Jesper Thilo, a Danish jazz saxophonist, died on April 25, 2026, at the age of 84.
He was known mainly as a tenor saxophonist, alto saxophonist and clarinetist, and was regarded as one of the leading European straight-ahead jazz musicians of the post-1970 period. Born in Copenhagen in 1941, he began playing clarinet at 11 and made his first recordings as a leader in 1973.
In the 1980s, he worked with musicians including Kenny Drew, Clark Terry and Harry “Sweets” Edison, and later played with Hank Jones in 1991.
Jesper Thilo, 84, Danish jazz saxophonist.