Radka Toneff

From WikiProjectMed
Jump to navigation Jump to search

Radka Toneff
Radka Toneff live 1982 in Bergen.
Radka Toneff live 1982 in Bergen.
Background information
Birth nameEllen Radka Toneff
Born(1952-06-25)25 June 1952
Oslo, Norway
OriginNorway
Died21 October 1982(1982-10-21) (aged 30)
Oslo, Norway
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
Instrument(s)Vocals

Ellen Radka Toneff (25 June 1952 – 21 October 1982) was a Norwegian jazz singer, daughter of the Bulgarian folk singer, pilot and radio technician Toni Toneff,[1] she was born in Oslo and grew up in Lambertseter and Kolbotn.[2] She is still considered one of Norway's greatest jazz singers.[3]

Career

Toneff holds a very special position in the Norwegian jazz history. With her moderate, but intense expression and her discerning musicianship, she made a deep impression on many people. Her highly personal and original qualities, where she combined influences from her father's musical heritage in Bulgaria with a range of influences from, among others, jazz and rock, led her to become a beacon for singers both in Norway and internationally.[2]

She studied music at Oslo Musikkonservatorium (1971–75), combined with playing in the jazz rock band "Unis". She also had her own Radka Toneff Quintet (1975–80), with changing lineup.[1] including musicians like Arild Andersen, Jon Balke, Jon Eberson and Jon Christensen, among others.[4] From 1979 she cooperated with Steve Dobrogosz.[1] In 1980 she participated in the Norwegian national final of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song Parken by Ole Paus.[2]

Toneff was awarded the Spellemannsprisen 1977 in the category best vocal for the album Winter Poem, and she posthumously received the Norwegian Jazz Association's Buddypris in 1982.[4] The Radka Toneff Memorial Award is based on a fund created with royalties from the albums Fairytales and Live in Hamburg.[4]

She lived with bassist Arild Andersen for some years, though she was involved with jazz drummer Audun Kleive at the time of her death.[5] A biography of Toneff was published in 2008.[5]

Toneff had roots in Bulgaria, she grew up on Lambertseter (in Oslo) and Kolbotn (in a neighboring former municipality), and left deep traces in Norwegian jazz. In a poll of Norwegian musicians conducted by the newspaper Morgenbladet in November 2011, her 1982 album Fairytales was voted the best Norwegian album of all time.[6] Toneff was found dead in the woods of Bygdøy outside Oslo on 21 October 1982. She had committed suicide with an overdose of sleeping pills.[7]

Honors

Discography

Solo albums

  • 1977: Winter Poem (Zarepta Records) – with the Radka Toneff Quintet
  • 1979: It Don't Come Easy (Zarepta Records) – with the Radka Toneff Quintet
  • 1982: Fairytales (Odin Records) – with Steve Dobrogosz
  • 1992: Live in Hamburg (Odin Records) – with Steve Dobrogosz, Arild Andersen, and Alex Riel (recorded in 1981)
Compilations
  • 2003: Some Time Ago – A Collection Of Her Finest Moments (EmArcy Records)
  • 2008: Set It Free – Et Portrett Av Radka Toneff (KRF Records)
  • 2008: Butterfly (Curling Legs)

Collaborative works

References

  1. ^ a b c Johansen, Per Kristian (30 July 2003). "Radka Toneff 1952–1982". Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation (in Norwegian). Retrieved 8 September 2008.
  2. ^ a b c Halvorsen, Tore. "Radka Toneff". Norsk Biografisk Leksikon (in Norwegian). Kunnskapsforlaget. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
  3. ^ Johansen, Carl Kristian (1 September 2008). "Ny biografi om Radka Toneff i butikkene i dag". Ballade (in Norwegian). Retrieved 8 September 2008.
  4. ^ a b c "Radka Toneff Biography" (in Norwegian). JazzBasen.no Norwegian Jazz Archives (1994). Retrieved 8 September 2008.
  5. ^ a b Breen, Marta (2008). Radka Toneff. Hennes korte liv og store stemme. Oslo: Kagge Forlag. ISBN 978-82-489-0755-8.
  6. ^ Breen, Marta (27 August 2008). "Norsk jazz' store ikon". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  7. ^ Breen, Marta (31 August 2008). "Distansert blikk: Nyansert portrett, mangler en klo". Dagbladet (in Norwegian). Retrieved 14 October 2013.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Radka Toneff.

External links

Awards
Preceded by Recipient of the Buddyprisen
1982 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Recipient of the Jazz Spellemannprisen
1993 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://mdwiki.org/wiki/Radka_Toneff"