Danish bassist Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen died Wednesday night at age 58.
The bassist had been playing professionally since he was 14 and Count Basie offered 17-year-old Pedersen a spot in his orchestra, which Pedersen had to turn down. Instead, he worked regularly as the house bassist at the Club Montmarte and was a member of the Danish Radio Orchestra.
Musicians regularly asked for Pedersen when the passed through Denmark on international tours and, as a result, Pedersen has performed with artists including Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, Roland Kirk, Dexter Gordon, Bud Powell and Albert Ayler. Pedersen was also a member of the Oscar Peterson Trio and recorded for SteepleChase and Pablo Records.
No further details surrounding Pedersen’s death were available.
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