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The Bjorkestra

About Me


Travis Sullivan’s Bjorkestra is an 18 piece, genre-bending jazz orchestra that has successfully fused the pop music world with the stylistic and improvisatory concepts of modern jazz. Arranged and conducted by alto saxophonist Travis Sullivan, The Bjorkestra performs the music of visionary pop artist Bjork, spanning her entire catalogue as a solo artist, truly creating a big band sound for the 21st Century.Comprised of some of the best artists in the NYC downtown jazz and indie music scene, The Bjorkestra’s individual members have performed and/or recorded with the likes of The Arcade Fire, Dr. Dre, Charlie Hunter, The Spam All Stars, The Maria Schneider Jazz Orchestra, and The Saturday Night Live Band. Special guests with The Bjorkestra have included Grammy nominated tenor saxophonist Donny McCaslin, Verve recording artist Kurt Rosenwinkel, and guitar icon Ben Monder. Adding to this unique ensemble with a traditional big band horn and rhythm section is vocalist Becca Stevens, whose voice is evocative of Bjork yet has a personal quality all of it's own; and the electronic percussion and soundscapes of programmer Alex Fortuit.Since their debut in September 2004 at New York City's Knitting Factory, Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra has performed to packed venues across the country and received extraordinary praise from both fans and the press a like. Publications as diverse as The Wall Street Journal, Relix Magazine, and Jazz Times have featured articles about The Bjorkestra. Sullivan has also been featured in an interview on the BBC radio show The World. His adaptations of Bjork’s music are also gaining international recognition, with a sold out 2007 performance conducting his arrangements with The Sicilian Jazz Orchestra at The Teatro Golden in Palermo, Sicily.The release of their debut CD, "Enjoy" is scheduled for January 2008 on Koch Records.


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Music:

Member Since: 22/07/2007
Band Website: http://www.bjorkestra.com
Band Members:

Becca Stevens, vocals, Travis Sullivan, conducting, alto saxophone; Alex Fortuit, drum programming; Bjorkestra horns will be named soon!; Enjoy is produced by Jason Miles.

Influences: Bjork, Aphex Twin, John Coltrane, Stravinsky, Jim McNeely, Stina Nordenstam, Kenny Werner, Keith Jarrett, Dave Douglas, The Village Vanguard Band, John Cage, Jasper Johns
Sounds Like:
Record Label: Koch Records
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Reykjavik Day 3

The adventure continues! Things here in Reykjavik just keep on getting more and more exciting.  The band is doing well with the arrangements and I'm having a lot of fun exploring Reykjavik. ...
Posted by on Fri, 29 Aug 2008 09:27:00 GMT

Reykjavik Day 2

Yesterday was the my first full day in Reykjavik, and I had my first rehearsal with the Reykjavik Big Band.  They sounded fantastic, were well prepared, and they are all very enthusiastic about p...
Posted by on Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:38:00 GMT

Reykjavik Journey Day 1

I was asked recently to conduct my Bjork arrangements with the Reykjavik Big Band for the Reykjavik Jazz Festival.  I'm now in Reykjavik and can't believe it...the land of Bjork! I heard she's pl...
Posted by on Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:14:00 GMT

Bjorkestra @ Le Poisson Rouge - Thursday Night!

Hey everyone, this is a reminder that the new, slimmed-down 11-piece incarnation of Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra will be appearing Thursday night (that's tomorrow!) at Le Poisson Rouge in New York Cit...
Posted by on Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:33:00 GMT

An important message to our fans

Dear Friends of Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra  , Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra is looking to form a street team of our most passionate and energetic fans who are interested in helping us promote Th...
Posted by on Fri, 11 Jul 2008 08:57:00 GMT

Montreal Jazz Festival redux!

What can I say, The Bjorkestra took the Montreal Jazz Festival by storm last week! It was the largest audience we've ever played for, about 30,000 people were packed into Le Place des Arts t...
Posted by on Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:38:00 GMT

Bjorkestra 11 piece at Le Poisson Rouge

I think almost everyone is downsizing these days...and the Bjorkestra is no exception! Our next show at Le Poisson Rouge is going to feature my new 11 piece Bjorkestra "stealth unit" set up, with a re...
Posted by on Mon, 07 Jul 2008 05:45:00 GMT

new podcast

I've finally done something I've been meaning to do for months! I've created a podcast called "Travis Sullivan on The Bjorkestra" which features tracks from the Bjorkestra "Enjoy!" with me doing a voi...
Posted by on Tue, 10 Jun 2008 10:21:00 GMT

part 1, music preparation

Finally, the 1st installment in the "bandleader" series I had promised... I'd like to begin with a disclaimer that may come as a surprise to some of you  I never planned on leading a big band! Althou...
Posted by on Wed, 05 Mar 2008 09:29:00 GMT

Bjorkestra Facebook Page

Hey all... A quick message to let you know that there is a new Bjorkestra page on Facebook.  Check it out and become an "official" fan of the Bjorkestra!!! here's the link: http://www.facebook.co...
Posted by on Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:47:00 GMT