Career
He is self-taught. Bjørken was part of Harry Waagens Orchestra, a cental band on the Trondheim Jazz scene in 1949-1953. He later had hisown orchestras in Steinkjer (1956-1957) and Trondheim (since 1957). In the lineups was among others Karl Holst (clarinet and saxophone, since 1957), Kjell Johansen (drums, since 1957) and Bjørn Alterhaug (bass, since 1966).
I. 1990 the orchestra consisted of Oddmund Finnseth, Ove Bjørken (guitar), Per Olaf Green and Rolf Skogstad.
Av utenlandske samarbeid kan nevnes Bengt Hallberg, Benny Bailey, Mads Vinding. In the 1980s he played in Egil Kapstad/Rowland Greenberg Quartet, and since 1990 he has led own Asmund Bjørken Swing Sextet, which inter alia Ove Bjørken, Bjørn Alterhaug and Bjørn Krokfoss are included, as well as Erling Aksdal (piano).
He released the autobiography Spellemann, på gammel rutine og støgg mistanke in 2003, and a portrait of him vas put up at the Norwegian television channel Norsk Rikskringkasting in 2003, called Asmund i Himmelriket, by Andreas Lunnan. 1972: Buddyprisen.