. The mechanically minded guitarist quickly felt at ease with the new technology - and quickly headed down new tracks. At the same time he took the job at Löwenbräu in Klingenberggaten, Oslo, where he developed his increasing alcoholism. His two children were born during this period, Robert Jr. (born 1943) and Edgar (born 1946), after which Robert Normann became something of a rare bird in a jazz context.. He began to lead a turbulent life, and there are numerous stories of street fights where Robert used his notorious headbutt, having to pull the teeth from his forehead afterwards. There are also many stories of gatherings where normally hidden body parts were revealed to one and all - with and without a red bow. Few other "organs" in the Norwegian jazz milieu have been the subject of as much discussion and myth.
After the war Normann spent two decades working in Radio, theatre, cabaret and as a restaurant musician. One year at the Karl Johan Revue theatre, several years at Edderkoppen, Chat Noir, Dronningen, and other Oslo venues. Robert Normann was a much sought after accompanist, who could follow the slightest lead from the soloist. Svend Asmussen and other well-known bandleaders tried in vain to get Robert to join them, but he was a free spirit, preferring to fish for eel from his houseboat in Frognerkilen, write music, and be a free man.
Radiohuset in Marienlyst was finished in 1950, and his drinking buddy Otto Nilsen's weekly radio programme Søndagsposten became an important source of work. Sessions from the Radiohuset form the main body of Normann`s preserved works. This was a diverse artistic arena, including the poet Alf Prøysen, who Robert composed for. It is also a subject of discussion whether the many gypsy ballads Alf Prøysen used in his texts where supplied and arranged by Robert, who knew this repertoire from his years as a vagrant - sometimes living among the gypsies.
The Hardanger fiddle (Hardingfele - in Norwegian) virtuoso, Sigbjørn Bernhoft Osa and Robert also entered into a lifelong friendship, and Osa's repertoire of Norwegian folk songs was a big influence on Robert's playing style. There were also plentiful opportunites in Søndagsposten for experiments with multi-track recording and the use of production tricks. Les Paul's results in the same field were followed with interest by Robert, but after a short period gave up searching for the "pure" technique for other challenges. Robert returned to the guitar, and incorporated the polyphonic style and basslines from the multi-track into a unique new style, where the arrangements constitute the principal element. From the outside this appears related to the harmonically sophisticated chord/lead style of his contemporary George Van Eps, but Robert Normanns colouring was something quite different.
After 1959 Robert was practically speaking absent in terms of pure jazz. On the other hand he contribute to several recordings under various pseudonyms, where for the most part he played modestly in the background. He called himself "The Fixer" - the person they rang when problems arose in the studio. He came to the studio boss Arne Bendiksen asking for double the fee as he did "double the work of everyone else". The search for recordings of Robert Normann in recent years has revealed numerous contributions made by Normann in Sweden and Denmark. In Denmark, Robert’s song "tittel" became a hit, still played frequently on Danish radio, which continues to generate TONO (The Norwegian Performing Rights Society) royalties. Perhaps this may be part of the explanation of the mystery that following Robert's death, a bank account was found in his estate containing in excess of one million Norwegian kroner. The hard up Norwegian pensioner and his wife had barely enough to keep the wolf from the door.
The first regular TV broadcasts went on the air in the 1960's, and from the beginning Erik Bye and his bandleader Willy Andresen played a prominent role. Robert was often the guitarist in the band, and did an excellent job, but had problems when it came to appearing on screen in the new media. During a live broadcast where Erik Bye was meant to interview Robert, who was to play a solo piece, Robert wore a cap and refused to show his face. They quickly found a solution by using a board, which was placed in front of Robert - and was all the viewers got to see, while Robert played.
Robert Normann was a perfectionist. Everything he became involved in, he did thoroughly and in his own way. This also applied to his relationship with alcohol. For around 25 years, from the end of the Second World War the bottle played a large part in his life. As he put it, his life revolved around the poison, and he said that the reason he survived was because he "ate on Fridays!" The bottle of spirits that always accompanied the guitarist was legendary throughout the industry, and he marked it every complete hour to avoid going dry. Strangely enough it seems that he managed to carry out his professional obligations satisfactorily, in spite of his chronic alcohol abuse. The penalty paid in terms of his private life however was high, with children in care and domestic violence at home. There is a story of a stabbing episode and of a removable plaster cast Normann kept in the chest of drawers - for the next time he broke his arm.
On the other hand, we never hear of Robert ever producing unsatisfactory work in musical terms, in contrast to many other alcoholics to be found among the dark chapters of Norwegian jazz history. One explanation may be that Robert chose his projects wisely, and lay low for long periods. Demanding solo roles, or jazz pieces, were few and far between during this period, but 100 shows with banjo and guitar in the children's musical "Hakkebakkeskogen" under the leadership of Torbjørn Egner also needed someone to fill the role. Another explanation may be that Robert had already attempted abstinence off and on, in the early sixties by taking Antabus. All the same, it seems somewhat of a miracle that Robert Normann managed to make it through the years of alcoholism with his honour intact.
At the end of the sixties Robert broke from his life in Oslo and gradually moved back to the croft Hauglund Østre, in Kvastebyen, near Skjeberg in Østfold. Here he began a new life, without alcohol, getting by on small-scale subsistence farming. This is where the smallholder, inventor, wood turner and mechanic Robert Normann blossomed. Kristian Salater, bass player and employed in the archives at NRK had a cabin in the neighbourhood, and became one of Robert's close friends. The small house was ramshackle and delapidated, and with the land it was Robert's for 30,000 Kroner. Now followed difficult years of ground preparation. Robert Normann’s life as a smallholder and inventor is a story in itself.
Just after he was employed as musical leader for The Norwegian National Travelling Theatre - a position noted for its contrasting elements - the need for classic discipline and the ability to cope with a peripatetic lifestyle. Both were essential for Robert. He felt the limitations of the popular music of the time frustrating, and longed to create greater musical works. He composed a piece for orchestra, and wrote brilliant music for a number of theatre pieces and some film scores. He still dreamed of composing a concert for guitar and a large orchestra, which unfortunately never came to be.
On the other hand there are many brilliant recordings from the ephemeral media of broadcasting, where Robert's mature and distinctive playing style, a hybrid of jazz and classical, unfolds in all its glory. Among the best are a handful of tunes recorded as intermission music for black and white TV in 1971 (an alternative to the fish that were normally shown). Three years later NRK would start test broadcasts in colour, and among the first was a new series of intermission music with Robert Normann.
In the 70's jazz researcher Jan Evensmo produces a solography of Roberts known jazz recordings, and for the first time Robert Normann was presented in an analytical context alongside Oscar Alemán and Charlie Christian.
Some years later NRK replaced Robert's intermission music on TV with the Hot Club de Norvège, and Per Frydenlund and the undersigned dared to knock on the old maestro’s front door. Robert Normann opened up, took one look at us, and shouted over his shoulder to his wife "Gunvor, these are the ones that have been irritating us so damn much on the TV!" But he was forgiving and invited us in for a jam session we’d never forget. So began a partnership, which, among other things resulted in the re-release of Robert Normann's collected jazz recordings on four CD's in January 1989.
Flushed with the success of the record release, Robert Normann allowed himself to be persuaded to meet the old boys in a local radio studion in May the same year. The result of this is five new recordings, with a lyrical expression unequalled in Norwegian guitar history.
In the nineties the Lapp guitarist Anders Somby discovered an interest for Robert Normann's music, and set out on a journey to "crack the code" for Robert's unfathomable playing style. The results of Somby's year long study are presented in book form (3) where the most familiar recordings are written down in notation.
At the age of 75, Robert Normann begins the composition of a new musical serial. Normann's old friend, the bass player Håkon Nilsen is now dead, so Robert designs a guitar on which he can hit the basslines at the same time, titled "Sju stubbær for én gitar og trommer" (Seven songs for one guitar and drums). The piece was recorded on local radio the following year. This was an eclectic piece, with elements from all Normann's musical experience - including the mournful Russian ballads, which hearken back to his upbringing in Sundløkka. In his post graduate thesis (4) "Med harmonier og melodi i samme hånd" (With harmonies and melody in the same hand) Anders Somby has tried to analyse Robert's style in later years, and compares it to the "nearly extinct rhythm guitar style" from 30's USA.
Robert spent his remaining years with Gunvor in Kvastebyen.He celebrated his 80th birthday with family and friends, and fellow artists queued up to pay homage in front of a packed house in Sarpsborg. Normann stayed at home.
Author: Jon Larsen, March 2000
The author Jon Larsen is also a guitarist in the Hot Club de Norvège, and has studied Robert Normann and his music since the end of the seventies.
Contributions: Gunvor and Robert Normann, Eddy Normann, Jan Evensmo, Johs Bergh, Bjørn Stendahl, Finn Westbye, Fred Lange-Nielsen, Rolf Nilsen, Anders Somby, Svend Asmussen, Arne Bendiksen, Kjell Karlsen, Bjørn Igeland, Randi Hultin and Øystein Ringstad.
Footnotes;
(1) Carl Gustav Normann, originally Swedish, was a stonecutter and cinema musician (lute and guitar). He led the the Sarpsborg string trio in around 1905. There is a Swedish branch of the family with a Ronny Normann.
(2) Märtha, Gjertrud, Thorbjørn and Robert. Edgar Normann feels there may have been another sister.
(3) Produced by Hot Club Records, and released by Frost Forlag as.
(4) Oslo University, autumn 2001.
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