There’s not much that can be relied upon in these uncertain times of riots all over western Europe. I’m happy to report though that an evening of solid Bluesrock with a spoonful of Soul from Thorbjørn Risager and his seven man tour-de-force The Black Tornado is still a safe bet in 2026. Good news also for the promoter Rocktimes sake was that The Harmonie was completely sold out too. The band themselves were also full of praise for Bonn with trumpet wizard Peter W. Kehl taking a moment between songs to thank everyone for coming out: “Playing here has become like a homecoming party!”.
From being a secret tip for ‘in the know’ Soul-blues fans these concerts have long since become a popular evening on the calender for local concert-goers. In the Harmonie think Netherlands = Julian Sas, think Denmark = Thorbjørn Risager. There are few bands who have maintained such an appeal over two decades.
My first encounter with the music of Risager came after listening to a cd at the Mr Music shop in 2014 after seeing them listed on RUF Records, and to my knowledge they are still the only band from Denmark ever signed by Thomas Ruf for his contemporary blues label. So I liked what I heard and went to see TR&TBT (to give them their environmentally friendly name!) at the Harmonie in April 2014 – and I’ll wager that a large part of tonight’s audience was at that show too. It’s certainly not the youngest of audiences, as proven by the rush to grab the limited number of seats on the balcony. Even the stairway steps quickly became a popular alternative to the balcony – anywhere in fact that sitting down was possible. Not that dancing would have been possible anyway since the space between people front of stage could be measured in millimetres rather than inches at times.
With seven musicians, the stage itself was pretty full too. For this band only seven was actually travelling light since a third of their horn section (Kasper Wagner) wasn’t present. during their live disc recording here in 2015 there were a couple of backing singers too! At a time of spiralling costs even seven musicians touring together is becoming something of a financial luxury so it says something for the band members that since my first concert of theirs in 2014 there has only been one change of personnel – Joachim Svensmark replacing Peter Skjerning on lead guitar. In fact the last time I saw the band was when Svensmark made his debut in 2019. I was impressed enough to predict that “A fresh wind is blowing in from guitarist Joachim Svensmark (I suspect that when he has a few more gigs under his belt his over-all contribution to the sound of songs may be significant)” . How right I was!
Thorbjørn Risager is no slouch when it comes to guitar playing, but has said in the past that he considers himself first and foremost as a singer. The guitar is just a tool. In an interview with a guitar magazine he admits to having a LesPaul but doesn’t know what year it is – a refreshing change from guitar nerds. He bought a Gibson ES 345 because he’s a fan of BB King’s sound. It’s the sound that matters, not the year. As I said, wonderfully refreshing. “If we want to impress the audience, Joachim’s there to put a flash on things” is how he describes the arrangement with Svensmark. It’s a system that works brilliantly too, with Risager laying down the fundamental riffs and Svensmark adding an extra dimension, as beautifully evidenced when he adds a snatch of Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ to a powerful solo on ‘All I Want’.
The band was built by Risager on that blueprint laid down by BB King. In addition to drums and bass, two guitars, keys and a horn section. As a result The Black Tornado have an embarassment of riches. All top musicians who look to be straining at their leashes to play which in itself creates something of a challenge – how to maintain dynamics in the set rather than have everyone going hell-for-leather on every song. When things need to be kept simple Hans Nybo (tenor sax) and Peter W. Kehl (trumpet) are given duties on smaller instruments of dubious origin but limited loudness. It’s necessecary, but almost criminal, to have a keyboard vituoso like Emil Balsgaard kept for the most part tastefully maintaing colour in the background rhythm with only the occasional opportunities to really show his abilities on keyboard. His pairing with Risager on “Christmas Card From a Hooker in Minneapolis” in past shows was sadly absent from the setlist, but understandably a band that has made so many quality albums over the years has more than enough own material to choose from. On that score, I miss too older Risager classics like ‘Too Many Roads’ from 2014.
But in the grand scheme of things that’s a minor gripe. The band’s style in 2026 has become more sophisticated. Fact. They’ve moved away from the ZZ Top powerchord style of the ‘Too Many Roads’ days,and it’s no bad thing to move on and not rest on old laurels. To this end, the addition of Svensmark in particular has clearly freshened up the creative ideas, and that’s important for a band that has been together so long. The title track of their latest studio disc ‘House of Sticks’ played this evening was a prime example. Written by Joachim Svensmark it proved he can play Blues like SRV and switch into a Hendrix moment. Later on playing eerie and ear catching sonorous solos with a violin bow and then subtly adding to the sound via foot-pedals and string bends.
All great to hear. But if you simply just want to blast away the working days dust with no frills, wait for the moments when Svensmark hits his stride, Nybo and Kehl put sax and trumpet to their mouths and let rip. Wait for Emile Balsgaard’s keys to follow suit and Thorbjørn Risager’s soulful gravel-laden voice. whatever you want in the way of great music – Thorbjørn Risager and his Black Tornado have you covered!
