Sofi Hellborg- a music biography1979 - 1981Sofi started playing music seriously at the age of seventeen in the music jazzschool in south of Sweden with the saxophone as her main instrument.1982From early on, Sofi was always drawn towards African music and decides with a friend to travel to Cameroon. Five months of playing with both modern and traditional musicians.1983 - 1985She returns to Sweden but only to stay for a short while until moving to London where she joined the London African based band Orchestra Jazira, and recorded with them the album "Nomadic Activities" (which features one of her tracks.)1985 - 1991Sofi left Jazira and moved to Paris, where she joined Guinean singer and Kora player Mory Kante, toured all over the world and played on the two albums "10 Kola Nuts" and "Akwaba Beach" which included the international hit "Ye Ke Ye Ke".1991 - 1993She played with the french star Charlelie Couture and recorded on the live album "Souvenir Live".1993 - 1994In -93,Sofi realesed her first album "Travel & See" and started touring with her own group Sofi Hellborg Gang. Her music is a reflection of the journey Sofi has travelled and is a mixture of African, jazz and funk music.1995 - 1996She moved her whole band to Sweden where she recorded and produced her second album "Hey Now" on the label Gazell Music.
Apart from her own group, Sofi has also started two other projects; Klaxon Five, a lively brass band and Smadj & So, a drum´n´bass outfit with Rai and jazzy influences.1997She released with Smadj a vinyl called "Bon Voyage" on the english label Freerange.1998Sofi puts out her third cd "Time will tell". The music is still her own mixture of afro, funk and jazz but adds in some drum´n´bass influence.
She still plays the alto and soprano saxophone as her main instruments, but she also sings, plays the Thumb piano, composes and produces.
With Smadj they put out their cd "Equilibriste" on the label Melt.1999 - 2000Sofi moves back to Sweden after 16 years! And prepares her fourth cd.2001With lots of new inspiration she puts out her fourth cd "Go Open", with some musicians from the Paris gang and two new swedish musicians. A live recording in Sweden and a mature and groovy cd, still in her own style. This time with a more instrumental touch. The words "Go Open" comes from pidgin english "One way go close another one go open".2002-2005Touring and working with different projects as well as teaching music. She records a new cd and invite this time Tony Allen, drummer and the master of afrobeat( Fela Kuti) on four songs. She also collaborates with the Swedish rapper Timbuktu for an interesting meeting in the afrosound on a swedish song. Still in her own stile of afrosound she records with the rest of the Gang this cd called “To Give is to Getâ€. Mixed by Jens Lodén it has a more modern sound to it. Cd out februari 2006.Sofi is actually working on a new cd. New cd"drumming is calling"still with the afrogroove feeling and the same Gang of musicians. Release date: End of februari 2008!!
Myspace Layouts by Pimp-My-Profile.com
Photos by Martin Israelsson, Bengt Nordborg and Anders Persson
