Tellef Øgrim (alternatively written Ogrim where the letter Ø does not work), born January 27. 1958 in Oslo, is a Norwegian guitarist and journalist.
As a boy, he played in rock and later jazz bands before joining the new wave band Ung Pike Forsvunnet, in 1981. The group released two albums toured Norway and played some TV shows.
In 1985, Øgrim and vocalist (later his wife) formed the soul-rock band Duck Spin, releasing the group's only album Wake Me When the Moon Gets Up the year after. Øgrim went on to form his first jazz group, Libido in 1987. Their self-titled album was released at Hot Club Records.
During the same period, he wrote music for two theatre plays. In 2004, Øgrim released a CD containing improvisations for fretless electric guitar, titled Some Dodos Never Die. Three years later Wagon 8 was released on Curling Legs Records with Polish drummer Jacek Kochan, trombonist Dag Einar Eilertsen, Henrik Hellstenius (laptop) and singer Anne Danielsen.
In 2008, Øgrim played on the free jazz CD Do I the In? (Not Two Records) with Joe Fonda (bs), Jacek Kochan (dr) and Franz Hautzinger (trp). Listen to Tellef's tune Ectoplasmatics from that record
In 2010, he formed the audio-visual project Mugetuft with Peter Knudsen, later expanded with Henrik Hellstenius, and Jakop Janssønn. The quartet performed at International Film Festival Rotterdam and Oslo Screen Festival in 2014 (this performance is available as video and as audio-only). Mugetuft opened the regional art biennale Kunst rett Vest in Svelvik 2014 and performed its work A at Aker Brygge in 2015.
An impro trio with cello player Clementine Gasser and Jacek Kochan came together in Vienna in 2009 to record What's wrong with Now for Not Two Records (released in 2011).
His latest solo work is out on two EPs. One is a called Left at the Self Bar and contains an eclectic collection of four solo tracks for fretless guitar, acoustic guitar and electronics. The other is a collection of improvisations for kitchen radio and fretless guitars titled Hysj.
This title reappears on a duo album with Swedish bass player Anders Berg ("November"), released on Bandcamp in November 2014. In 2015, the duo released its second album, titled "KUME", a release that is available physically as a CD-R as well as digitally. The duo's third album, KÖLEN, was released in 2016.
January 13 2017 Anders and Tellef teamed up with veteran drummer Peeter Uuskyla to put out the trio album Ullr.
As of August 2017 Tellef and his guitar buddy Magnus Tenge, who together are the duo The Leif, are mixing their debut album.
Tellef's third solo album was released by Simlas September 1. 2017.
In November 2017 a concert recording of Uuskyla Øgrim & Berg playing at BrÖtz in Gothenburg was released digitally as well as physically.
In May 2018 a concert recording of Uuskyla Øgrim & Berg playing at Kafé Hærverk in Oslo, was released digitally and physically.
The following couple of years Tellef has worked with several audio-visual installations, stage music as well as scoring for radio/podcasts.
By fall 2020 a duo album with the Dutch drummer Onno Govaert will be released on simlas.bandcamp.com
Tellef Øgrim’s music is best described as explorations into the esoteric expressionism of jazz and beyond.
Tellef is an active journalist in fields such as music and culture, bio-economy and the growing renewable energy market.
Tellef at Discogs