The Real Thing (band)
Encyclopedia
The Real Thing is a Norwegian jazz quartet. Due to the sudden death of the band's saxophonist Sigurd Køhn
in December 2004 The Real Thing has been hibernating since Køhn's death.
The members of the quartet is Paul Wagnberg
on Hammond organ, Staffan William-Olsson on guitar, Børre Dalhaug
on drums and the late Sigurd Køhn
on alto saxophone.
The quartet has released eight albums, their debut in 1992 with the album The Real Thing and later both live and studio recordings.
The group was started in 1991 with Carl Størmer on drums. Størmer was replaced by Torstein Ellingsen in 1995. Børre Dalhaug took over for Ellingsen in 1998.
The music of The Real Thing consists of mostly original material. The music combines influences from American Blue Note jazz (represented by people such as Jimmy Smith
, George Benson
and Wes Montgomery
) and elements from modern popular music. The result is a mixture of genres including swing
, blues
, soul
, Latin
, funk
and rock.
Sigurd Køhn
Sigurd Køhn , was a Norwegian jazz saxophonist and composer. He was, along with his 16 year old son, killed in Khao Lak, Thailand by the tsunami following the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake on December 26, 2004....
in December 2004 The Real Thing has been hibernating since Køhn's death.
The members of the quartet is Paul Wagnberg
Paul Wagnberg
Paul Wagnberg is a Swedish-Norwegian jazz musician, mostly known for his jazz-organ playing. He also sings and plays the piano in addition to composing....
on Hammond organ, Staffan William-Olsson on guitar, Børre Dalhaug
Børre Dalhaug
Børre Dalhaug is a Norwegian musician and arranger.Børre Dalhaug has worked as a musician since 1995 and done around 800 concerts with bands like The Real Thing, Staffan William-Olsson Sextet, Nora Brockstedt, Oslo Groove Company, Bohuslän Big Band among others...
on drums and the late Sigurd Køhn
Sigurd Køhn
Sigurd Køhn , was a Norwegian jazz saxophonist and composer. He was, along with his 16 year old son, killed in Khao Lak, Thailand by the tsunami following the Sumatra-Andaman earthquake on December 26, 2004....
on alto saxophone.
The quartet has released eight albums, their debut in 1992 with the album The Real Thing and later both live and studio recordings.
The group was started in 1991 with Carl Størmer on drums. Størmer was replaced by Torstein Ellingsen in 1995. Børre Dalhaug took over for Ellingsen in 1998.
The music of The Real Thing consists of mostly original material. The music combines influences from American Blue Note jazz (represented by people such as Jimmy Smith
Jimmy Smith (musician)
Jimmy Smith was a jazz musician whose performances on the Hammond B-3 electric organ helped to popularize this instrument...
, George Benson
George Benson
George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....
and Wes Montgomery
Wes Montgomery
John Leslie "Wes" Montgomery was an American jazz guitarist. He is widely considered one of the major jazz guitarists, emerging after such seminal figures as Django Reinhardt and Charlie Christian and influencing countless others, including Pat Martino, George Benson, Russell Malone, Emily...
) and elements from modern popular music. The result is a mixture of genres including swing
Swing (genre)
Swing music, also known as swing jazz or simply swing, is a form of jazz music that developed in the early 1930s and became a distinctive style by 1935 in the United States...
, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, Latin
Latin American music
Latin American music, found within Central and South America, is a series of musical styles and genres that mixes influences from Spanish, African and indigenous sources, that has recently become very famous in the US.-Argentina:...
, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and rock.
Discography
- The Real Thing (1992)
- ...in New York (feat. Lew SoloffLew SoloffLew Soloff is a jazz trumpeter, composer and actor. He studied trumpet at the Eastman School of Music and the Juilliard School. He is likely best known for his work with Blood, Sweat & Tears from 1968 to 1973...
) (1993) produced by Georg "Jojje" Wadenius. Nominated for the Norwegian Grammy-award 1994. - A Perfect Match (with Bohuslän Big BandBohuslän Big BandThe Bohuslän Big Band is a modern jazz ensemble from Sweden which started as a military orchestra in the 19th century. They play original music as well as compositions by Lars Jansson, Maria Schneider, Frank Zappa and others....
) (1994). Arranged and produced by the Los Angeles based arranger Tom KubisTom KubisTom Kubis is a jazz composer/arranger, woodwind player, recording artist, band leader.Tom was recognized in the middle 60's as an outstanding saxophone and flute player... - Live (1995)
- Pleasure is an Attitude (1997)
- Deluxe (with Norwegian Radio OrchestraNorwegian Radio OrchestraThe Norwegian Radio Orchestra is a Norwegian orchestra affiliated with the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation . Its principal base is the Store Studio at the NRK headquarters in Oslo....
) (2000) - New Wrapping (2003)
- A Real Christmas (with Sigrid Brennhaug on vocal) (2006)