Per Mathisen (born 7 October 1969 in Sandefjord, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz musician (upright acoustic bass and electric bass) and composer, known from collaborations with great jazz musicians like Terri Lyne Carrington, Geri Allen, Gary Thomas, Bill Bruford, Alex Acuña, Gary Husband, Ralph Peterson, Nguyen Le and Terje Rypdal. He’s brothers are jazz musicians Hans Mathisen (guitar), Nils Mathisen (keyboards, guitar and violin) and Ole Mathisen (saxophone and clarinet).
Mathisen was educated on the Jazz program at Trondheim musikkonservatorium 1991–93, followed by a period at the Berklee School of Music in US, and returned to Norway in 1994.
In 2001 he toured in Europe with Terri Lyne Carrington, has also played with a number of international names, such as Geri Allen, Gary Thomas, Bill Bruford, Gary Husband, Ralph Peterson, Nguyen Le and Terje Rypdal. From 2003 he was member of the transatlantic jazz collective NYNDK (with a release in 2006), so-called because the musicians come from New York, Norway and Denmark.
Mathisen has otherwise participated on recordings with the band “String Zone” (Mystery bag, 2003), Hans Mathisen (Quiet songs 2002–04), Helge Sunde & Norske Store Orkester (Denada, 2005) and Roy Powell Peak Experience Trio (2006), and has been a regular feature as bassist and leader of “workshops” in Groove Valley (annually held in Beiarn in Nordland) where artistic director is Jan Gunnar Hoff.
2013 Played with Joseph Williams, Bill Champlin and Peter Friestedt All Star Band. In the last couple of years Mathisen joins forces on the stage with one of the most recognised Scandinavian jazz names in the world – a Swedish guitarist, Ulf Wakenius. In December 2016 together with Utsi Zimring (drums) and David Kikoski (piano, synthesiser, Fender Rhodes, minimoog) he released a studio album New York City Magic under Alessa Records.
The Klangforum Wien – an Austrian chamber orchestra, based in Vienna at the Konzerthaus, which specialises in contemporary classical music, invited Mathisen to play on the latest opera of an Austrian composer Bernhard Lang‘s opera named “ParZeFool/MONDPARSIFAL Alpha 1-8” that was premiered June 4th 2017 at the Theater an der Wien in Vienna, Austria. The orchestra was conducted by Australian condoctor Simone Young, and the piece was directed by German painter, sculptor and performance artist Jonathan Meese.
In October 2017 Mathisen announced a short tour with Jan Gunnar Hoff featuring on the drums one of the greatest Cuban drummers, Horacio (“El Negro”) Hernandez, who was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music. Recording a studio album under Loosen Records in Barxeta (Spain) will follow the tour.
Has been a freelance electric and acoustic upright bass player since 1994 nowadays based out of Oslo (Norway), and Vienna (Austria), and has performed in as many as 45 countries worldwide with some of the most famous musicians on the planet.
He is often referred to as Norway’s answer to Jaco Pastorius on electric bass and Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen on acoustic upright bass.
Since October 2016 Mathisen resides both in Oslo (Norway) and Vienna (Austria).
Mathisen has released 21 highly acclaimed CD’s as a leader, co-leader, producer.
21. “VOYAGE” (2025) – JAN GUNNAR HOFF GROUP feat. NGUYEN LE, PER MATHISEN & GARY HUSBAND (Losen Records, Norway);
20. “SOUNDS OF 3 / Edition 3″ (2023) – PER MATHISEN feat. NGUYEN LE & AUDUN KLEIVE (Losen Records, Norway);
* In loving memory of “IRON” Per Solberg
19. “MORE SECRETS” (2022) – “MATHISEN & MATHISEN & WETTRE & HUSBAND” (Alessa Records, Austria);
18. “GLADIATOR” (2021) – “PER MATHISEN & JAN GUNNAR HOFF with GARY NOVAK” (Losen Records, Norway);
17. “OPEN SECRETS” (2021) – “OLGA KONKOVA TRIO” (Losen Records, Norway);
16. “SOUNDS OF 3 / Edition 2 (2019) ” – “PER MATHISEN feat. ULF WAKENIUS & GARY HUSBAND” (Losen Records, Norway);
15. “JAN GUNNAR HOFF GROUP” (2018) – “JAN GUNNAR HOFF GROUP featuring MIKE STERN, PER MATHISEN & AUDUN KLEIVE” (Losen Records, Norway);
14. “BARXETA II” (2018) – PER MATHISEN & JAN GUNNAR HOFF WITH HORACIO “EL NEGRO” HERNANDEZ (Losen Records, Norway);
13. “GRATITUDE OVERLOAD” / Live – “HEAVY WEATHER BAND” (Alessa records, Austria);
12. “THE STOCKHOLM SESSIONS” (2018) – “SWENOR PROJECT” (Imogena/Border Music, Sweden);
11. “SUNRAIN” (2016) – “GRAF-SMITH-MATHISEN” (Losen Records, Norway);
10. “NYC MAGIC” (2016) – PER MATHISEN & UTSI ZIMRING with DAVID KIKOSKI (Alessa Records, Austria);
9. “SOUNDS OF 3” (2016) – FRODE ALNÆS, PER MATHISEN & GIRALDO PILOTO (Losen Records, Norway);
8. “OSPITALITA GENEROSA” (2015) – “MATHISEN-ROBIN-BORLAI TRIO” (Alessa Records, Austria);
7. “BARXETA” (2012) – “ACUNA-HOFF-MATHISEN” (Losen Records, Oslo);
6. “TRAPEZOID” (2012) – “CROSSING BORDERS QUARTET” (Alessa Records, Austria);
5. “COOKIN’ AT HVALER” (2011) – “STRINGZONE II” (Alessa Records, Austria);
4. “ELASTICS” (2011) PER MATHISEN, OLE MATHISEN & PAOLO VINACCIA (Losen Records, Norway);
3. “JUNGLE CITY” (2009) – “ACUNA-HOFF-MATHISEN” (Alessa Records, Austria);
2. “UNBOUND” (2006) – PER MATHISEN, OLGA KONKOVA, OLE MATHISEN & GARY HUSBAND, (Alessa Records, Austria);
1. “NORTHERN CROSSINGS” (2000) – PER MATHISEN, OLGA KONKOVA, OLE MATHISEN and JOJO MAYER (Candid Records, London).
Also released 2 DVDs
2. “MATHISEN – BORLAI – ROBIN” / “LIVE IN ACTION” (2015 / Diersbach, Austria);
1. “ALEX ACUNA – JAN GUNNAR HOFF – PER MATHISEN TRIO” / Live from drumchannel.com (2009 / Los Angeles, USA).
Per’s current bands and projects:
1. PER BASS VIKING MATHISEN’s HEAVY WEATHER
Gerald Preinfalk (s), Kornel Mogyoro (perc), Paul Urbanek (keys), Herbert Pirker (dr)
2. PER BASS VIKING MATHISEN TRIO feat. NGUYEN LE & GARY HUSBAND
Nguyen Le (g), Gary Husband (dr)
3. PER BASS VIKING MATHISEN TRIO feat. HANS MATHISEN & GULLI BRIEM
Gulli Briem (dr), Hans Mathisen (g)
4. 440 HERTZ
Stig Roar Wigestrand (v), Frode Kjekstad (g)
5. PER MATHISEN’S SAXOPHONE INFERNO
Gerald Preinfalk (s), Fabian Rucker (s), Herbert Pirker (dr)
6. PER MATHISEN 4tet
Ondrej Stveracek (s), Daniel Bulatkin (keys), Utsi Zimring (dr)
7. PER MATHISEN TRIO – Tribute to Oscar Peterson & Niels Henning Ørsted Pedersen
Daniel Bulatkin (p), Herbert Pirker (dr).
PER MATHISEN 