More News

Bjorkestra is not, and never was, a tribute band to Icelandic pop icon Bjork. Sure, the band's creator Travis Sullivan admits eight years ago, he was so "engrossed" with Bjork's music that he started transposing her work. But from Bjorkestra's inception, Sullivan has "re-imagined" her songs, giving them a "modern big band jazz" feel.

Apparently his idea hit a home run with both jazz and Bjork fans. The New York City-based group, which has been headlining in clubs and jazz festivals around the world since 2004, will kick off Strathmore's outdoor concert series at 7 p.m. June 23 in North Bethesda.

The seven-piece band will perform its take on Bjork's greatest hits, and for aficionados, rarely heard songs such as "I Go Humble" will enhance the experience.

Bjorkestra has a new vocalist, Shayna Steele, who with her R&B background promises a "grittier sound." The singer from Brooklyn spent two and a half years singing backup for Bette Midler in her Las Vegas show and recently recorded her own R&B album "I'll Be Anything."

Even with so much experience, the singer recalls being "blown away" when she first heard Bjorkestra. "There's nothing like this, they are off the chain." Once Steele was invited to join the group, she analyzed Bjork's sound, concluding that "she is a completely different singer. She sounds mad. Grrr."

While Bjorkestra's previous singer Becca Stevens offered a more traditional jazz voice when singing Bjork's music, Sullivan believes Steele has "a more extroverted approach to singing than Becca, and it's exciting to explore the more over-the-top side of Bjork's vocals."

For Sullivan, Bjork-mania started slowly, when the saxophonist was working in a band in 2002. After hearing Bjork's "Hyper Ballad," he created a jazz version of the song. Sullivan considered arranging her work "more of an academic exercise" initially, but then realized he was onto something different.

And this difference was important, since he was experiencing New York City music scene's competitive nature. After earning a master's in jazz performance from Manhattan School of Music in 1998, Sullivan became increasingly dissatisfied with the experience. He remembers thinking that "a lot of people were climbing up the same tree or ladder."

It took three years for Sullivan to finish "Hyper Ballad" and his idea of developing a band that would reinterpret Bjork's songs began to solidify. Initially, he created an 18-piece big band, but touring with such a large group of musicians became nearly impossible so he reduced the number to 12 and then to seven. He felt the smaller number could produce a memorable sound and also offer members more opportunities for improvisation.

While the group continued to make a name for itself, Sullivan explored Bjork's work. He was struck by her song "Pluto" with its "brash distortion and the song's lyrics: ‘excuse me, but I have to explode.'"

"I decided to create an arrangement that was slower, more like a bossa nova," Sullivan says. "The explosion comes at the end of the song."

While Bjork's music encompasses pop, punk, avant garde and has a starkness, Sullivan altered the harmonies and added the improvisational jazz component.

Sullivan admits to being a little disappointed that Bjork has never commented on the band. Even when he conducted her all-girl band the Wonder Brass at a jazz concert in Reykjavik, Iceland, he heard "nothing" from the artist.

But Sullivan is accustomed to the high and lows of the music business, acknowledging that he has often been referred to as "maestro" one day and be relegated to the work of a file clerk in an office on the next.

As for Bjorkestra's future, he says as long as Bjork continues to be popular, the group will continue to tour.

"This is my opus, but I will eventually go in another direction," he says, confessing that he hasn't decided exactly where that is.

Travis Sullivan's band Bjorkestra featuring vocalist Shayna Steele will perform at 7 p.m. Wednesday, June 23, at a free outdoor concert on the grounds of Strathmore, Rockville Pike and Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Audiences can come early to see a mini-street festival starting at 5:30 p.m. with a rotating roster of artists including, clown, jugglers, mimes and chalk artists. Call 301-581-5100 or visit www.strathmore.org.