Jon Opstad

Jon Opstad was born in Bristol in 1983 to a musical family. His first introduction to jazz was at the age of seven on hearing Miles Davis's 'Kind of Blue' and John Coltrane's 'A Love Supreme'. Studying first clarinet, piano and saxophone, Jon took up the drums at age 12. Starting composing in his teens, he was a finalist in the 2002 BBC Young Composer of the Year competition. Jon began studying music at Cambridge University in 2002 and recorded his first album 'Still Picture' the following year with some of the best student jazz musicians from Cambridge as well as younger brother James on fretless bass. Jon's main musical influences are Norwegian jazz, jazz on the ECM label and the music of Herbie Hancock amongst many others. His main influence as a drummer is Jon Christensen.

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