Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado
This Danish band have been captivating crowds with their dynamic stage presence and a sound that fuses soul, Chicago blues, boogie and rock'n'roll with a voice where Ray Charles, Van Morrison and Billy Gibbons meet in the middle. They've brought dancing shoes to Europe's largest festival stages and low-light noir-ish blues to Jazz clubs around the globe.
About to release their eighth studio album, the multi-award-winning band has opened for Bonnie Raitt and the Tedeschi Trucks Band, sharing the stage with legends such as Buddy Guy, Doyle Bramhall II and Robben Ford. Risager grew up in the small town of Jyllinge, about 30km from Denmark’s capital city, Copenhagen.
Having formed in Copenhagen, they spend about 9-10 months a year touring, but it’s something that they’ve never taken for granted. “Every concert is a unique experience. You just look at the audience’s smiles and reactions, and you know that what you’re doing makes sense.”
Their prolific travels around the globe have swept-up fans across every corner, including non-other than Elwood Blues himself, Dan Aykroyd, who hailed their “Hot rhythm and blues”, saying Risager has “got a great voice, great delivery and feels the blues. The songs are original, but sound like they come from a Stax recording session circa 1965.”
From their humble beginnings in the harbour in Jyllinge to the bars of Copenhagen and currently, regularly selling out 1000 capacity venues in their native Denmark, Sweden, Germany and beyond, Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado have received International awards, have performed on National TV and had praise lavished on them from a Hollywood legend.
“We built it up from the ground the old-fashioned way”, Risager reflects. “If you want to make a living out of playing the blues, it’s not enough to play only in one country, so we’re thrilled to be able to play all over.” At twenty years in, the band are in white-hot form and will be showcasing their new material across Europe for the rest of 2022. “Playing live in front of an audience makes you feel alive. That’s the best way to describe it, I think. It’s good to feel alive”, he smiles.
- Line-Up:
- Thorbjørn Risager: vocals, acoustic guitar & electric guitar
- Emil Balsgaard: piano, organ, Wurlitzer, Clavinet & Farfisa
- Joachim Svensmark: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, synthesizer, piano, viola, percussion & mandolin
- Kasper Wagner: alto sax, tenor sax, baritone sax, flute & clarinet
- Hans Nybo: bass
- Peter W Kehl: trumpet, trombone & flugelhorn
