Radka Toneff (4)

RADKA TONEFF - WINTER POEM (1977)

1. Lorelei
2. The Wonder Woman
3. Winter Poem
4. The Butterfly
5. Love Comes Quietly
6. The Kid
7. A Child Is Born
8. Mr. Bojangles
9. Fire
10. Ballad of the Sad Young Men

Ellen Radka Toneff (25 June 1952 – 21 October 1982) was a Norwegian jazz singer. She is still considered one of Norway's most outstanding jazz singers. A daughter of the Bulgarian folk singer Toni Toneff,she was born in Oslo and grew up in Lambertseter and Kolbotn. She studied at Oslo Musikkonservatorium from 1971 to 1975. From 1975 to 1980, Arild Andersen, Jon Balke and Jon Eberson. among others, were members of the Radka Toneff Quintet.From 1979 she cooperated with Steve Dobrogosz.In 1980 she participated in the Norwegian national final of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Parken by Ole Paus. She received the Spellemannsprisen 1977 in the category best vocal for the album Winter Poem, and she posthumously received the Norwegian Jazz Association's Buddy Prize in 1982. The Radka Toneff Memorial Award is based on a fund created with royalties from the albums Fairytales and Live in Hamburg. Radka Toneff lived with bassist Arild Andersen for some years, though she was involved with jazz drummer Audun Kleive at the time of her death.She committed suicide. A biography of Toneff was published in 2008. In a poll of Norwegian musiciams conducted by the newspaper Morgenbladet in November 2011, her 1979 album Fairytales was voted the best Norwegian album.

RADKA TONEFF - BUTTERFLY (2008)

 

1.It's Been A Long Long Day

2.Pre-Dawn Imagination

3.Antonio's Song

4.Nature Boy 5.Sometime Ago

6.Like That

7.The Butterfly

8.Before Love Went Out Of Style

9.Black Coffee

10.My One And Only Love

11.He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother

12.Don't Weep For The Lady

13.Lost In The Stars

14.Ballas Of The Sad Young Men

Double Bass – Arild Andersen (tracks: 1 to 12, 14)Drums – Alex Riel (tracks: 4 to 6), Espen Rud (tracks: 14), Jon Christensen (tracks: 1 to 3, 7 to 12)Guitar – Jon Eberson (tracks: 7 to 12, 14)Orchestra – Norrköping Symphony Orchestra (tracks: 13)Piano – Jon Balke (tracks: 1 to 3, 14), Lars Jansson (tracks: 7 to 12), Steve Dobrogosz (tracks: 4 to 6)Vocals – Radka Toneff

RADKA TONEFF - FAIRYTALES (1979)

1. Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
2. Come Down in Time
3. Lost in the Stars
4. Mystery Man
5. My Funny Valentine
6. Nature Boy
7. Long Daddy Green
8. Wasted
9. Before Love Went Out of Style
10. I Read My Sentence

A Norwegian jazz vocalist of legendary stature, Radka Toneff made her award-winning album debut in 1977 and recorded only three albums during her lifetime, which was cut short by her tragic death in 1982. Born on June 25, 1952, in Oslo, Norway, she is the daughter of a Bulgarian folksinger and studied at the Oslo Musikkonservatorium from 1971 to 1975. After founding the Radka Toneff Quintet, whose membership included Arild Andersen (bass), Jon Balke (piano), and Jon Eberson (guitar), among others, she made her solo album debut in 1977 with Winter Poem, an English-language effort. Highly acclaimed, the album was awarded a Spellemannprisen (i.e., Norwegian Grammy) in 1977 for Vocal Album of the Year and was a Top 20 hit on the Norwegian albums chart. The follow-up album, It Don't Come Easy (1979), also featured the Radka Toneff Quintet while her third album, Fairy Tales (1982), was a collaboration with pianist Steve Dobrogosz. Tragically, Toneff died on October 21, 1982, in what was officially declared a suicide, though some have argued that her death was accidental. Over the years that followed, Toneff's stature rose to that of legend, and posthumous releases such as Some Time Ago: A Collection of Her Finest Moments (2003) and Butterfly (2008) proved remarkably popular, reaching the Top Five and Top Ten, respectively. Another posthumous release, Live in Hamburg (1992), is a latter-day concert recording from 1981 featuring herself alongside Steve Dobrogosz (piano), Arild Andersen (bass), and Alex Riel (drums). ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide

RADKA TONEFF - LIVE IN HAMBURG (1981)

1.Spring Can Really Get You Down The Most
2.Never Letting Go
3.Lonely Woman
4.A Certain Peace
5.AntonioS Song
6.Set It Free
7.Just Like A Woman
8.Rest Enough
9.Bulgarian Folksong - Fire
10.Havana Candy
11.WeLl Be Together

Radka Toneff was 30 years old when she died. Jazz musician, singer, piano player and composer, she started to study the piano at the age of seven from Hans Solum and later she finished her study at the Concervatorium of Music in Oslo. If you're a fan of mainstream jazz, you will love this. Her vocal interpretation is great and she has a voice that she uses perfectly for this type of music. This live album displays a range of songs from Ornette Coleman's "Lonely Woman", Bob Dylan's "Just Like a Woman", the traditional "Bulgarian Folksong" to the Latin rhythms of "Havana Candy".
She lived a short life but she will be remembered for what she did both musically and for the Jazz itself. Her musical work is just beyond words. If you see one of her albums and you are interested in jazz--get it quick

Musicians: Radka Toneff, vocals; Steve Dobeogosz, piano; Arild Anderson, bass; Alex Riel, drums.