Biography
Örjan Kjellin entered the world on 21 July 1944 in Ljungby, Sweden. At fifteen he took up the clarinet, and two years afterward he joined pianist Lars Edegran to launch his debut ensemble, which specialized in the New Orleans idiom. By seventeen he had already cut his initial discs on Swedish soil. Relocating to New Orleans in 1966, he quickly established himself as a steady presence at prominent jazz spots, among them Preservation Hall. In 1968 he helped establish the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra. He simultaneously directed several groups of his own, one of which maintained a 1970 engagement at the Maison Bourbon Club; two years later he assembled the New Orleans Joymakers. Over the years he documented sessions alongside such established New Orleans figures as Josiah ‘Cié’ Frazier, Preston Jackson, Jim Robinson, Jabbo Smith, Zutty Singleton and Kid Thomas Valentine. Kellin joined the NORO for the 1978 film soundtrack of Pretty Baby. The next year he reached New York with the stage production One Mo’ Time, serving as musical director and co-arranger while performing in the pit band onstage. Early in the 1980s he continued with the same production throughout its extended, well-received London West End engagement. Extensive touring followed, both leading his own units and working alongside ensembles drawn largely from New Orleans veterans; his first unaccompanied UK tour occurred in 1992. An accomplished and deeply musical clarinettist, Kellin’s steadfast commitment to New Orleans traditions has played a significant role in safeguarding that idiom. He commands a strong technique and delivers solos marked by both flair and eloquence, while his skills as an ensemble musician add weight and cohesion to any group he joins.
Albums
