Live At Hotel Cecil Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado

• 1 Already Gone (Live) 04:31
• 2 Long Time Ago (Live) 04:58
• 3 Said I Was Hurt (Live) 03:55
• 4 House Of Sticks (Live) 04:54
• 5 Insomnia Boogie (Live) 05:40
• 6 Long Forgotten Track (Live) 06:33
• 7 Sin City (Live) 06:04
• 8 Never Givin' In (Intro) (Live) 01:58
• 9 Never Givin' In (Live) 08:48
• 10 Headed For The Stars (Live) 04:24
• 11 Inner Light (Live) 05:01
• 12 I Used To Love You (Live) 04:04
• 13 Come On In (Live) 04:46
• 14 Hold My Lover Tight (Live) 06:08
• 15 Over The Hill (Live) 03:28
• 16 Maybe It's Alright (Live) 04:58
• 17 Train (Live) 05:05
• 18 All I Want (Live) 10:52
• Total Runtime 01:36:07

Info for Live At Hotel Cecil

Die preisgekrönte dänische Roots-Rock-Band Thorbjørn Risager & The Black Tornado sind wahre Roadwarriors – kaum ein Monat vergeht, ohne dass sie auf Tour sind. Kein Wunder also, dass sie am 19. Juni 2026 ihr neues Live-Album „Live at Hotel Cecil“ veröffentlichen.

Das Hotel Cecil im Herzen von Kopenhagen bietet dafür die perfekte Kulisse. Gegründet 1936 als Treffpunkt, Hörsaal und Verwaltungszentrum der dänischen Frauenbewegung, diente das Gebäude später als Jazzhaus und Theater. Vor dieser Art-Deco-Kulisse entfaltet die Band ihre sanften, rauchigen Bluesklänge in besonderer Atmosphäre.

Wenn die acht Musiker die Bühne betreten, die Vorhänge sich öffnen und das Licht gedimmt wird, fesselt das neonleuchtende Logo der Band sofort die Aufmerksamkeit. Die Bühne, flankiert von eleganten Vorhängen, katapultiert das Publikum in eine andere Zeit und an einen anderen Ort – genau dorthin, wo Thorbjørn Risager (Gesang, E-Gitarre), Emil Balsgaard (Orgel, Keys), Joachim Svensmark (E-Gitarre), Kasper Wagner (Baritonsaxophon), Hans Nybo (Tenorsaxophon), Peter W Kehl (Trompete), Søren Bøjgaard (Bass) und Martin Seidelin (Schlagzeug, Percussion) ihre Zuhörer ziehen.

Die Band kann auf eine beeindruckende Karriere zurückblicken: Vier Danish Music Awards bei sieben Nominierungen, die Auszeichnung als „Beste Band“ bei den European Blues Awards und der renommierte Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik Jahrespreis sprechen für sich. Mit über 1.500 Konzerten weltweit haben sie ihr Publikum mit dynamischer Bühnenpräsenz und einem Sound begeistert, der Soul, Chicago Blues, Boogie und Rock ’n’ Roll vereint – gesungen mit einer Stimme, die irgendwo zwischen Ray Charles, Van Morrison und Billy Gibbons liegt.

Ihre Reputation als Ausnahmekünstler ist legendär: Sie standen bereits als Vorband für Bonnie Raitt und die Tedeschi Trucks Band, jamten mit der Blues-Legende Buddy Guy und gewannen sogar einen prominenten Fan in Dan Aykroyd, alias Elwood Blues, der ihren „heißen Rhythm & Blues“ lobte.

Mit „Live at Hotel Cecil“ bringt das dänische Oktett nun die Energie ihrer Live-Auftritte direkt ins Wohnzimmer – ein Muss für alle Blues- und Rockfans.

Thorbjørn Risager, Hauptgesang, E-Gitarre
Emil Balsgaard, Klavier, Orgel, Wurlitzer, Clavinet
Joachim Svensmark, E-Gitarre, Hintergrundgesang
Kasper Wagner, Altsaxophon, Baritonsaxophon
Hans Nybo, Tenorsaxophon, Hintergrundgesang
Peter W. Kehl, Trompete, Flügelhorn, Hintergrundgesang
Søren Bøjgaard, Bass, Basssynthesizer
Martin Seidelin,Schlagzeug, Percussion, Hintergrundgesang

Aufgenommen vom 28. bis 29. November 2025, live im Hotel Cecil in Kopenhagen
Toningenieur David Stærk
Gemischt und produziert von Søren Bøjgaard
Gemastert von Mikkel Gemzøe
Ausführender Produzent Peter W. Kehl

Thorbjørn Risager
In the blues world, a big voice is often accompanied by a big ego (or at least a medium sized one…)

But the Danish singer Thorbjørn Risager, praised for his rough and strong voice by an unanimous choir of critics from a growing number of countries – 15 the last time we counted them – is a soft-spoken gentleman off stage. He is the leader of his seven-piece band mainly for practical reasons – to bring any little issue into a group discussion can be quite time-consuming. He is also composing most of the band’s music, and during the performance he is the obvious center of attention, even if the band has a charming way of passing round the task of introducing the songs between them, so that each musician gets his word in.

And this is a real smooth organization, who has divided all practical tasks such as web master, CD sales on gigs etc between themselves. Which makes life easier in the midst of their heavy touring schedule. Since the start, they have played in 15 countries, and only from Feb – Aug 2010 they have concerts booked in 11 European countries.

But the 38-year-old Dane had other plans for his life. He studied to be a school teacher, and worked in this profession for some years, before he decided to let the music take over. He studied at the Rhythmic Conservatory in Copenhagen, a quite unique education where many of the teachers are jazz- or rock musicians, and where the emphasis is on Rhythmic music of all genres. In 2003 he started his band, selected musicians he liked both musically and personally, and the fact that up until today only one of them left and was replaced, at an early stage of the band’s career, proves that the choice was excellent.

But of course Thorbjørn’s musical interest started long before this. He played the saxophone from the age of 12, then guitar – but the singing was more of a coincidence at first. He was exposed to the blues through a neighbour, a middle-aged gentleman who was friends with his parents, and who started playing blues records to the young Thorbjørn. That’s how his life-long love story with the blues started, with B B King as his biggest hero. Ray Charles is one of his other obvious influences, but today, with almost 40 recorded songs from his own pen, he has definitely defined his own sound and style.

His mixture of genres is something that is sometimes mentioned by critics, who are looking for something of more homogenity. But this is Thorbjørn’s deliberate choice. To hear a band that plays one shuffle after another, or only jump blues through an entire CD or concert, might please some critics but there’s definitely a risk that the audience will get bored.

And this is why Thorbjørn and his band have created their specific sound by other means, especially his characteristic raunchy voice and the band’s typical sound, with its horns, solo performances and rolling, almost big-band-like grooves. So he weaves threads of soul, gospel, rock, R&B and funk into his music, to create a variety and keep the audience interested, something that the band succeeds with on each single gig.

This album contains no booklet.