Ulf Wakenius

A Swedish guitarist of notable dexterity and fluid technique, Ulf Wakenius commands an expansive stylistic palette yet remains most closely identified with straight-ahead and post-bop jazz. Born in Halmstad in April 1958 and raised in Gothenburg, he began playing guitar in early childhood, first as a self-taught musician before enrolling at the Gothenburg Conservatoire. Although his initial focus lay in contemporary blues, he soon shifted toward jazz. Already active as a session player by his late teens, Wakenius joined the Swedish groups Sundance and Mwendo Dawa during the mid- to late 1970s. He subsequently toured across Europe and, in the early 1980s, formed the duo Guitars Unlimited with guitarist Peter Almqvist, releasing Introducing Guitars Unlimited Duo in 1983 and Acoustic Shokk in 1985. Additional sessions with Svend Asmussen led him to South America, where he performed concerts and made further recordings.

During this period he also commenced a lasting collaboration with bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen that continued until the bassist’s death in 2005. In the early 1990s Wakenius belonged to the group Grafitti alongside drummer Dennis Chambers, bassist Gary Grainger, and keyboardist Haakon Graf, resulting in the 1992 album Good Groove. Among the many other jazz figures with whom he has performed and occasionally recorded are Art Farmer, Herbie Hancock, Joe Henderson, and Clark Terry.

Wakenius has fronted several ensembles of his own, including a notable unit featuring Chris Minh Doky, Niels Lan Doky, Randy Brecker, Lars Danielsson, Bob Berg, saxophonist Bill Evans, and Jack DeJohnette that issued the 1992 album Venture on L+R Records. He likewise directed the Stellar Quintet, whose members included Michael Brecker and Ray Brown, and he recorded with Brown on Seven Steps to Heaven in 1995 and Summertime in 1997.

In 1997 Wakenius entered Oscar Peterson’s quartet, touring worldwide with the pianist and appearing on the 1998 release A Summer Night in Munich; the lineup also comprised Ørsted Pedersen and drummer Martin Drew. That same year he issued his own Dig In, recorded with pianist Gösta Rundqvist, bassist Yasuhito Mori, and drummer Jukkis Uotila.

After 2000 Wakenius remained prolific on the ACT label, delivering the Keith Jarrett tribute Notes from the Heart in 2005, Love Is Real in 2008, and Signature Edition 2 in 2010. He subsequently collaborated with bassist Lars Danielsson and accordionist Vincent Peirani on Vagabond in 2012 and followed it with Momento Magico two years later. In 2017 he joined his son, guitarist Eric Wakenius, for the duo album Father & Son.