Asmund Bjørken should not be confused with Aasmund Bjørkan.
| Asmund Bjørken | |
| Birth Date: | 1933 8, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Verdal, Norway |
| Death Place: | Levanger, Norway |
| Instrument: | Saxophone, bukkehorn |
| Genre: | Jazz, traditional music |
| Occupation: | Musician, composer |
| Label: | Sonor Records |
Asmund Bjørken (19 August 1933 – 29 January 2018)[1] was a Norwegian musician who played the accordion and saxophone in the genres of jazz and folk. He was self-taught.[2]
Bjørken was part of Harry Waagens Orchestra, a central band on the Trondheim Jazz scene in 1949–53. He later had his own orchestras in Steinkjer (1956–57) and Trondheim (1957–). In the lineups was among others Karl Holst (clarinet and saxophone, 1957–), Kjell Johansen (drums, 1957–) and Bjørn Alterhaug (bass, 1966–). I. 1990 the orchestra consisted of Oddmund Finnseth, Ove Bjørken (guitar), Per Olaf Green and Rolf Skogstad. Av utenlandske samarbeid kan nevnes Bengt Hallberg, Benny Bailey, Mads Vinding.
In the 1980s he played in Egil Kapstad/Rowland Greenberg Quartet, and since 1990 he has led own Asmund Bjørken Swing Sextet, which inter alia Ove Bjørken, Bjørn Alterhaug and Bjørn Krokfoss are included, as well as Erling Aksdal (piano).
He released the autobiography Spellemann, på gammel rutine og støgg mistanke in 2003, and a portrait of him vas put up at the Norwegian television channel NRK in 2003, called Asmund i Himmelriket, by Andreas Lunnan.[3]