He is unquestionably one of the great innovators and visionaries of Norwegian music, reinvigorating both jazz and traditional genres with his unswerving will to fuse expressions, pursue crossover ventures and embrace new instruments, sounds and perspectives. He has contributed so much to the Norwegian jazz scene since the 1980s, not just with his superb tenor sax playing, but with his use of goat horns, his work with Hardanger fiddle players and other traditional musicians, and his collaborations with key musicians from the burgeoning world music scene all masterfully empowered and engaged with a whole palette of electronics. He is simply one of Norway’s finest musical ambassadors.

While Karl is one of Norway’s foremost instrumentalists, he is important for the Norwegian scene also for the work he has done as a composer developing new contemporary forms on the basis of jazz-, folk- and world music. He has also been instrumental to the growth of cross-over expressions and projects as a producer and record label manager for NORCD (since 1991). He is widely admired for his generosity in supporting younger musicians, guiding and promoting them, bringing his own characteristic sensitivity to every project he works with.

National and international renown has grown steadily and not least his four latest solo releases ‘Femstein’, ‘Urbs’, ‘Ossicles’ and ‘NORSKjazz.no’ have captivated both national and international critics and audiences. Among prizes and awards Karl Seglem received the highest order in Norwegian Jazz in 2010: The Buddy-award, and in 2012 he received several prizes for his remarkable work such as NOPA’s Music Prize for his commissioned work "LIKE TRACES" to Vossa Jazz Festival 2012 - creating his very own musical identity in Norwegian music.

Karl Seglem will release a new album with his acoustic jazz quartet in September 2013 - and do a major tour in Germany and Norway.