Jens Johansson
{{Short description|Swedish keyboardist}}
{{BLP sources|date=July 2014}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Jens Johansson
| image = Stratovarius-52 (53123989585) (cropped).jpg
| landscape = yes
| caption = Johansson performing with Stratovarius in 2023
| birth_name =
| alias =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1963|11|2}}
| birth_place = Stockholm, Sweden
| death_date = {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}}
| genre = Power metal, symphonic metal, neoclassical metal, heavy metal, jazz fusion
| occupation = Musician
| instrument = Keyboards, synthesizers, piano
| years_active = 1982–present
| associated_acts = Stratovarius, Cain's Offering, Yngwie Malmsteen, Dio, Rainbow, Johansson (The Johansson Brothers)
| website = {{url|panix.com/~jens}}
}}
Jens Ola Johansson{{cite web |url=http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/104/l_5849e444d739de8d31c351cefae66c9c.jpg |title= |website=c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005170133/http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/104/l_5849e444d739de8d31c351cefae66c9c.jpg |archive-date=October 5, 2011 }} {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111005170133/http://c1.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/104/l_5849e444d739de8d31c351cefae66c9c.jpg |date=October 5, 2011 }} (born 2 November 1963 in Stockholm) is a Swedish keyboardist and pianist. Jens got famous in the early 80's when he and his brother Anders (drums) joined Yngwie Malmsteen's "Rising Force". Jens is the son of the Swedish Jazz pianist Jan Johansson. Jens has also worked with the guitar player Allan Holdsworth.
He's currently working with the Finnish power metal band Stratovarius and Ritchie Blackmore's rock project Rainbow. He is notable for his high-speed and technical skills in the style of neoclassical, fusion and rock.
Biography
Johansson is son of Swedish jazz pianist Jan Johansson and brother of Ex-HammerFall drummer Anders Johansson. He is highly influenced by classic rock keyboardists like Don Airey, Eddie Jobson and Jon Lord.{{cite web |url=http://dmme.net/interviews/johansson.html |title=Interview with JENS JOHANSSON (STRATOVARIUS) |publisher=DMME.net |date=January 24, 2013 |access-date=2014-07-18 |archive-date=May 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180514062118/http://dmme.net/interviews/johansson.html |url-status=dead }} In 1982, the classically trained Johansson left the jazz fusion band Slem and joined the Swedish metal band Silver Mountain, which also included Anders. In 1983 he left Sweden for California and joined guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen as a member of his band, Rising Force. Numerous records and world tours ensued and he stayed with Yngwie until 1989. Johansson also played with the band Dio between 1989 and 1990. Like Anders, he began an ongoing collaboration with Jonas Hellborg in 1989 which has resulted in several progressive and avant-garde recordings, including Dissident, Unseen Rain (an acoustic piano trio record with Ginger Baker on drums) and the hard core progressive fusion record, E.
In 1993, Johansson co-founded a progressive blues metal project, The Johansson Brothers, and recorded a self-titled record. In 1996, with a different line-up, they recorded another album, Sonic Winter, this time under the name "Johansson", with Yngwie Malmsteen guesting on guitar. The last Johansson record, The Last Viking, a more "European metal" oriented album, was released in 1999 with special guests Michael Romeo and Göran Edman.
Johansson has released several instrumental solo records such as Fjäderlösa Tvåfotingar, Ten Seasons (a piano solo album improvised in the Mark Kostabi gallery, New York), Heavy Machinery (with Anders and Allan Holdsworth) and Fission (with Anders, Shawn Lane and Mike Stern) and many collaborations with other artists, metal compilations and Berends Brothers' band Mastermind.
He co-founded Heptagon Records to distribute his own recordings and that of other musicians, such as guitarist Benny Jansson and bassist Magnus Rosén. Johansson auditioned for Dream Theater after Kevin Moore left the band in 1994{{cite web|url=http://www.panix.com/~jens/interviews.par |title=♫Jens Johansson ˇ Interviews |publisher=Panix.com |access-date=2014-07-18}} but due to many delays by the band in making a decision he instead joined Finnish power metal band Stratovarius. Since 1995 he has remained in Stratovarius, and still releasing solo albums and appearing as a guest or session musician in other projects.
Johansson is a self-confessed computer nerd, admitting to have started on an Atari ST (which he still owns), and having coded software in C, as well as his own website in Perl.{{cite web|url=http://www.panix.com/~jens/comp.par |title=♫Jens Johansson ˇ Programming |publisher=Panix.com |date=November 23, 2002 |access-date=2014-07-18}} He rejects being considered one of the best keyboardists in the world, as he believes there are many people that are far better than him.{{cite web|title=Stratovarius: New Video Interview With JENS JOHANSSON|url=http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/stratovarius-new-video-interview-with-jens-johansson/|access-date= February 9, 2013|publisher=Blabbermouth.net|date=February 4, 2013}}
Gear
Johansson has used many types of keyboards and synthesizers throughout his career. Amongst his favourites are the Korg Polysix, Yamaha DX7 as a MIDI controller, (from the Rising Force times to present), the Oberheim Matrix Series and the Roland JV-1080 sound module. He is also fond of the Hammond Organ. Johansson is a computer fan and long-time Steinberg programs user (like Cubase). An example of his interest in computers is his record Fission, which is replete with special effects and sound experimentation. His signature lead is emulation of Polysix on JV1080, going thru early Amp simulation / distortion pedal JD-10 by Morley.
Recently, he has been using PC-base system with Lenovo Laptop Computer both recording and live. And he uses JV1080 as backup on live.
Band membership
Timeline
{{#tag:timeline|
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Period = from:01/01/1982 till:{{#time:d/m/Y}}
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id:johansson value:purple legend:Jens_Johansson
id:studio value:black legend:Studio_albums
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at:01/03/1983 color:studio
at:03/05/1984 color:studio
at:30/09/1985 color:studio
at:04/09/1986 color:studio
at:04/08/1988 color:studio
at:15/05/1990 color:studio
at:21/09/1992 color:studio
at:01/06/1994 color:studio
at:01/06/1995 color:studio
at:22/04/1996 color:studio
at:21/06/1996 color:studio
at:28/04/1997 color:studio
at:01/08/1997 color:studio
at:01/04/1998 color:studio
at:07/06/1998 color:other
at:05/10/1998 color:studio
at:01/06/1999 color:studio
at:21/11/1999 color:studio
at:28/02/2000 color:studio
at:01/06/2001 color:studio
at:27/01/2003 color:studio
at:27/10/2003 color:studio
at:05/09/2005 color:studio
at:15/05/2009 color:studio
at:19/02/2010 color:studio
at:12/01/2011 color:studio
at:25/03/2013 color:studio
at:19/05/2015 color:studio
at:18/11/2016 color:other
at:06/09/2017 color:other
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bar:Mountain text:"Silver Mountain"
bar:Malmsteen text:"Yngwie Malmsteen"
bar:Dio text:"Dio"
bar:Jens text:"Jens Johansson"
bar:Bakteria text:"Bakteria"
bar:Brothers text:"Johansson Brothers"
bar:Stratovarius text:"Stratovarius"
bar:Johansson text:"Johansson"
bar:Mastermind text:"Mastermind"
bar:Metal text:"Jonas Hellborg's Art Metal"
bar:Offering text:"Cain's Offering"
bar:Rainbow text:"Rainbow"
PlotData =
width:11 textcolor:black align:left
bar:Mountain from:01/01/1982 till:31/12/1983 color:johansson
bar:Malmsteen from:01/01/1984 till:30/06/1989 color:johansson
bar:Dio from:01/07/1989 till:30/09/1991 color:johansson
bar:Jens from:01/10/1991 till:end color:johansson
bar:Bakteria from:01/01/1992 till:end color:johansson
bar:Brothers from:01/01/1994 till:31/07/1996 color:johansson
bar:Stratovarius from:01/01/1995 till:end color:johansson
bar:Johansson from:01/08/1996 till:31/12/1999 color:johansson
bar:Mastermind from:01/01/1998 till:end color:johansson
bar:Mountain from:01/01/2001 till:31/12/2001 color:johansson
bar:Metal from:01/01/2006 till:31/12/2007 color:johansson
bar:Offering from:01/01/2014 till:end color:johansson
bar:Rainbow from:01/09/2015 till:end color:johansson
}}
Studio albums
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
{{cc}}
- [http://www.panix.com/~jens/ Jens Johansson's Homepage]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20050825202138/http://www.heptagon.se/ Heptagon Records]
- [http://www.stratovarius.com Stratovarius Homepage]
- [http://st-news.com/issues/st-news-volume-10-issue-2/features/interviews/jens-johansson/ Interview with Jens Johansson, 1995]
- [http://dmme.net/interviews/johansson.html Interview with JENS JOHANSSON (STRATOVARIUS)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180514062118/http://dmme.net/interviews/johansson.html |date=May 14, 2018 }}
- {{Discogs artist}}
{{Stratovarius}}
{{Rainbow (rock band)}}
{{Cain's Offering}}
{{Yngwie Malmsteen}}
{{Dio}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Johansson, Jens}}
Category:Musicians from Stockholm
Category:Swedish heavy metal keyboardists
Category:Cain's Offering members
Category:Rainbow (rock band) members