Ormestad is educated in jazz and music production at Norges Musikkhøgskole and runs the studio Albatross Recorders together with Hasse Rosbach and Martin Sjølie.

He is together with the brothers Martin and Lars Horntveth part of the original lineup in Jaga Jazzist and has contributed with his bass and keyboards on recordings and tours with, among others Marit Larsen, Thom Hell, Bertine Zetlitz and Hanne Hukkelberg. In addition, he has worked as a producer and technician, often in collaboration with Audun Borrmann or Thomas Helland, for artists like Thom Hell, Hilde Marie Kjersem, Rockettothesky, Christer Knutsen, Bellman, Jonas Alaska, Marion Ravn, Matilda and a number of other artists. Ormestad also contributes as a bassist and multi instrumentalist on many of these releases.

Ormestad has also been seasonal member of the black metal band "Malignant Eternal" where he contributed to the studio album Alarm in 1999.

In 2015, Ormestad began touring as bassist for the Norwegian band a-ha on their "Cast in Steel" tour.

Albums

• Jævla Jazzist Grete Stitz (Thug Records, 1996)
• A Livingroom Hush (Smalltown Supersound, 2002)
• The Stix (WEA International Inc., 2003)
• What We Must (Ninja Tune, 2005)
• One-Armed Bandit (Ninja Tune, 2010)

EPs

• Magazine (dBut, 1998)
• Airborne/Going Down (WEA International Inc., 2001)
• Days (Smalltown Supersound, 2002)
• Animal Chin (Gold Standard Laboratories, 2003)
• Day (Ninja Tune, 2004)
• Bananfluer Overalt (Ninja Tune, 2010)

DVDs

• Live at Cosmopolite (Smalltown Supersound, 2009)

With Jonas Alaska

• Jonas Alaska (Jansen Plateproduksjon, 2011)

• Jaga Jazzist's official homepage