James W. Dickenson

Dr. James W. Dickenson was a kantor in the State Church of Norway from 1988 to 1994 and again from 1998 until 2007. In the intervening years he was on the music staff at Vinstra Vidaregaande Skule, Oppland. He is now a freelance musician again, based in Hedmark, and accepts engagements as organist, pianist and instructor both in classical and jazz idioms. He also accepts arranging commissions for bands, choirs and ensembles.

At the age of 13 he won a music scholarship to Canford School, Dorset where he studied piano and organ with Antony Brown, father of violinist Iona Brown, for 4 years. He continued his organ studies privately with Roger Fisher at Chester Cathedral, UK. He taught jazz piano at Salford University between 1983 and 1988 and was an Associated Board music examiner for several years prior to emigrating to Norway in 1988.

He holds honours degrees both in law (LL.B, Bristol University,1962) and music (Mus.B, Manchester University,1974), a research Ph.D in ethnomusicology (Norwegian folk music and jazz)(Salford University, 2002)and both the Graduate of the Royal Schools of Music (GRSM) and ARMCM diplomas (1973), the latter in harpsichord - 4 years study with Robert Elliott and also with Clifton Helliwell (piano accompaniment) at the former Royal Manchester College of Music. He was first-call harpsichordist in the Manchester Camerata, the BBC Philharmonic and the Manchester Mozart Orchestra from the mid-70s to the mid-80s and played in the quartet STAMFORD STUDIO with Valerie Taylor (oboe), Alan Lockwood (flute) and Paul Mitchell-Davidson (guitars).

Performing and teaching, jazz history and composing/arranging are his main activities. He is a member of TONO (the Norwegian Performing Rights Society).

Students wishing to access his Ph.D thesis on Norwegian folk music and its influence on Norwegian jazz from 1945 - 2000 can now click in to the Salford University digital repository at this address:

http://usir.salford.ac.uk/2051/ where the thesis is available for reading or downloading free of charge.

His book "From Grieg to Garbarek - Norwegian Jazz and national identity" can be purchased from blurb.com

http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail/2692573

The book is now digitalised and can be read online gratis at the Norwegian Nasjonalbibliotek (nasjonalbiblioteket.no)

A selection of my CD recordings can be found on Spotify, You Tube and Apple Music. Two of my best selling CDs, "Images In Time" (trio) and "Jazz Nocturnes "(solo piano) can be ordered direct from my e-mail address: dickensonjames1@gmail.com Prices on request.

Actual tracks from "Cakewalk" and "Jazz From The Gallery" can be ordered from Presto Music, UK (digital format) Please send an e-mail to me if you wish for more information.

Publisher: Norsk Musikforlag AS, Oslo