JAN GLÆSEL

Born: August 21st, 1958, Frederiksberg, Copenhagen (Denmark)

Nationality: Danish

In due course, the short impression below will be replaced with a more extensive career overview

BIOGRAPHY

 

In his young years, Jan Glæsel played the trumpet in the Tivoli Boys’ Guard for ten years (1966-76). Despite being rejected for conservatory, he became a trumpeter in the Thad Jones Big Band (1979-81). He played in the accompanying group of singer Anne Linnet (1981-83). For another member of Linnet’s band, Sanne Salomonsen, he composed and arranged the ballad ‘Det er ikke det du siger’, which hit the Danish charts in 1981. He has a long-standing working relationship with Linie 3, for which he was the musical director in many stage shows. 

Glæsel founded his own production company JGMusik in 1986 and has worked as a studio musician and arranger for many Danish pop artists, including Jesper Lundgaard, Jette Torp, and Birthe Kjær. He has worked extensively for Danish television as a musician and the musical director of shows such as Meyerheim & Co. and Husk Lige Tandbørsten. He composed the music to countless radio and television commercials as well as to several movies, including Det forsømte forår (1992).

EUROVISION SONG CONTEST

Jan Glæsel's first Eurovision involvement came in 1983, when he was one of the arrangers of the studio version of Denmark's entry 'Kloden drejer' by Gry Johansen, for which the live orchestration was taken care of by Wolfgang Käfer.

In 1986, Jan Glæsel arranged the music to Denmark’s Eurovision entry ‘Du er fuld af løgn’, performed by Lise Haavik & Trax; he did not conduct the orchestra, however, leaving that to Norwegian host MD Egil Monn-Iversen. 

Lastly, in 1997, Glæsel was the musical director of the Dansk Melodi Grand Prix, the Danish pre-selection to the contest, which was won by rapper Thomas Lægård (better known under his pseudonym Kølig Kaj) with the idiosyncratic ‘Stemmen i mit liv’. Glæsel re-arranged this rap track for the Eurovision Song Contest and conducted the orchestra in Dublin for Lægård, who finished 16th in a field of 25 contestants.

EUROVISION INVOLVEMENT YEAR BY YEAR

1983 Munich

Country – Denmark

Song title – "Kloden drejer"

Rendition – Gry Johansen

Lyrics – Flemming Gernyx / Christian Jacobsen

Composition – Lars Christensen / Flemming Gernyx / 

Christian Jacobsen

Studio arrangement – Lars Christensen / Flemming Gernyx / Christian Jacobsen / Billy Cross / Jan Glæsel 

Live orchestration – Wolfgang Käfer

Conductor – Allan Botschinsky

Score – 17th place (16 votes)

1986 Bergen

Country – Denmark

Song title – "Du er fuld af løgn"

Rendition – Lise Haavik "Trax"

Lyrics – John Hatting

Composition – John Hatting

Studio arrangement – Jan Glæsel / Jørgen Thørup

Live orchestration – Jan Glæsel

Conductor – Egil Monn-Iversen (MD)

Score – 6th place (77 votes)

1997 Dublin

Country – Denmark

Song title – "Stemmen i mit liv"

Rendition – Thomas Laegård "Kølig Kaj"

Lyrics – Thomas Laegård

Composition – Lars Pedersen 

Studio arrangement – Lars Pedersen

Live orchestration – Jan Glæsel

Conductor – Jan Glæsel

Score – 16th place (25 votes)