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Thorbjørn Risager And The Black Tornados-Navigation Blues
Thorbjørn Risager And The Black Tornados, Navigation Blues
The one thing I have learned over the years is that if Thorbjorn Risager releases an album, it will be worth listening to. What gave this added interest was that Risager has joined up with Mascot Label, and yep, Navigation Blues IS a must to look out for.
A twelve-track album, Navigation Blues opens with that title track, a lovely blues, slowly finding its way forward, with Thorbjorn’s smoked vocals, and well crafted lyrics. The guitar lead is a delight, no fuzz, no complications just unadorned beautiful guitar. The tempo picks up for, ‘Watch The Sun Go Down’,”don’t need a million dollars, don’t need much to getting bye”. “just find me a place where I can watch the sun go down”, starts acoustically, then slide slips sweetly in on this superb song. Acoustic slide edged guitar also features for the gentle blues of, ‘The Way You Make Me Feel’, but as it steps up, horns and backing singers bring an extra dimension to this Louisiana licked song.
Needless to say, with the title of, ‘Fire Inside’, things turn a bit more rock orientated, with a punchy rhythm that will have feet tapping and heads nodding to the insistent beat. Don’t miss out on ’Whatever Price’, with its piano intro, and slide guitar taking us up to speed for this jaunty blues which struts out confidently, as Risager is prepared to meet the cost of being taken back in by his lover.
There’s a lot of variation in this collection, blues of course, rock as mentioned, but also the soulful, ‘Time’, and even a lullaby, you’re not going to feel fatigue creep in with the same vibe running throughout, it’s an album that’s going to keep you riveted, awaiting the next change of gear. Hold that thought, as Thorbjorn’s warm smoked voice, brings us the gorgeous, ‘Something To Hold On To’, accompanied by his acoustic guitar, and nothing else, a beautiful lament that stands out from the pack.
The irresistible ‘Hoodoo Lover’ follows on, a wonderful country edged gallop with added horn adornment, sure to get you up moving, piano and guitar riffs swap riffs as we’re taken towards the end.
Time to up the ante, ‘Headed For The Stars’, is simply a superb rock blues song, full flight, lyric rich, and in my mind, the pick of the more rock edged songs in Navigation Blues, “we’re headed for the stars along the way”, enjoy the ride.
I’m always keen to hear any new release from Thorbjorn, Navigation Blues does not disappoint, I shall be looking to add to the vinyl previously invested in. I just wish that he would find his way to the UK for a tour, I’d be in the queue for a show.
1. Navigation Blues 2. Watch The Sun Go Down 3. The Way You Make Me Feel 4. Fire Inside 5. Blue Lullaby 6. Taking The Good With The Bad 7. Whatever Price 8. Time 9. Something To Hold On To 10. Hoodoo Lover 11. Headed For The Stars 12. Heart Crash
The Black Tornado Band
Thorbjørn Risager Vocal, Acoustic Guitar, Electric Guitar
Emil Balsgaard Piano, Organ, Wurlitzer, Clavinet, Farfisa
Joachim Svensmark Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Synthesizer, Piano, BACKGROUND VOCALS, Viola, Drums, Percussion, Glockenspiel, Mandolin
Kasper Wagner Alto Sax, Tenor Sax, Baritone Sax, Flutes, Clarinet
Hans Nybo Tenor Sax, Bass Clarinet
Peter W Kehl Trumpet, Flugelhorn, Trombone, Perc
Søren Bøjgaard Bass, Moog Bass, Baritone Guitar, Synthesizer, Piano, Percussion
Martin Seidelin Drums, Percussion
Danish Blues Bringing Home The Bacon
https://risager.info/
Available on Provogue/Mascot Label from September 30th
Words Graham Munn
Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado-Best of, 2CD Box set
Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado, Best of, 2CD Box set
available on Ruf Records
‘Great Dane’ Thorbjorn Risager, gathered some like minded musicians together back in 2003, and the Black Tornados were formed, their first album came out in 2005, with, 10 more both live and studio, followed on. This double album collection is a selection of their most enduring music from that back catalogue, and if you’ve never listened to Thorbjorn and the band, you have missed out on some great music full of root blues fused with a cocktail of jazz, swing, and rock’n’roll. Its a broad spectrum of the musical genre, wrapped around its blues core, with some sublime musicianship, including “Big Easy” horns, and soulful tubes.
The whole collection unwraps with a gritty, hard punching, ‘Rock’n’Roll Ride’. Its no lightweight from the Happy Days US diner, this grips from the start, and you will be in for the long haul, wondering why haven’t you heard these guys before. A swampy, ‘Rhythms Of The Night’, brings a whole different groove, its infectious, with the first hint of the horns breathing in, but don’t get stuck on repeat, there’s plenty more to find. ‘Stand Beside Me’, proves more soulful, a slow burning ballad, that brings in a hint of gorgeous deep sax, undercutting the breezy brass floating above.
Deep, thumping pulse of bass, and slide resonator guitar tone, is the life blood, of the superb root blues, ‘On My Way’, which gives way to the swing of, ‘You Better Pay Attention’, double bass adding a bit of gravitas, the trumpet solo is a beaut, it could have you pulling up your partner and sweeping around the floor like Gene Kelly and Cyd Charrise.
‘All I Want’, is a rollicking rocker, that gallops along at a pace, driven along by the drum led rhythm. Hard on its heels a lovely harp swept blues, subdued but superb, biting like a swamp mosquito, ‘Ain’t Ever Gonna Leave No More’, will have you reaching for that replay button. But hold on, your about to be singed by the ripsnorting, ‘If You Wanna Leave’, it’ll leave you battered and bruised, then coming back for more. You might just escape if you quickly jump on the, ‘Last Train’, a brilliant ride with its thundering rhythm.
There’s still, ‘Paradise’ to find, the helter-skelter rock of, ‘Hold My Lover Tight’, the beautiful, stark, ‘China Gate’, that brings a lump to your throat. But, ‘Never Give In’, this is a meaty collection worthy of uncovering every nuance. The Hard rocker, ‘Dreamland’, is another ear battering ride, standing down for the lovely vibe of, ‘Too Many Roads’, and I can’t overlook the mud plugging, ‘Sin City’, guaranteed to be fun, and a delicious groove.
I’m really only skimming over the surface of some of these songs, there are 32, well technically 33, as, ‘Same Old Lies’ has a part 1 and part 2. Its one hell of a selection box to line up for the forthcoming festive season, maybe we’ll be locked in again, you could lift the spirit a bit with this cracking collection, invite someone to get drunk on, ‘Come On In’, and bend a few rules. Thorbjorn Risager and The Black Tornados, certainly wave the flag for European Blues, and I’m definitely reserving my copy of ‘Best Of’, don’t be put off by that label, its near 20 years in making, think in terms of a 20 year barrel aged malt, bottled at cask strength. its bloody good.
BAND MEMBERS:
Thorbjørn Risager - vocals and guitar Emil Balsgaard - piano and organ Joachim Svensmark- guitar and back-up vocals Kasper Wagner – tenor saxophone Hans Nybo - saxophone and back-up vocals Peter Kehl - trumpet and back-up vocals Søren Bøjgaard - bass Martin Seidelin - drums and back-up vocals
Released on Ruf Records, and Available Now on All Your Favourite Outlets
https://risager.info/ https://risager.info/webshop/
First decade – CD1
1. Rock n Roll Ride #5
2. Rhythms Of The Night #5
3. You Can Have it Your Way #4
4. Burning Up #4
5. Stand Beside Me #5
6. Love turned cold #4
7. Eyes That Turned Away #5
8. On My Way #6
9. You Better Pay Attention #3
10. You Walked Right Into My Heart #5
11. I won’t let you down #3
12. In The Back Of My Mind #6
13. Heart Of The Night #3
14. All I Want #3
15. Ain’t Ever Gonna Leave No More #2
Second decade – CD2
1. If You Wanna Leave #8
2. Last Train #11
3. Paradise #9
4. I Used To Love You #10
5. Hold My Lover Tight #1
6. China Gate #8
7. Never Giving In #11
8. Dreamland #10
9. Too Many Roads #8
10. Baby Please Don’t Go #9
11. Sin City #11
12. Maybe It’s Alright #10
13. Through The Tears #8
14. Come On In #11
15. Long Forgotten Track #8
Words Graham Munn
Thorbjorn Risager & The Black Tornado-Come On In
Thorbjorn Risager & The Black Tornado, ‘Come On In’
On Ruf Records, available from January 31st.
(photo by Christoffer Askman)
3000 gigs across 21 countries, and now 10th album with Come On In, Danish artist Thorbjorn Risager, and his band, The Black Tornado, bring a hard, swinging groove to his growing fan base. “some people think the blues is sad…...and has its roots in music played by slaves, but you have to remember that this was music that people gathered around, when they were able to relax from their hardships, it emerged in festive situations and was meant to be danced to. I would like to help lift that tradition, to try to ease your problems through music and go home with a smile on your lips”
Whilst I think he overlooks the songs that came out of the cotton fields, and chain gangs, I can’t fault the philosophy to go home with a smile on your lips, and with this album, rest assured, you will.
Black Tornado is a full blown 7 piece band, with lead, rhythm, bass and drum, plus keyboards, sax and trumpet, plus Thorbjorn himself leading with his guitar and vocals, whilst also being a skilled songwriter. There are 10 tracks, each depicting the challenges of life, title track and opener, ‘Come On In’, is an open invitation to join the band, as the rhythmic groove invites you to move, as the horns breeze in. Thorbjorn’s voice has the warmth of ground coffee, maybe more Columbian than Arabica! I'm going in. ‘Last Train’ kicks up the beat, as the slide cuts across guitar strings, may be last chance saloon, but worth the ticket. A more Latin vibe sets in for the lovely,’Nobody But The Moon’, when your out there on your own, there’s nobody to hear you cry, as the horn section go large with the keyboard.
Risager takes us down the slow lane, with the slow bluesy lament for, ‘Two Lovers’, as the guitar howls in the breeze, hauntingly beautiful. Voice and guitar in perfect harmony, toms beat out there tattoo, over pulsing rhythm, ‘Never Givin In’, it’ll get you through the days challenges. Not so sure, ‘Sin City’, is good to visit, certainly the splash of red in the film noir comic strip, didn't look to inviting, but this is Vegas, and a spin of the wheel can turn your luck, a pack is thumbed over the pumping beat, as The Black Tornados strut through the neon lights. A touch of Big Easy beat, the flavour of Fats Domino, swings through deliciously, and on, ‘Over The Hill’, chased by a big fat sax.
More down beat, ‘On And On’, is more about perseverance, and seeing things through to the end, sad but undaunted, that’s blues. ‘Love So Fine’,brightens the scene, and is a full on rocker, big brassy, with thumping rhythm and tasty guitar breakouts, a real foot stomping head banger of a song. Which takes us up to the closing track, and its a superb bit of traditional blues, acoustic guitar, back porch stuff, ‘I’ll Be Gone’, Thorbjorn will be gone now, but he won’t be gone too long, and I can believe that.
Thorbjorn and his Black Tornado band, have invited all to ‘Come On In’ and I’m not about to dissuade you from taking up the offer. What’s wrong with this album? Absolutely nothing, and that’s the problem, except, I can’t seem to lever it out of my CD player!
Words Graham Munn
Interview | Thorbjørn Risager
Interview | Thorbjørn Risager // #interview @RisagerBand
In gesprek met Thorbjørn Risager
Blues Magazine was in de gelegenheid Thorbjørn Risager van de Deense band Thorbjørn Risager And The Black Tornadote spreken voorafgaande hun optreden op 6 oktober in zaal Der Schwarzer Adler in Rheinberg. Manager Annika Westman had dit perfect geregeld en zaaleigenaar Ernst Barten zorgde voor de zeer prettige ontvangst. Thorbjørn stelde voor het gesprek te voeren…
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Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado - Change My Game
New Release | Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado - Change My Game. #ThorbjornRisager
Talk about a tough act to follow. Back in 2014, Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado released Too Many Roads: the award-winning ninth album that saw the golden-voiced frontman and his seven-piece lineup showered with global acclaim. For the fans who had followed the Copenhagen band since their formation in 2003, it felt like a career-best release. But we were wrong. With Change My Game,…
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One of Germany's major musical awards, Schallplattenkritik Jahrespreis, went to Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado
One of Germany’s major musical awards, Schallplattenkritik Jahrespreis, went to Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado
One of Germany’s most prestigious musical awards, Schallplattenkritik – Jahrespreis, went to Denmark’s Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado
Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik is a very important institution in the music life of Germany since 35 years. Last year, it was a great honour when their hand-picked jury of 159 music critics awarded Thorbjorn Risager’s previous album their quarterly…
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