Arne Domnérus

Arne Domnérus in the early 1950s

Sven Arne Domnérus (20 December 1924 – 2 September 2008) was a Swedish jazz alto saxophonist and clarinetist, popularly nicknamed Dompan.

He began to play the clarinet at the age of 11, but had taken up the saxophone by the time he left school and then turned professional. In 1949 he performed at the Paris Jazz Festival, and played with Charlie Parker when he made his tour of Sweden in 1950. Later in 1953, he recorded with visiting American players such as James Moody, Art Farmer and Clifford Brown. Domnérus worked with the Swedish Radio Big Band from 1956 to 1965 as a featured soloist, and wrote for television and films. He also recorded extensively over the course of his career with Bengt Hallberg and Lars Gullin. Together with fellow Swedes Bengt-Arne Wallin, Rolf Ericson and Åke Persson (the latter two both former members of Duke Ellington's Orchestra), he participated at the Jazz Workshops, organised for the Ruhrfest in Recklinghausen by Hans Gertberg from the Hamburg radio station. He recorded several times with Quincy Jones in Sweden and is featured throughout 'The Midnight Sun Never Sets', composed and arranged by Jones and recorded under Jones' direction by Harry Arnold's orchestra in 1958. Domnérus' playing in his early career was typical of the 'cool', sophisticated, technically accomplished and lyrical style of Swedish modern jazz of the 1950s.

Domnérus' health declined in his last years and he was forced to retire from playing.

Discography

• Rockin Chair, His Masters Voice, 1955
• Quincy Jones + Harry Arnold + Big Band = Jazz!, (1953, 1958 recordings), Phoenix Records, 2013.
• Mobil, Megafon, 1967
• Jazz at the Pawnshop, with Bengt Hallberg, Lars Erstrand, Georg Riedel, Egil Johansen, 1977
• Downtown Meeting with Clark Terry, 1977
• Scandinavian Design, 1977
• Duets for Duke, with Bengt Hallberg, Sonet, 1978
• Arne Domnerus with Jimmy Rowles, 1979, FLCCD 2005
• Arne Domnérus Nontett & Quartett, Bröst-toner, FLCCD 2006
• Arne Domnerus Quartett, Evergreens fra Kanaan
• Arne Domnerus Quartett, Dompan at the Savoy, with Ulf Johansson, Phonastic, PHONCD 8806, 1990
• Skyline Drive, with Benny Carter, 1992
• Sugar Fingers, Phontastic, PHONCD 8831, 1993
• Happy Together, with Putte Wickman, 1995
• Live is life, Arne Domnérus with Lars Erstrand, 1995, PRCD 9142
• Black Beauty, the Duke in mind, with Joya Sherril, Phonastic, PHONCD 8834
• Arne Domnerus Quartett, Blåtoner fra Troldhaugen, Music by Edvard Grieg, FXCD65, 1986
• Face to face, with Bernt Rosengren, 1999
• Dompan! 2000, Fresh Sound FSR 5032
• Jump For Joy 1959–1961, Dragon, 2002
• Favourite Groups 1949–1950, 2002
• Antiphone Blues, Proprius, CPRO 7744, 2003 (with organist Gustav Sjökvist)
• Arne Domnerus Quartett, Sabra, 2004

As sideman

With Benny Bailey and Åke Persson

• Quincy - Here We Come (Metronome, 1959) - also released as The Music of Quincy Jones (Argo)

With Benny Golson

• Stockholm Sojourn (Prestige, 1974)

With Quincy Jones

• Jazz Abroad (Emarcy, 1955)
• Quincy's Home Again (Metronome, 1958) - also released as Harry Arnold + Big Band + Quincy Jones = Jazz! (EmArcy)

With Herbie Mann

• Mann in the Morning (Prestige, 1956 [1958])

With Charlie Parker

• Charlie Parker and Arne Domnerus in Sweden 1950

With Jimmy Witherspoon

• Some of My Best Friends Are the Blues (Prestige, 1964)