Björn J:son Lindh

Career

In 1962, he started his music education at Ingesund College of Music in Arvika. Between 1963 and 1971 he studied both piano and flute at the Royal Swedish Academy of Music (today Royal College of Music) in Stockholm. Lindh started his professional career as a pop musician during the 1960s in the group Atlantic Ocean, but he was also active as a studio musician during the 1960s and 1970s. During the 1970s, Lindh played in several groups, for instance Jason's Fleece, Handgjort, Baltik and Ablution. In 1973 he started the group Hörselmat together with Janne Schaffer and the group was still active during the 1980s. He played on many of Ralph Lundsten's albums during the 1970s and 1980s, and he also played with the classical pianist Staffan Scheja during the 1980s. The albums he recorded with Scheja was called the Europa-suite. Lindh's first solo album Ramadan was released in 1971, and in 1972 the record companies Metronome and CTI Records released the album in U.S. The artist name he used in U.S. was "Jayson Lindh". His first U.S. release on Vanguard's Free Style label, A Day at the Surface, was recorded at Sonet Records in Stockholm in 1978 and included for instance Janne Schaffer, the Gambian percussionist Malando Gassama, Pete Robinson on period synthesizer, and Stefan Brolund on fender bass. In 1984 he played the flute solo on Murray Head's U.K. No. 1 single "One Night in Bangkok", taken from the Tim Rice/Benny Andersson/Björn Ulvaeus musical Chess. In 1986, he collaborated with the progressive new-age music group, Triangulus, on their self-titled album. He performed with musicians from other countries, for example on the album Islands by Mike Oldfield.

Although Lindh was a flautist, he frequently performed on the piano (or Fender Rhodes), and also made use of various synthesizers on many of his recordings. Some of his music is relatively experimental, using up-to-date technology and instruments of that time, such as the Synclavier which he made use of on the album Atlantis, together with Ralph Lundsten as engineer. He performed on Opeth's 2011 album Heritage, on the seventh track called Famine. He released about 30 solo albums during his career, and the piece of music that is most well known is probably "Brusa högre lilla å" (Sing Louder Little River).

Lindh was also interested in visual art. He created graphic art by using copper ink, ink, watercolor and acrylic paint and he had several exhibitions since the middle of the 1990s.

He performed many times together with his wife Marie J:son Lindh Nordenmalm in the Church of Nora, where he was active until his death.

Awards and honors

Discography – albums

Selected film music