Jon Ivar Christensen (1943-2020) was a Norwegian jazz drummer. He was a self-taught drummer and played in many Oslo (Sweden) clubs playing with visiting jazz legends such as Don Ellis, Ben Webster, Stan Getz, Kenny Dorham, and Dexter Gordon to name a few. Dexter Gordon encouraged Jon to beleive in his own creativity and told him "You're not from Harlem, and you're 20 years old, so play how you feel". (that's good advice)

In the mid-1960s he played regularly with George Russell and contributed to the new jazz movement being created in Norway. He evolved into his own style which was very musical.


He played and recorded with Yelena Eckemoff, George Russell, Lee Konitz, Pony Poindexter, Phil Woods, Leo Wright, Steve Kuhn, Jan Garbarek (eight albums), Bobo Stenson, Terje Rypdal (five albums), Ketil Bjornstad (six albums), Keith Jarrett1, (five albums), Ralph Towner, Karin Krog, Steve Swallow, Eberhard Weber, Enrico Rava, Radka Toneff Quintet, Terje Rypdal and Palle Mikkelborg, Masqualero, Blow Out, Miroslav Vitous, Rainer Bruninghaus, Mike Nock, John Clark, David Friedman, David Darling, Harry Pepl and Herbert Joos, Lillebjorn Nilsen, Arild Andersen, Eivind Aarset, Jan Erik Kongshaug, John Abercrombie, Charles Lloyd, L. Shankar, Sidsel Endresen, Knut Riisnas, Anouar Brahem, Misha Alperin, Lars Danielsson, David Liebman and Bobo Stenson, Dino Saluzzi, Jacob YoungEvening, Tomasz Stańko, Jacob Young, Carsten Dahl and Arild Andersen, Carl Petter Opsahl and Tord Gustavsen, Ingebrigt Haker Flaten and Hakon Kornstad, and others. Many of these are Eruopean.

This is Jon playing "Stratusphunk" with the George Russell Sextet from George Russell's almum "Stratusphunk". George Russell (piano), Jan Garbarek (tenor sax), Stanton Davis (trumpet), Terje Rypdal (guitar), Arild Andersen (bass).