All posts by Björn

Surprise arrangement

We have just finished a tour of Denmark with The Show – A Tribute To ABBA where I play the part of Benny.  My friend Jakob Melkstam had just returned to the tour having had a tough year battling with cancer. We wanted to give him a warm welcome so we decided to play his song “Fortaleza” instead of Summernight City in the soundcheck. I did an arrangement for the orchestra and here is the result.

You can find his orginal version of the song online under his stage name Melkovitz. Do it, it’s beautiful.

2 videos from Harry’s Tricks’ Album Launch

In December last year the band Harry’s Tricks, led by Mike the Mic, launched “Who’s Harry” an album of 9 original swing songs. Mike wrote all but one, Heading To Ship Street, that was penned by me. I am very proud to share with you two of Mike’s compositions from the launch here with you today. Incidentally both have horn arrangements by me. Please enjoy “Fake Smile” and “Hoogly Googly Man”!

Listen to my CD’s

I’ve updated my CD page with players for some of the CD’s I produced. Come on over and have a listen at My CD’s. If you buy the recordings from the provided link (all mp3’s, some actual CD’s) you will be supporting me and by co-musicians in the best possible way, with the least money going to “the man”…

Feel free to share the players as well.

Painted!

The great artist Martin Wertheim-Gould regularly comes to Brighton’s jazz venues and draws and paints the musicians performing. He has a beautiful book out called “Brighton and all that jazz!” and I think I’m in there somewhere. He came again last Sunday to Seven Stars and created this masterpiece:

20140318-124531.jpg

The musicians are Grant Allardyce,
Simon Russell, Mike Potter, me and Dimitris Moudopolous. Thank you Martin for jamming along with us in your own way!

Bye Rene!

I have some very sad news. Brighton’s premiere songbird Rene Ansell has passed away silently in her sleep. It was a true honour to play with such a great musician. I have many beautiful memories of making music with her, perhaps the best one was at her 90th birthday last spring where an abundance of musicians came and paid tribute. We managed to get a final recording in before Christmas and she was a true professional. For each song we did 3-4 takes and she sang faultlessly and beautifully each time, not complaining, just doing what she was put here on earth to do over and over again. The 5-song EP is being mastered at the moment but I have a little taster for you. I arranged “It’s a sin to tell a lie” and here is an unmastered version. Keep on swinging Rene, I know you are somewhere looking down at us and saying “Great solos, everyone!”