The Groups

The Groups

Svare/Thoroddsen
Jazz airs: New CD from Jorgen Svare, Björn Thoroddsen and Jon Rafnsson High quality acoustic jazz with some evergreen's like Lady Be Good, Mood Indigo, Caravan, Over the Rainbow, Moonglow, The Nearness of you, A Nightingale sang in Berkeley Square. Released in Denmark 2003 by Olufsen Records Uraniavej 12 1878 FC Denmark .In Iceland 2003 by Sonet.


Guitar Islancio
The Guitar Islancio trio is made up of guitarist Björn Thoroddsen, guitarist Gunnar Thordarson and double bass player Jón Rafnsson. Together since the autumn of 1998, the trio has played numerous concerts, both in Iceland and abroad. They have previously published four albums, all of them containing jazzed up Icelandic folk songs which have received rave reviews and become best-sellers. The trio has played all over the world, including Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Canada, Germany, the USA, Spain and Great Britain. Guitar Islancio was nominated as the musical group of the City of Reykjavík in both 2000 and 2001. A wide variety of renowned musicians have played with the trio including French violinist Didier Lockwood, French guitarist Sylvain Luc, Danish clarinettist Jørgen Svare and Canadian trumpet player Richard Gillis. Over the centuries the Icelandic folksong has both sculpted the national spirit of Iceland and been the most important pillar of its contemporary culture. Modern composers have willingly allowed the ancient melodies and chords to influence them, using these extensively in their compositions. Guitar Islancio offers us music which has been kept alive and well nourished in Iceland by handing it down through the ages from person to person. The melodies have no doubt undergone some changes on their journey through the passages of time, but this is, of course, the norm for all aspects of society. The trio spins the threads of the old Icelandic songs and presents them to us in new jazz coloured robes. The simple old melody line receives a new modern twist and reminds us that the ancient roots of Icelandic culture are still alive and active in our contemporary society. Recordings: GUITAR ISLANCIO (1999 Polarfonia Classics ehf. - PFCD 99.10.004-1) GUITAR ISLANCIO II (2000 Skífan hf. - FCD006) GUITAR ISLANCIO III (2001 ÓMI / Edda Media & Publishing - ÓMI JAZZ 003) CONNECTIONS (2001 Ice Music Press - IMPCD 301) - Guitar Islancio together with trumpeter Richard Gillis. Musical Group of the City of Reykjavík in 2000 and 2001

Trío Björns Thoroddsen & Egill Ólafsson
The " BJÖRN THOR TRIO" was formed in 1993 and has enjoyed considerable popularity in Iceland since then. Although all its members remain very active in other musical spheres, the trio appears regularily at jazz clubs . They have recently worked out a program, called "Halla´s Travels" in cooperation with Reykjavík Cultural City 2000, that is based on one Icelandic folk song, in this program they go on a world trip with that little tune and play it in various styles compered to time and space. Last year the band toured Germany, USA, Kanada and Greenland and this year they have plans for visiting the Cultural Citys Of Europe 2000, wich are nine different citys in Europe. "Híf opp" is the band´s first CD release. The music is a fusion of jazz, rock and latin and incorporates elements of traditional Icelandic music. The personnel consists of Björn Thoroddsen, guitar, Egill Ólafsson, vocal and Gunnar Hrafnsson, double bass and Ásgeir Óskarsson, percussion. Halla´s Travels: This is a musical theatre in a suitcase so to speak, based on an old folk song and performed by some of Iceland´s most prestigious musicians in jazz and popular music. By colliding different musical genres and implying other melodies to their folk song, Halla´s Travels is about to show yet again that music is the universal language of the world. Halla´s Travels will go from one country to another and play in Reykjavík on various occasions, for example on the opening of the Cultural Year. Singer-songwriter Egill Ólafsson, through 25 years a front figure within the multi-stylistic pop-rock group Stuðmenn ("The Good-Timers") and the shorter lived but influential quasi-ethnic rock ensemble, "The Icelandic Ogre Band" (Þursaflokkurinn), has also been much in demand as an actor in films, TV and on the stage, for which media he has written a sizable quantity of music, as well as numerous popular rock songs. Gunnar Hrafnsson - Bass has been very active on the Icelandic music-scene for 20 years as an electric and acoustic bassplayer, playing and recording mostly jazz and popular music.He has performed and recorded with the Reykjavik City Big Band, the Icelandic Radio orchestra and the Icelandic Symphony Orchestra and participated in numerous theater musicals at the National Theater. Gunnar has played whith numerous foreign musicians such as: Etta Cameron, Finn Ziegler, Frank Foster, Ole Koch Hansen, Olivier Antunes, Greg Hopkins. Ásgeir Óskarsson - Percussion. A leading drummer on the Icelandic music scene for 30 years, Óskarsson has appeared on between 150-200 record appearances, and just recently he released hi first solo album.

Gammar
Björn Thoroddsen guitar, Stefán S. Stefánsson saxophone, Bjarni Sveinbjörnsson bass, Þórir Baldursson keyboards and Halldór G. Hauksson drums. Gammar is a jazz fusion group which performs music written by Björn, Stefán and Þórir.


Svartfugl
Björn Thoroddsen guitar, Sigurður Flosason saxophone and Gunnar Hrafnsson bass. Jazztrio which performs among others a special program of Cole Porter songs.