bjornwennas.com
What's up? My name is Björn, I am a guitarist originally from Sweden but nowadays I live in Boston. This is my cozy little space! I hope you enjoy my music and please tell me what you think of it.
Biography
Swedish composer and guitarist Björn Wennås is an active musician in Boston and it's surroundings. He currently leads his own quintet featuring his original compositions drawing inspiration from both rock and jazz tradition as well as from contemporary music.
Björn made his debut on stage at the age of 12 with the Flamenco group Los Dos Jovenes led by acclaimed guitarist and educator Miroslav Simic. Björn eventually developed an interest in jazz and went on to play guitar in several big bands and smaller ensembles. Most notably performing with big bands under the direction of Johnny Olsson at Berns and Mosebacke in Stockholm. Björn has performed in some of the most distinguished jazz clubs in Sweden such as Fashing in Stockholm and Katalin in Uppsala.
Björn received a Bachelor's Degree from Uppsala University in Musicology and Anthropology, writing his final paper discussing jazz improvisation from an anthropological perspective. In 1999 he moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music on a scholarship. While at Berklee, Björn studied with Mick Goodrick, Hal Crook, Jon Damian, Ed Tomassi, Dave Santoro, Greg Hopkins and Tim Miller. He was nominated in 2004 for the Just Plain Folk's Award for best jazz vocal composition (Love Song) along with the likes of Judi Silvano. His quintet was also selected to perform at the first annual New Music Festival in Boston, celebrating composers that are pushing the edge.
Björn has played in venues such as Berklee Performance Center, The Zeitgeist Gallery, House of Blues, Ryles Jazz Club in Boston and The Bitter End and The Triad in New York City.
Björn has performed and collaborated with several notable musicians including Bruno Råberg, Phil Grenadier (Kenny Baron, Chris Potter, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Larry Goldings) Mark Shilansky (Luciana Souza, Kenny Wheeler, Clark Terry) Mads Tolling (Turtle Island String Quartet, Stanley Clarke) and Vadim Neselovskyi (Gary Burton).
Currently involved in several different projects he recently introduced his new band on his latest CD Static featuring Bruno RÃ¥berg on bass, Phil Grenadier on trumpet, Ziv Ravitz on drums, Carmen Marsico on vocals and Michel Reis on piano.
Quotes
"...his dark-toned, electric lines surge forward with capacious voicings and probing chord progressions. ...Wennas conveys a mature vision during the preponderance of these craftily arranged works, awash with subtle surprises and the soloists hearty sojourns."
- GLENN ASTARITA, JAZZREVIEW 2005
"..what makes Static a success is Wennas' own way of subsuming his influences into an approach all his own... his work on Static, is defined by economy, a refreshing avoidance of pyrotechnics, and a clear eye on the meaning of every note and phrase."
- JOHN KELMAN, ALL ABOUT JAZZ 2005
"Static starts out as gritty, chugging Jazz-rock with Wennas, trumpeter Phil Grenadier, and vocalist Carmen Marsico carving out a rough beat on Song 2 and mixing grit and noise with lyricism later on Static and P.I.N.Y. Wennas also has a tender side which he shows on a pretty trio version of Nardis, bass and drums rolling while he glides and slips over the top like liquid mercury. Ruby My Dear, meanwhile, is a delicate duet for Wennas careful picking and Marsicos strong but delicate voice. The guitarist saves his wildest moves for Lonnies Lament done as another trio version, this time with Bruno Raberg and Ziv Ravitz laying down a heavy beat while Wennas pours on the electronic whines and shimmies, sliding around his strings until he eventually ends up doing a rocking reggae sound. Wennas is an inventive and versatile modern player."
- JEROME WILSON, CADENCE 2006
To read more about me in the press, please download my presskit
View Björn Wennås & Carmen Marsico Quintet's EPK
MySpace Layouts
