Raoul Melvin Björkenheim (born February 11, 1956) is a Finnish-American jazz guitarist, who has lived in Helsinki,[1] New York,[1] and Los Angeles.[2]
Raoul Björkenheim | |
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 Raoul Bjorkenheim at Moers Festival, Germany, 2006 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | February 11, 1956 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Avant-garde jazz, electronic |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Guitar |
| Years active | 1980s–present |
| Labels | ECM, Cuneiform, Rune Grammofon |
| Website | raoulbjorkenheim |
His mother is Finnish-American actress Taina Elg.[3] In his teens he moved to Finland.[2] He attended the Helsinki Conservatory and the Berklee School of Music.[2] His professional career began in the 1980s with Finnish jazz drummer Edward Vesala.[4] After recording three albums with Vesala, he formed Krakatau.[2][4] During the 1990s he reduced the band to a trio. He recorded an album with guitarist Nicky Skopelitis that was produced by Bill Laswell.[4]
Björkenheim has composed for the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra, and the UMO Jazz Orchestra[2] and worked as a soloist with the Avanti! Chamber Orchestra and Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra.[4] He recorded three albums for Rune Grammofon in the Scorch Trio with Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (bass) and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums).[4] Other collaborators include Hamid Drake, William Parker, Kalle Kalima,[4] and the band Kvalda.[5]
References
edit- ^ a b "Raoul Björkenheim - Bio". raoulbjorkenheim.com. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ^ a b c d e Gronow, Pekka (2002). Kernfeld, Barry (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz. Vol. 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
- ^ 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.