About Cecilie

Cecilie Grundt has performed and recorded with artists such as Vigleik Storaas, Knut Riisnæs, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra & Come Shine, Nils-Olav Johansen, Benny Bennack III, Bjørn Vidar Solli, ØyvindLAND, Cosmic Swing Orchestra and Alternatilla All Woman Jazz Band. As a solo leader, she has toured extensively in Europe and released the five albums 'Contemporary Old School', 'Order and Chaos', 'Live at Dokkhuset', 'Cecilie Grundt & Vigleik Storaas' and 'Illuminate' to critical acclaim.

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Saxophonist and composer Cecilie Grundt (July 13, 1991) was born in Stavanger, Norway. Her family enjoyed listening to both classical and jazz music from their record collection, introducing her to music of Dexter Gordon and Charlie Parker from an early age. No wonder she began playing alto saxophone at the age of nine. She took lessons with Per Olaf Johannesen at the Stavanger Performing Arts School while playing in the local school bands (Madlamark Skolekorps, Rogaland Kretskorps), where she often performed as a soloist. Cecilie was playing both the alto and soprano saxophone at age 14, before the tenor became her obsession at age 17. She listened carefully to numerous jazz recordings, and played along with them. She cites John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and Jan Garbarek as her main influences at that time. She attended the Jazz Improvisation Summer Course at Agder Folkehøgskole in the years 2008-2010, where she played in a band under the direction of Håvard Wiik. While finishing her last year in high school (2009-2010), she played in Sandnes and Stavanger Youth Big Band (SAUS). They played a concert with Even Kruse Skatrud at The Stavanger Jazz Festival (MaiJazz 2010). They also played in the musical "Hjertespranget" with actress Mareike Wang. At the same time Cecilie took lessons with Tor Yttredal at the Department of Music and Dance, where she also played in Bjergsted Jazz Ensemble. The ensemble performed several concerts, among others, with Øyvind Dale at Blå:Trå, and with John Surman at MaiJazz 2010.

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In August 2010 Cecilie moved to Trondheim to attend architecture studies at NTNU (Norwegian University of Science and Technology), where she simultaneously immersed herself in the city’s stimulating jazz environment. In 2011-2012 she attended frequent jam sessions and became a member of Kjellerbandet Big Band, one of the many house bands at Studentersamfundet (The Student Society). They went on a tour "What Goes Around", under the direction of Kristoffer Lo, playing the music of Dave Holland with Knut Riisnæs and Øyvind Brække as soloists. Cecilie also contributed voluntarily as a stage and backdrop worker during the revue UKErevyen 2011 "IMITI". In 2012 Kjellerbandet went on a tour "The Beat Goes On - A tribute to Buddy Rich", featuring Håkon Mjåseth Johansen, Hermund Nygård and Tollef Østvang. She also played one year in the disco band Leisure Suite Lovers. In 2013, Cecilie moved to Spain where she studied at the Polytechnic University of Valencia (UPV), before moving back to Trondheim in 2014, enriched by many new experiences.

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In 2015, while getting her Master’s degree in architecture, Cecilie was accepted into the highly acknowledged jazz department at Trondheim Music Conservatory at NTNU. Being around some of the finest jazz musicians in Northern Europe, she got the opportunity to take both her musical and personal skills to new levels, under the guidance of Eirik Hegdal, Erling Aksdal and Vigleik Storaas, among others. During her studies (2015-2018) she founded her own quintet and quartet, and the electrified baseless quartet Matrjosjka. She also played in Kjellerbandet and in several other bands and big bands, such as Knut Lauritzen Storband, Sintef Storband, S. Møller Storband, Starlight Big Band ('Supernova' - MNJ Records 2021), Zenos Mode, Lykkehjulet, ØYVINDLand ('Malerier' - Øra Fonogram 2020), Front!Front, NTNU Jazz Ensemble and Cosmic Swing Orchestra ('Cosmic Swing Orchestra' - Fjordgata Records 2022). 

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Cecilie graduated from the Trondheim Music Conservatory in June 2018. Two months later, in August, she recorded her first album as a leader, ‘Contemporary Old School’ at the Rainbow Studio in Oslo. The album introduced her first quintet which included some of her friends and former students at the Trondheim Music Conservatory: trumpeter Øyvind Frøberg Mathisen, pianist Håvard Aufles, bassist Morten Berger Stai, and drummer Åsmund Mattias Smidt. The quintet had been playing together for more than three years, developing an original sound as well as a strong communicative interplay. The album was released at AMP Music & Records in June 2019 and gained a very positive response, from among others, Downbeat, saying “Cecilie Grundt’s eclectic arrangements offer a taste of Norway’s innovative jazz scene”. Cecilie was introduced as a rising star at the Kongsberg Jazz Festival in 2019. She also played a concert with Trondheim Jazz Orchestra & Come Shine at The Big Challenge. 

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“Cecilie Grundt’s eclectic arrangements offer a taste of Norway’s innovative jazz scene”

- Jessica Zimmer, Downbeat

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Her second album, ‘Order and Chaos’ was recorded in March 2019 and released at AMP Music & Records in July 2020. The album introduced Cecilie's first quartet, which included the award-winning pianist Vigleik Storaas (an important educator at the Trondheim Music Conservatory), and two of her friends from Trondheim: bassist David Andersson and drummer Martin Heggli Mellem. The album paid tribute to the classical jazz quartet, inspired by the American 50's and 60's jazz, in particular the albums of saxophonists John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Sonny Rollins and Joe Henderson from Blue Note and Impulse. The album received excellent reviews, from among others, Jazz Journal, writing “Superior modern jazz from the saxophonist, making her second appearance as leader”.

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During her studies at the Trondheim Music Conservatory, Cecilie experimented with incorporating effects pedals into her playing. She formed an electrified baseless quartet, named Matrjosjka, which included Ingrid Øygard Steinkopf on fender Rhodes and synth, Tore Hodneland on guitar, and Åsmund Mattias Smidt on drums and percussion. The band recorded the EP 'Matrjosjka' in March 2019, which was released in January 2021.

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In January 2020 Cecilie moved to Oslo, and her quintet played a showcase concert at the BMW Welt Jazz Award 2020 in Munich. She went on two tours with her quartet in Norway the two following years in between the Covid-19 lockdowns. In 2021 Cecilie became a member of the Alternatilla All-Woman Jazz Band (founded by the Alternatilla Jazz Festival) together with Marta Garrett (vocal), Kika Sprangers (alto saxophone), Aga Derlak (piano), Blanca Barranco (bass) and Naile Sosa (drums). The band played several concerts in Mallorca and Menorca.

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On 21 October 2022, her third album 'Cecilie Grundt & Vigleik Storaas' was released on her own label, Grundt Records. The duo album was recorded in February the same year and consists entirely of classic jazz songs. The album received very good reviews, from among others, Textura, writing “A strong chemistry has developed between Grundt and Storaas since they first met at the Trondheim Music Conservatory, and their new recording shows their rapport to be at a high level", and Salt Peanuts saying: "This has become a recording with the student and the mentor, and they have clearly found the tone, both among themselves and in the choice of jazz standards."

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Her fourth album, 'Live at Dokkhuset' was released 1 May 2024 on Grundt Records. The album was recorded live 29 March 2019 at Dokkhuset in Trondheim, and it contains six original compositions performed by Cecilie Grundt and her eclectic quintet, featuring jazz star Nils-Olav Johansen on guitar, banjo and vocal. Nils-Olav Johansen is considered a central figure in modern jazz and improvisational music in Norway, and he is one of the co-founders of the group Farmers Market, which incorporates elements from pop, rock and Bulgarian folk music. 

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Grundt’s fifth album 'Illuminate' was released 18 October 2024 on Grundt Records. It was recorded at the Newtone Studio on March 7 the same year, and features Grundt on tenor with her longstanding quartet featuring pianist Vigleik Storaas, bassist David Andersson, and drummer Frederik Villmow. The music nods towards the tradition of Keith Jarrett’s American Quartet, and to Thelonious Monk, and is modernist in approach. Four of the seven pieces are composed by Grundt, and one by Storaas, together with the quartet's interpretations of 'Nature Boy' and 'The Night Has A Thousand Eyes'. The album received excellent reviews, from among others, Textura, writing "Though the set was recorded on March 7, 2024 at Newtone Studio in Oslo, a blindfolded listener could be forgiven for thinking the session might have taken place fifty years earlier at a studio in Hackensack, New Jersey", and Jazz Fun saying: "Cecilie Grundt spoils us again with expressive and soulful music. Solid compositions, interesting arrangements and brilliant, imaginative improvisations ensure that there is no chance of boredom. A very good album worth listening to."

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In 2025 Cecilie studied composition for large jazz ensembles at the Norwegian Academy of Music (NMH) under the guidance of Helge Sunde and Geir Lysne. During her studies she composed for The Norwegian Radio Orchestra (KORK), Det Norske Blåseensemble and The Norwegian Academy Of Music Extended Big Band.

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Cecilie has been a member of the artistic board for the Trondheim Jazzfestival (Jazzfest) from 2018-2025.