Goran Kajfes

Goran Kajfeš is a trumpeter, composer and bandleader based in Sweden. His music melds 21st century jazz, experimental folk, classical, psychedelia, and cosmiche. 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 played on hundreds of recordings by other artists. 2004's Headspin won a Swedish Grammy. He co-composed the score to 2005's film, The Well. 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 album 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 switched to jazz during his late teens. He attended Copenhagen's Rytmisk Music Conservatory between 1993 and 1995. After recordings with marching bands and orchestras, he made his debut sideman appearance on Swedish jazz trio Blacknuss's 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 Monika Zetterlund on Det Finns Dagar. He is a long time 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 postbop, electro-jazz, and progressive fusion. After a short European tour, he joined Oddjob, Angles, and Nacka Forum. The former released an eponymous outing in 2002 followed by Koyo in 2003, and the latter issued an eponymous date in 2002. In 2004, Kajfeš formed Headspin with 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 appeared on Headspin 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 Rays 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 on Headspin. A beautifully bound and presented combination art book -- with drawings by a cornucopia of modern artists including Moki Cherry (Don's widow, Eagle-Eye and Neneh Cherry's artist mother), Ulf Rollof, and others -- and two musical albums. The first disc offered the newly formed Goran Kajfeš Subtropic Arkestra performing seven compositions that wed psychedelia, cosmiche, seventies 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, along with organic and synthetic percussion, and compelling improvisation in a response to In A Silent Way. Upon release, critics fell all over one another debating the structure and implications of the adventurous music. The band took the music on tour across Europe, North Africa and Mexico. At home 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 members. Late in the year Kajfeš 10-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, Moebius and 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 keep them from loving it. In fact, it drew comparisons to Frank Zappa's Grand Wazoo and Jaga Jazzist's What We Must and 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 Rwason Why Vol. 3 was released by Headspin in 2017, and offered the most adventurous set of covers 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 thought 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 Chaouki Family. They released an eponymous album for 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!'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 sessionsa and concerts with a variety of acts. With ASngles he recorded A Muted Reality, and appeared with Fire! Orchestra on Echoes, and with Gard Nilssen's Supersonic Orchestra's on Family in early 2023. In May 2024, Goran Kajfeš Tropiques released second album Tell Us on We Jazz. Recoreded by Daniel Bengtson and mixed by Daniel Ögren, its three long compositions also included violinist Josefin Runsteen and cellist Leo Svensson Sander.
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