" .. with Kjeld Lauritsen's many faceted Hammond organ playing and a tenor saxophone (yours truly, in this case), you've got a really powerful swing machine. And that's what organ jazz has always been about." - Bob Rockwell

Rockwell is high on my list of musicians deserving wider recognition. Nothing is better to listen to than a great voice that has something to say, and that is how I would describe Bob Rockwell on tenor sax. He doesn't showboat, and never wastes a note. He has a big soulful sound and a profound reverence for jazz tradition not as a museum piece, but as a foundation for a living vital art-form, and he contributes to that art-form without reliance on cliche.

Photo by Andrea Canter

He moved to New York in 1978 and became a member of the Thad-Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra. This ensemble toured Europe extensively. From 1979 he was engaged in performances with The Mel Lewis Orchestra, Tito Puente,Ben Sidran, Freddie Hubbard, Ray Drummond, Billy Hart, Rufus Reid, Victor Lewis, Ron McClure, Tom Harrell, Chuck Israels, John Hicks, Al Foster, Anthony Cox, Bill Dobbins, Keith Copeland, Clint Houston, Richie Bierach Etc.

Since 1983 Rockwell has lived in Copenhagen working in Scandinavia and beyond with artists such as Ernie Wilkins, Kenny Drew, Alex Riel, Marilyn Mazur & Kenny Wheeler. He has forged special relationships with Danish pianist Jan Kasperson & bass player Jesper Lungaard. He has featured significantly in the Danish Radio Jazz Orchestra's touring, broadcast and recording schedule.

Kjeld Lauritsen
"You play the same way I do. Just upside down". That remark - from the blues pianist Champion Jack Dupree - changed Danish Hammond Organ player Kjeld Lauritsen's musical life. Before, he used to be your typical jazz piano guy, with nice work in the right hand but a seemingly disabled left hand. Dupree's primitive yet effective and swinging approach to music changed his view on the keyboard completely. "I started to practice the left hand seriously" states Lauritsen, who later in his career has eliminated the bass player (he plays the bass line on the organ himself on a lot of gigs). "- I like the idea of instant composing" says Lauritsen, "playing keyboards and bass at the same time gives you a lot of freedom when you improvise".

Kjeld Lauritsen met Champion Jack Dupree when he was playing blues in The Kenn Lending Blues band, a hardworking group with steady work. Later he teamed up with one of the local jazz stars, tenor saxophonist Bob Rockwell to form The Organizers, a jazz group playing everything from funky blues to jazz standards. The group has been very successful with concerts in jazz clubs and festivals.

Lauritsen also leads his own jazz trio in a classic Jimmy Smith format: Organ, guitar and drums. Recently he has been reaching out to a wider audience with appearances in neighboring countries. A record with Kjeld Lauritsen as a featured soloist with Klavers Big Band from Aarhus, Denmark was released in 1997.

"One moment we're playing the blues, next minute a fast jazz number or a soul-jazz tune. Then we might slip into a beautiful Ellington ballad. The inspiration is jazz from the sixties, but we do it our way. We're working hard ... trying to continue the tradition with our own voices." - Kjeld Lauritsen.

The ever-swinging, organ trio veteran Kenny Horst will be completing the trio on drums. Catch the groove at the Artists' Quarter!

• Thurs., March 24, 9:00 p.m. $10;
• Fri. & Sat., March 25 & 26, 9:00 p.m., $12;
  (1st set smoke free!)
• Sun., March 27, 8:00 p.m., $10

Kjeld and Me -photo by Andrea Canter