Denmark's SteepleChase Records remains one of the great jazz labels. Founded by Nils Winther in 1972, SteepleChase early on recorded many American jazz giants who began to tour regularly in Europe or had moved there for steady work. If not for Nils, we wouldn't have important recordings by Horace Parlan, Doug Raney, Kenny Drew, Joe Albany, Jackie McLean, Connie Crothers, Duke Jordan, Dexter Gordon and so many others. That's because by the 1970s, most American labels had all but given up on acoustic jazz in favor of fusion, rock, soul, disco and their subcategories. Nils recorded many of these musicians' second and third chapters, and he continues to record today.
In this regard, I've always considered Nils a jazz hero, just like the owners of other European labels whose passion for jazz led them preserve the music made by American players and by their own countrymen and women. Unfortunately, these owners don't get the credit they deserve for tirelessly and tastefully documenting the output of important musicians. Nils never expected to get filthy rich doing so. Just knowing that he could capture stunning art and protect it for future generations was enough. Nils is someone who deserves every jazz fan's respect and applause. You can find the SteepleChase discography here.
A long-time JazzWax fan and long-distance friend, Nils agreed to answer questions by email. Here's our e-chat:
JazzWax: Nils, when were you born, and where did you grow up?
Nils Winther: I was born March 5, 1944. I grew up in the town of Virum, Denmark (above), a suburb about 16 miles north of Copenhagen. Both of my parents were school teachers.
JW: Was music a big part of your household?
NW: We did not have a phonograph, so we did not have recorded music. We had the radio. And my parents had been taught to play the violin as part of their education, so they played at home. I never liked the instrument’s sound. Around the time I was 10, my parents bought a small piano and I was “forced” to take piano lessons. I didn’t enjoy the classical music or exercises. One day, I heard jazz on the radio and liked what was playing very much. To my surprise, I learned it was violinist Svend Asmussen (above), one of the greatest Danish jazz musicians. I had no idea a violin could sound so good.
JW: What was the first record you purchased?
NW: In 1955, when I was 11, my grandparents gave me a gramophone that played 78s. The first record I bought said “Armstrong” on the sleeve. But when I arrived home I discovered the 78 wasn't by Louis but by bandleader and pianist Lil Armstrong, Louis's second wife. She played The Pearl on one side. I still have that 78 somewhere in my music room.
JW: Was jazz a big deal then in Denmark?
NW: Yes, particularly Dixieland jazz, because it was so happy and upbeat. When I was 14, my parents gave me a trumpet for Christmas, with the condition that I take lessons from Knud Hovaldt. At the time, he played the solos in the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
JW: How were the lessons?
NW: Good, but I was interested in jazz. Before long, I was playing with schoolmates in a Dixieland band. I also played a little bass. My career as a musician went like this: piano, trumpet/bass, tenor saxophone, tape recorder.
JW: What years were you at Copenhagen University?
NW: I started in 1965 after spending two years in the Army. I studied Danish Literature and French language.
JW: Do you remember the first time you went to hear jazz at Copenhagen's famed Jazzhus Montmartre?
NW: Absolutely. It was in September 1962, and I went there to hear pianist Bud Powell; bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, who was 15 at the time; and Jørn Elniff on drums. That evening was a revelation, as you can imagine. But I had already heard live jazz in concert several years earlier. In 1959, I saw Buck Clayton and Jimmy Rushing accompanied by musicians from Count Basie's band. The second concert that night featured the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet. I found the tapes that were recorded that night many years later and issued both concerts on SteepleChase. I also saw trombonist Kid Ory with the great trumpeter Red Allen in 1959. But the Bud Powell Trio in 1962 was something else.
JW: How did you come to start recording at Jazzhus Montmartre?
NW: I was given a room upstairs at the Montmartre in 1969. Danish Radio had installed cables from the stage to that room for their broadcasts, which took place between 1964 and 1967. Like many jazz fans then, I was helping the club survive the overwhelming popularity of the Beatles and other young rock bands. Along the way, I got to know local players such as Kenny Drew, Niels-Henning, Alex Riel, Dexter Gordon and many others. They allowed me to tape their performances.
JW: Did you know much about recording equipment?
NW: No. Nor did I know about mic placement and recording. I had owned a tape recorder since 1965 that I used to record broadcasts off the radio from the Montmartre, but recording live was new to me. While trading records with jazz collectors in Denmark and abroad, I had bought a small Uher portable mixer powered by a battery. It had five channels—two on the left, two on the right and one in the center. I also purchased a few microphones—a Revox A77 and a very heavy Teac reel-to-reel tape recorder. I enjoyed taping the performances. Pianist Kenny Drew was especially helpful getting musicians to allow me to record them.
JW: When did you decide to start SteepleChase Records?
NW: As I recall, Jackie McLean suggested I start a label. He was in Copenhagen during the summer of 1972. That's when Kenny introduced us. I recorded Jackie over five or six nights in August. One evening a week later, when I was recording Dexter, Jackie showed up and said I should release a record from the tapes I had made of him. We made an agreement, and I had just enough money to press 500 copies. The album was Jackie McLean Quartet: Live at Montmartre. It was SteepleChase's first release.
JW: Why did you call the label SteepleChase?
NW: It’s one of my favorite Charlie Parker tunes.
JW: You recorded all the greats, from the beginning. Which musicians were most helpful?
NW: My friendship with Kenny Drew, Niels-Henning and Dexter opened a lot of doors for me and led to my first studio date, in 1973, with Kenny and Niels-Henning, call Duo. Then Johnny Griffin and Joe Albany contacted me and suggested I start reaching out to musicians I wanted to record, like Paul Bley, Tete Montoliu, Anthony Braxton, Ken McIntyre, Clifford Jordan and so on. Many of them came to Copenhagen to gig and record for my label. In 1974, I made my first trip to New York and recorded Jackie McLean, Billy Gault and Andrew Hill on that trip.
JW: Who did you wish you had recorded but for some reason could not?
NW: My all-time favorite musician, Miles Davis. He was out of my range, and so was Sonny Rollins. I tried to get him and Dexter together in the studio, but Sonny's wife, Lucille, wouldn't let that happen.
JW: When did you start recording guitarist Doug Raney?
NW: Our first recording took place in Copenhagen on September 28, 1977. At the time, Doug was playing with pianist Horace Parlan. I remember sitting at a table at the Montmartre with Doug. He didn’t know I ran SteepleChase. He said Horace mentioned he might get an invitation to record for the label and that he hoped that was the case.
JW: How did that go?
NW: I wanted pianist Duke Jordan on the first session. Doug had worked with bassist Hugo Rasmussen. I wanted him to use Billy Hart, who I had in Copenhagen for his recording with Niels-Henning’s trio. Doug did not know Billy and was skeptical, but he accepted my proposal. The result was Introducing Doug Raney.
JW: Why did Doug travel to Copenhagen and why did he remain there?
NW: Doug first arrived in early 1977 together with his father, guitarist Jimmy Raney. Doug stayed, I think, because he met his first wife here. She worked at the Montmartre as a waitress. He had problems getting a permit to stay in Denmark, so we gave him and his girlfriend a ticket to New York, where they got married. Then he could return for an extended period. They later divorced, and he married again. He had a son with his second wife.
JW: What was Doug like?
NW: Doug was an extremely nice person. He was easy to work with. The last time I saw Doug perform was about two years before he passed in 2016. He saw me and looked away. After the set, he came over and said he knew I could hear he was not able to play as well as he had in the past.
JW: Doug remains one of the great jazz guitarists. An astonishing talent who, sadly, lived as a functioning alcoholic. He passed away in a homeless shelter in Denmark, yes?
NW: He did. His life was so tragic. It's heartbreaking. He was extremely talented and very serious and critical about his music. Alcoholism capsized his career.
JW: What would you say are your five most important albums in terms of beauty and preserving jazz history?
NW: Every single one of them is important, but if you insist, here are my picks:
In this regard, I've always considered Nils a jazz hero, just like the owners of other European labels whose passion for jazz led them preserve the music made by American players and by their own countrymen and women. Unfortunately, these owners don't get the credit they deserve for tirelessly and tastefully documenting the output of important musicians. Nils never expected to get filthy rich doing so. Just knowing that he could capture stunning art and protect it for future generations was enough. Nils is someone who deserves every jazz fan's respect and applause. You can find the SteepleChase discography here.
A long-time JazzWax fan and long-distance friend, Nils agreed to answer questions by email. Here's our e-chat:
JazzWax: Nils, when were you born, and where did you grow up?
Nils Winther: I was born March 5, 1944. I grew up in the town of Virum, Denmark (above), a suburb about 16 miles north of Copenhagen. Both of my parents were school teachers.
JW: Was music a big part of your household?
NW: We did not have a phonograph, so we did not have recorded music. We had the radio. And my parents had been taught to play the violin as part of their education, so they played at home. I never liked the instrument’s sound. Around the time I was 10, my parents bought a small piano and I was “forced” to take piano lessons. I didn’t enjoy the classical music or exercises. One day, I heard jazz on the radio and liked what was playing very much. To my surprise, I learned it was violinist Svend Asmussen (above), one of the greatest Danish jazz musicians. I had no idea a violin could sound so good.
JW: What was the first record you purchased?
NW: In 1955, when I was 11, my grandparents gave me a gramophone that played 78s. The first record I bought said “Armstrong” on the sleeve. But when I arrived home I discovered the 78 wasn't by Louis but by bandleader and pianist Lil Armstrong, Louis's second wife. She played The Pearl on one side. I still have that 78 somewhere in my music room.
JW: Was jazz a big deal then in Denmark?
NW: Yes, particularly Dixieland jazz, because it was so happy and upbeat. When I was 14, my parents gave me a trumpet for Christmas, with the condition that I take lessons from Knud Hovaldt. At the time, he played the solos in the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra.
JW: How were the lessons?
NW: Good, but I was interested in jazz. Before long, I was playing with schoolmates in a Dixieland band. I also played a little bass. My career as a musician went like this: piano, trumpet/bass, tenor saxophone, tape recorder.
JW: What years were you at Copenhagen University?
NW: I started in 1965 after spending two years in the Army. I studied Danish Literature and French language.
JW: Do you remember the first time you went to hear jazz at Copenhagen's famed Jazzhus Montmartre?
NW: Absolutely. It was in September 1962, and I went there to hear pianist Bud Powell; bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen, who was 15 at the time; and Jørn Elniff on drums. That evening was a revelation, as you can imagine. But I had already heard live jazz in concert several years earlier. In 1959, I saw Buck Clayton and Jimmy Rushing accompanied by musicians from Count Basie's band. The second concert that night featured the Dizzy Gillespie Quintet. I found the tapes that were recorded that night many years later and issued both concerts on SteepleChase. I also saw trombonist Kid Ory with the great trumpeter Red Allen in 1959. But the Bud Powell Trio in 1962 was something else.
JW: How did you come to start recording at Jazzhus Montmartre?
NW: I was given a room upstairs at the Montmartre in 1969. Danish Radio had installed cables from the stage to that room for their broadcasts, which took place between 1964 and 1967. Like many jazz fans then, I was helping the club survive the overwhelming popularity of the Beatles and other young rock bands. Along the way, I got to know local players such as Kenny Drew, Niels-Henning, Alex Riel, Dexter Gordon and many others. They allowed me to tape their performances.
JW: Did you know much about recording equipment?
NW: No. Nor did I know about mic placement and recording. I had owned a tape recorder since 1965 that I used to record broadcasts off the radio from the Montmartre, but recording live was new to me. While trading records with jazz collectors in Denmark and abroad, I had bought a small Uher portable mixer powered by a battery. It had five channels—two on the left, two on the right and one in the center. I also purchased a few microphones—a Revox A77 and a very heavy Teac reel-to-reel tape recorder. I enjoyed taping the performances. Pianist Kenny Drew was especially helpful getting musicians to allow me to record them.
JW: When did you decide to start SteepleChase Records?
NW: As I recall, Jackie McLean suggested I start a label. He was in Copenhagen during the summer of 1972. That's when Kenny introduced us. I recorded Jackie over five or six nights in August. One evening a week later, when I was recording Dexter, Jackie showed up and said I should release a record from the tapes I had made of him. We made an agreement, and I had just enough money to press 500 copies. The album was Jackie McLean Quartet: Live at Montmartre. It was SteepleChase's first release.
JW: Why did you call the label SteepleChase?
NW: It’s one of my favorite Charlie Parker tunes.
JW: You recorded all the greats, from the beginning. Which musicians were most helpful?
NW: My friendship with Kenny Drew, Niels-Henning and Dexter opened a lot of doors for me and led to my first studio date, in 1973, with Kenny and Niels-Henning, call Duo. Then Johnny Griffin and Joe Albany contacted me and suggested I start reaching out to musicians I wanted to record, like Paul Bley, Tete Montoliu, Anthony Braxton, Ken McIntyre, Clifford Jordan and so on. Many of them came to Copenhagen to gig and record for my label. In 1974, I made my first trip to New York and recorded Jackie McLean, Billy Gault and Andrew Hill on that trip.
JW: Who did you wish you had recorded but for some reason could not?
NW: My all-time favorite musician, Miles Davis. He was out of my range, and so was Sonny Rollins. I tried to get him and Dexter together in the studio, but Sonny's wife, Lucille, wouldn't let that happen.
JW: When did you start recording guitarist Doug Raney?
NW: Our first recording took place in Copenhagen on September 28, 1977. At the time, Doug was playing with pianist Horace Parlan. I remember sitting at a table at the Montmartre with Doug. He didn’t know I ran SteepleChase. He said Horace mentioned he might get an invitation to record for the label and that he hoped that was the case.
JW: How did that go?
NW: I wanted pianist Duke Jordan on the first session. Doug had worked with bassist Hugo Rasmussen. I wanted him to use Billy Hart, who I had in Copenhagen for his recording with Niels-Henning’s trio. Doug did not know Billy and was skeptical, but he accepted my proposal. The result was Introducing Doug Raney.
JW: Why did Doug travel to Copenhagen and why did he remain there?
NW: Doug first arrived in early 1977 together with his father, guitarist Jimmy Raney. Doug stayed, I think, because he met his first wife here. She worked at the Montmartre as a waitress. He had problems getting a permit to stay in Denmark, so we gave him and his girlfriend a ticket to New York, where they got married. Then he could return for an extended period. They later divorced, and he married again. He had a son with his second wife.
JW: What was Doug like?
NW: Doug was an extremely nice person. He was easy to work with. The last time I saw Doug perform was about two years before he passed in 2016. He saw me and looked away. After the set, he came over and said he knew I could hear he was not able to play as well as he had in the past.
JW: Doug remains one of the great jazz guitarists. An astonishing talent who, sadly, lived as a functioning alcoholic. He passed away in a homeless shelter in Denmark, yes?
NW: He did. His life was so tragic. It's heartbreaking. He was extremely talented and very serious and critical about his music. Alcoholism capsized his career.
JW: What would you say are your five most important albums in terms of beauty and preserving jazz history?
NW: Every single one of them is important, but if you insist, here are my picks:
- Diane, by Chet Baker and Paul Bley (1985).
- Goin' Home, by Archie Shepp and Horace Parlan (1977).
- Something Different, by Dexter Gordon (1980).
- Tete!, by Tete Montoliu (1975).
- To Start Again, by Rich Perry (1993).
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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