Goran Kajfes

Goran Kajfeš is a trumpeter, composer, and bandleader based in Sweden. His music melds 21st century jazz, experimental folk, classical, psychedelia, and kosmische. He is also a member of Oddjob, Nacka Forum, Angles, and several other ensembles. Kajfeš' sound borrows from influences including Don Cherry, Enrico Rava, Tomasz Stanko, Can, and Miles Davis. Before releasing 2000's Home, his debut for Blue Note France, he'd played on hundreds of recordings by other artists. 2004's Head Spin won a Swedish Grammy. He co-composed the score to the 2005 film The Well, and 2010's double length X/Y wed jazz, folk, and psych across a nine-part suite; it won the 2012 Nordic Music Prize. Goran Kajfeš Subtropic Arkestra, a large jazz-rock-psych fusion ensemble, issued The Reason Why in three volumes between 2012 and 2017. Goran Kajfeš Tropiques released the 52-minute single Enso in 2017, followed by the albums Into the Wild in 2019 and Tell Us in 2024. Kajfeš was born in 1970 in the Stockholm suburb of Tyresö, the son of Croatian pianist and composer Davor Kajfeš. He began formal trumpet studies at age ten, playing classical music, but he switched to jazz during his late teens. He attended Copenhagen's Rytmisk Music Conservatory between 1993 and 1995. After playing with marching bands and orchestras, he made his debut sideman appearance on Swedish jazz trio Blacknuss' 1994 Made in Sweden (and several later outings), as well as on records by Robyn, Happy Alright, and Lisa Nilsson. In 1997 he made the first of numerous appearances with Eagle-Eye Cherry on Desireless, as well as with Monika Zetterlund on Det Finns Dagar. He is a longtime member of Oddjob and Nacka Forum. In 2000, Kajfeš signed a one-off deal with Blue Note France and issued his debut long-player Home. His father appeared on the date, as did saxophonist Jonas Kullhammar. The album won critical notice for its seamless articulation of post-bop, electro-jazz, and progressive fusion. After a short European tour, he joined Oddjob, Angles, and Nacka Forum. Oddjob released an eponymous outing in 2002 followed by Koyo in 2003; Nacka Forum issued an eponymous date in 2002. In 2004, Kajfeš released Head Spin. His band comprised keyboardist Jesper Nordenström, saxophonist Per Johanson, bassist Johan Berthling, and electronicist/producer David Österberg, among others. A meld of funky, contemporary jazz and hip-hop, the album charted in Sweden and won a Grammy for Album of the Year. Nacka Forum's Leve Nacka Forum appeared and charted in 2005. That same year, Kajfeš co-composed the score to director Kristian Petri's The Well with Berthling, Österberg, and Johan Soderberg. It was released on the Headspin label to glowing reviews internationally. In 2006, Kajfeš returned to Oddjob to record and release Luma. In 2007, he teamed with his father to record the duo album Mirrors. He recorded 2008's Sumo with Oddjob and played in Magnus Carlson's the Moon Ray Quintet for You Do Something to Me the following year. In 2010, he cut Echoes with Carlson and the Moon Ray Quintet, and Clint with Oddjob. In 2011, Kajfeš released the award-winning double-length X/Y. A beautifully bound and presented art book -- with drawings by a cornucopia of modern artists including Moki Cherry (Don's widow, and Eagle-Eye's and Neneh's artist mother), Ulf Rollof, and others -- with two musical albums. The first disc offered the newly formed Goran Kajfeš Subtropic Arkestra performing seven compositions that wed psychedelia, kosmische, '70s exploitation soundtracks, spiky funk, and electric jazz. The second contained the nine-part suite "Perfect Temperatures for Leaving Home" by Kajfeš with Österberg weaving minimalist keyboards, sound effects, electronic textures, organic and synthetic percussion, and compelling improvisation in a response to In a Silent Way. Upon release, critics fell all over each another debating the structure and implications of the adventurous music. The band toured Europe, North Africa, and Mexico. At home in Sweden in 2012, X/Y was awarded a Grammy for Jazz Album of the Year as well as the Nordic Music Prize. Also in 2012, Nacka Forum released Fee Fi Fo Fum with tunes written by all the members. Late in the year, Kajfeš' ten-piece Subtropic Arkestra (that included guitarist Reine Fisk) issued The Reason Why, Vol. 1. The eight-track set was composed entirely of covers by everyone from Karl Jenkins, Bo Hansson, to Moebius, Roedelius, Arthur Verocai, and others. Many critics couldn't decide if the set was prog rock, jazz fusion, or something else, but it didn't stop them from loving it. In fact, it drew comparisons to Frank Zappa's Grand Wazoo and Jaga Jazzist's What We Must. The Reason Why, Vol. 2 appeared in 2014; it followed the same formula with covers of jams from Milton Nascimento, Francis Bebey, Okay Temiz, and more. The Reason Why, Vol. 3 was released in 2017 and offered the most adventurous set of covers yet, including tunes by Ethiopia's Hailu Mergia, avant-jazz rockers Panda Bear, and Orchestre Poly-Rythmo De Cotonou, among others. The tours across Northern and Western Europe were all sell-outs. The ever restless Kajfeš wanted to explore a different approach and formed Goran Kajfeš Tropiques in early 2017 with bassist Berthling, keyboardist Alexander Zethson, and drummer Johan Holmegard. Their first release was Enso, a single, 52-minute track that crawled across post-bop, ambient, classical crossover, and chamber jazz. Two years later, seasoned by touring, the group --buoyed by new member Christian Bothen's bass clarinet and doussn gouni -- released the five-track Into the Wild. It drew comparisons to Terry Riley's early overnight concerts and Popul Vuh's early records. He also appeared on recordings by Nacka Forum (Så Stopper Festen) and Oddjob (Kong). In late 2019, Kajfeš joined the collective Magic Spirit Quartet with guitarist/oudist/vocalist Majid Bekkas, keyboardist Jesper Nordenstrom, and drummer Stefan Pasborg, along with guest vocalists the Chaouki Family. Magic Spirit Quartet released an eponymous album on Intakt in January 2020; it was recorded in Sweden, Denmark, and Morocco. That year, Kajfeš also appeared on albums by Fire! Orchestra (Krysztof Penderecki), Gard Nilssen's Supersonic Orchestra (If You Listen Carefully the Music Is Yours) and Mauro Scocco (Den Stora Glömskan). The following year the trumpeter guested on Fire! Orchestra's Defeat, Ida Sand's Do You Hear Me?, and the Weeping Willows' Songs of Winter. In 2022, Kajfeš was busier than ever. He toured with Tropiques and played sessions and concerts with a variety of acts. With Angles he recorded A Muted Reality; he appeared with Fire! Orchestra on Echoes, and with Gard Nilssen's Supersonic Orchestra on Family in early 2023. In May 2024, Goran Kajfeš Tropiques released their second album, Tell Us, on We Jazz. Recorded by Daniel Bengtson and mixed by Daniel Ögren, its three long compositions also included violinist Josefin Runsteen and cellist Leo Svensson Sander.
© Thom Jurek /TiVo