Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado – Songs From The Road (live DVD/CD)

After the success with the Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado’s first Ruf Records release “Too Many Roads” it’s now time for them to be included among the great bands in Ruf’s “Songs From The Roads” series.

They recorded some of their favourite tracks, with a deluxe version of the band, 10 musicians on stage including both of the band’s sax player who normally alternate on the gigs, and the two Swedish singers Ida Bang and Lisa Lystam, finalists in the European Blues Challenge 2015 and 2016, respectively.
The recording was done in one of their favourite clubs, Harmonie in Bonn.
A review from that concert:
http://3songsbonn.com/2015/04/18/thorbjorn-risager-cool-man-hot-music/#more-9786
“Indeed, if anyone can be Jazz cool, Blues weary and Rock steady, it’s Mr Risager and his Black Tornado”

This is their tenth release in ten years, and on the release concert in Copenhagen this week they also celebrate the ten year anniversary of the cooperation with agent Annika Westman. The band keeps on touring intensely. They played 18 festivals in 8 countries the past Summer, and in February 2015 they played at Asia’s biggest blues festival, Mahindra Blues in Mumbai. See www.risager.info/tour-plan for upcoming dates.

Here are three clips from the DVD, originals like most of the tracks on the album and in the band’s repertoire:

Rock N Roll Ride

Through The Tears

High Rolling

In 2014, something unusual happened. On the strength of their breakthrough album Too Many Roads, Denmark’s Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado went global.

Now it’s one thing for an artist from Copenhagen to enjoy success at home and in a few adjacent countries. But the release of Too Many Roads saw the seven-piece combo fronted by singer and guitarist Risager gaining widespread notoriety in the U.S. and being invited to play in locales as far away as Mumbai, India. The album took home the Danish Music Award as the Top Blues Album of 2014 and also earned Germany’s illustrious “Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik,” but perhaps even more impressively, it was selected as one the year’s best by Britain’s influential The Blues magazine, right alongside international stars like Robert Cray, Walter Trout and Joe Bonamassa. Clearly, Risager and his mates had taken their exhilarating mix of blues, soul and rock ‘n’ roll to the next level.

Early in 2015, Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado celebrated that triumph by returning to one of their favorite nightspots – the Harmonie in Bonn, Germany. They would treat local fans to a one-of-a-kind spectacle, hitting the stage as a ten-piece mini-orchestra. After Thomas Ruf of Ruf Records introduces this deluxe edition of the band – including a three-man horn section and backing vocalists Ida Bang und Lisa Lystam – the colossal sound of Risager’s semi-hollow body spearheads the all-out attack of opening number “If You Wanna Leave.” He and his Black Tornado are off to the races…

The succeeding 100-minute concert, captured on CD and DVD for the newest addition to Ruf’s Songs from the Road series, shows off every facet of this unique conglomeration of musicians. There’s the sinuous funk of “Paradise” and the furious boogie of “The Straight and Narrow Line” (featuring big-time playing by piano man Emil Balsgaard and saxophonist Hans Nybo). There’s the twin-guitar blues of “Too Many Roads” and the rough-and-tumble attitude of “Rock ‘n’ Roll Ride.” There’s the chilling “China Gate” and the dark drama of “Long Forgotten Track.” Finally, the band whips the crowd into frenzy with their ultra-groovy take on the classic “Baby Please Don’t Go” and the timeless party anthem “Let The Good Times Roll,” the latter track showcasing the talents of lead guitarist Peter Skjerning. The funk workout “Opener” and the charming “I Won’t Let You Down” (performed as a duet with Lisa Lystam) offer some welcome after play.

More than anything, Songs from the Road shows that the success of Too Many Roads was no fluke. Thorbjørn Risager and his highly skilled accomplices have perfected a spicy blend of musical ingredients. The hundreds of shows they’ve played during the past few years have them running like a well-oiled machine. More great things can be expected of them in the future – but until then, we have this brilliant document of a band that is quietly revolutionizing the way we look at the blues.

THORBJØRN RISAGER & THE BLACK TORNADO
SONGS FROM THE ROAD

Format: DVD / CD combo
Label: Ruf records
Release: 25 September 2015

CD				DVD
001	If You Wanna Leave	00:04:48		001	If You Wanna Leave	00:04:50
002	Paradise	00:04:58		002	Paradise	00:05:00
003	Drowning	00:04:16		003	Drowning	00:04:34
004	Baby Please Don’t Go	00:03:23		004	The Straight And Narrow Line	00:07:40
005	Too Many Roads	00:03:19		005	Too Many Roads	00:03:33
006	China Gate	00:04:12		006	I’m Tired	00:04:00
007	Rock ‘N’ Roll Ride	00:06:26		007	China Gate	00:04:20
008	Through The Tears	00:04:25		008	Rock ‘N’ Roll Ride	00:06:21
009	Long Forgotten Track	00:05:05		009	High Rolling	00:05:05
010	On My Way	00:04:08		010	Get Up, Get Higher	00:03:57
011	All I Want	00:05:57		011	Through The Tears	00:04:42
012	High Rolling	00:05:01		012	Long Forgotten Track	00:05:10
013	Let The Good Times Roll	00:11:24		013	On My Way	00:04:16
014	I Won’t Let You Down	00:04:18		014	All I Want	00:06:16
015	Opener	00:07:10		015	Baby Please Don’t Go	00:03:55
				016	Let The Good Times Roll	00:11:30
				017	I Won’t Let You Down	00:05:17
				018	Opener	00:06:45

Website Thorbjørn Risager : www.risager.info

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