Norwegian bassist
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten exploded on the Scandinavian avant-garde jazz scene in the mid-'90s. By 2002, he had become one of the hardest working bassists there, having appeared on more than 20 albums, many of them also featuring drummer
Paal Nilssen-Love. He plays in the Norwegian groups Element and
Atomic. Saxophonist
Mats Gustaffson opened him the doors to Chicago, where he plays in
Ken Vandermark's School Days.
Flaten was born in Oppdal in 1971. He came to jazz slowly and determined his career choice in the course of his three years at the Trondheim Music Conservatory (1992-1995). There he met pianist
Håvard Wiik with whom he formed the
John Coltrane-inspired group Element.
Nilssen-Love joined them upon his arrival in town in 1993. His first released recording was Olemanns Kornett (of course a permutation of
Ornette Coleman's name), a session with the Source, also including
Trygve Seim, Øyvind Btaekke, and
Per Oddvar Johansen. Released in 1994 on Curling Legs, it was followed by a second album the following year. With drummer
Johansen and pianist Christian Wallumrød, he formed the trio
Close Erase, whose first album for the label NOR came out in 1996 -- the same year as Element's first. Those two groups kept
Flaten occupied for a while, gigging extensively on the jazz festival circuit, both Scandinavian and abroad. He also performed in Bugge Wesseltoft's New Conception of Jazz and recorded three albums with South African saxophonist
Zim Ngqawana.
In 1999,
Håker Flaten,
Nilssen-Love, and
Wiik joined two Swedish horn players to form
Atomic. Around the same time, the bassist and drummer recorded a session with famous saxophonist and bridge to Chicago
Mats Gustaffson (The Thing, 2000). They both took a ticket to the U.S. and joined
Vandermark's School Days. Back home, the bassist continued to perform with his previous groups while participating in the large improv ensemble
No Spaghetti Edition and formed a new trio with veteran guitarist
Raoul Björkenheim (Scorch Trio, 2002). ~ François Couture