Raoul Björkenheim
Raoul Björkenheim | |
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Background information | |
Born | Los Angeles, California, U.S. | February 11, 1956
Genres | Avant-garde jazz, electronic |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instruments | Guitar |
Years active | 1980s–present |
Labels | ECM, Cuneiform, Rune Grammofon |
Associated acts | Scorch Trio, Ecstasy |
Website | raoulbjorkenheim |
Raoul Melvin Björkenheim (born February 11, 1956) is an American jazz guitarist from Los Angeles.[1]
His mother is Finnish-American actress Taina Elg.[2] In his teens he moved to Finland.[1] He attended the Helsinki Conservatory and the Berklee School of Music.[1] His professional career began in the 1980s with Finnish jazz drummer Edward Vesala.[3] After recording three albums with Vesla, he formed Krakatau.[1][3] During the 1990s he reduced the band to a trio. He recorded an album with guitarist Nicky Skopelitis that was produced by Bill Laswell.[3]
Björkenheim has composed for the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, and the UMO Jazz Orchestra[1] and worked as a soloist with the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra and Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra.[3] He recorded three albums for Rune Grammofon in the Scorch Trio with Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (bass) and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums).[3] Other collaborators include Hamid Drake, William Parker, Kalle Kalima,[3] and the band Kvalda.[4]
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Gronow, Pekka (2002). Kernfeld, Barry (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. 1 (2nd ed.). New York: Grove's Dictionaries. p. 223. ISBN 1-56159-284-6.
- ^ Finlands ridderskaps och adels kalender 1992, pp. 92–93. Esbo 1991. ISBN 951-9417-26-5
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f Dorsch, Jim. "Raoul Björkenheim". AllMusic. Retrieved 1 February 2019.
- ^ "Raoul Björkenheim Ecstasy – Biography". Jazz Finland. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
External links[]
- 1956 births
- Living people
- People from Los Angeles
- 20th-century American guitarists
- American jazz guitarists
- American people of Finnish descent
- Finnish jazz composers
- Finnish jazz guitarists
- Rune Grammofon artists
- Finnish nobility