Burnin Red Ivanhoe

Members: Karsten Vogel (saxophone, cello, organ), Steen Claësson (vocals, guitar 1969), Arne Würgler (bass, 1969) Kim Menzer (flute, violin, trombone, harmonica), Ole Fick (guitar, vocals), Jess Stæhr (bass), Bo Thrige Andersen (drums)

Background

Burnin Red Ivanhoe sprung from a songwriting partnership between saxophonist, cellist, keyboardist, and songwriter Karsten Vogel and lyricist Niels-Erik Wille, who began working together in the mid-1960s. Inspired by American avant-garde jazz and the UK beat boom, Vogel wrote tunes to Wille‘s words.

In 1966, Vogel played on the free-jazz album Nu! by Danish trumpeter Hugh Steinmetz. Vogel composed two cuts on the album, “Stress-it” and “Pigen Prosa.” He enlisted that album’s drummer, Bo Thrige Andersen, along with singer, guitarist, and violinist Steen Claësson. They formed the psych-rock band The Burnin ‘Red Ivanhoes. Wille would serve as their non-performing lyricist, ala Keith Reid (Procol Harum), Betty Thatcher (Renaissance), and Pye Dubois (Max Webster).

Their first concert occurred on May 22, 1967 at the Munkekælderen on Nørregade in Copenhagen. Soon after, Arne Würgler joined on bass. In late 1968, trumpeter Kim Menzer and guitarist Ole Fick completed the first-recorded lineup. With the name modified to Burnin Red Ivanhoe, they played a high-profile opening slot for Spooky Tooth at the Brøndby Popklub on December 14, 1968.

During 1969, Burnin Red Ivanhoe played more than 100 shows. Their debut album, M 144, appeared in October of that year on Sonet.

M 144

Burnin Red Ivanhoe released their debut album, the two-record M 144, in October 1969 on Sonet.

Issued as a double LP in a theatrical “pop-up” gatefold sleeve, the album split its material between Danish-language songs (sides A and B) and English-language titles (sides C and D), reflecting the band’s ambition to reach both domestic and international audiences. The album’s stylistic range includes horn-led jazz-rock passages, raga-inspired repetition, surrealist poetry, and elements of free improvisation and psychedelic theater.

Composer Karsten Vogel plays alto saxophone, organ, and vibraphone. Multi-instrumentalist Kim Menzer (harmonica, tenor saxophone, bassoon, flute, piano) shares vocals with Steen Claësson (guitar, violin, bass) and guitarist Ole Fick. M 144 features four bassists — Arne Würgler, Steffen Andersen, Mads Vinding, and Claësson — with drummer Bo Thrige Andersen. Guest players include trumpeter Hugh Steinmetz, tenor saxophonist Niels Harrit, and alto saxophonist John Tchicai.

The album contains twenty tracks composed by Vogel, with lyrics (on the vocal pieces) by poet Niels Erik Wille. Several instrumentals—most notably “Saxophone Piece 2”—contain accidental tape bleed from previous sessions, due to the studio’s limited resources. The English-language material on sides C and D features extended repetitive structures and invented titles (“Ksilioy,” “Oyizl,” “Jiizlou”) reflective of Vogel’s concept of trance-based composition.

M144 spans a wide stylistic range, shifting between compact blues-based numbers and longer, brass-driven instrumentals with shifting meters and irregular phrasing. Tracks like “Antique Peppermint” and “Saxophonepiece 1” push forward with tight, fast-paced horn voicings over syncopated rhythm backing, with interspersed sections for flute or guitar soloing. “Medardus” opens with a dark horn ensemble theme before pivoting into a rhythmically fractured middle section where drum and guitar phrases overlap in unstable patterns before returning to its ominous frame. “Tingel-Tangelmanden” stretches over five minutes with repeating guitar figures beneath flute and slow-developing vocal patterns, eventually giving way to extended instrumental interplay.

“Oyizl” cycles through tonal clusters and sparse phrases before erupting into freeform drumming that gradually reconnects with the ensemble. “Rubber Star” and “Inside” operate as brief atmospheric bridges, relying on timbral contrast and minimalist percussion. “Purple Hearts” and “Kaj” bring in clipped vocal phrasing over tight rhythmic backing, with guitar lines alternating between sustained bends and short, jagged figures. “Ksilioy,” the longest piece, layers staggered keyboard, bass, and sax motifs over a fixed rhythmic core that eventually breaks down into a loosely structured extended section, sustained primarily by shifting accents in the drum part. While shorter vocal numbers offer concise arrangement with simple thematic repetition, the instrumental tracks build tension through repetition, contour layering, and subtle shifts in instrumental texture. The ensemble functions less as a soloist-driven unit and more as a rotating configuration of instrumental pairings, with each track emphasizing different permutations of sax, flute, guitar, and keyboard in foreground roles.

A1. “Ivanhoe i Brøndbyerne” [Ivanhoe in the Brøndby Suburbs] (3:50)
A2. “Ridder Rød” [Knight Red] (3:48)
A3. “Saxophone Piece 1” (2:14)
A4. “Marsfesten” [The March Festival] (5:30)
A5. “Antique Peppermint” (4:05)

B1. “Indre landskab” [Inner Landscape] (2:57)
B2. “Jiizlou” (2:38)
B3. “Kaj” (2:41)
B4. “Tingel-tangelmanden” [The Vaudeville Man] (5:27)
B5. “Læg dig kun ned” [Just Lie Down] (3:33)
B6. “Saxophone Piece 2” (1:50)

C1. “Medardus” (6:34)
C2. “Purple Hearts” (5:40)
C3. “Larsens” (3:32)
C4. “Oyizl” (8:32)

D1. “Ivanhoe in the Woods” (5:12)
D2. “Ida Verlaine” (4:15)
D3. “Sensitive Plant” (3:18)
D4. “Inside” (2:45)
D5. “Ksilioy” (10:35)

Sessions occurred in spring 1969 at Rosenbergs Studio, located inside a cinema in Vanløse, Copenhagen. Due to time constraints imposed by the evening movie schedule, recordings were limited to daytime hours. Engineer Ivar Rosenberg built and operated the four-track recorder, which reused tapes between sessions, occasionally leaving audio remnants audible in quiet passages.

Gasolin’ guitarist Franz Beckerlee served as a morale-boosting producer during the troubled sessions, marked by shifting personnel, scheduling limits, and drug-related difficulties. He also produced Alrune Rod’s 1969 debut.

The album was issued on red Sonet labels with a white trumpet logo and black lettering. The cover, designed by Frithioff Johansen from Vogel’s concept, folds open to reveal a pop-up stage. Owners could insert a cut-out cardboard knight into the scene, emphasizing the band’s theatrical identity. Despite high production costs, label head Karl Emil Knudsen approved the elaborate package. M 144 underwent more than ten repressings in the years that followed.

Burnin Red Ivanhoe

Burnin Red Ivanhoe released their self-titled second album in December 1970 on Sonet.

The album was recorded during their first UK tour and marked a stylistic consolidation following the freeform eclecticism of M 144. The material balances extended saxophone-driven explorations with acoustic interludes and tightly arranged ensemble sections. The sessions produced longer-form works with a defined rhythmic pulse, variable instrumental groupings, and occasional spoken-word or theatrical elements, exemplified by the suite-like closer “Secret Oyster Service.”

Composer Karsten Vogel plays soprano/alto saxophone, organ, and piano. Ole Fick sings and plays guitar, including twelve-string on “Canaltrip.” Kim Menzer adds harmonica, trombone, tenor saxophone, flute, and percussion. Jess Stæhr plays bass and acoustic guitar. Bo Thrige Andersen handles drums and percussion.

Burnin Red Ivanhoe tightens their focus while stretching individual pieces into longer, more exploratory frames. “Across the Windowsill” moves at a mid-tempo sway, built on cycling organ chords and steady backbeat, with vocal lines giving way to extended guitar phrases and a late-entry sax that bends around the harmonic center rather than breaking from it. “Canaltrip” strips the ensemble down to acoustic guitars, hand percussion, and tenor sax, sustaining a relaxed, circular pulse where the interest comes from tone variation and phrasing rather than harmonic change. “Rotating Irons” settles into a slow, weighty pace, led by harmonica and voice, then gradually thickens as organ and guitar trade space in loosely staggered entrances.

“Gong-Gong, the Elephant Song” shifts abruptly explaining nothing, holding a single tonal center while horns and reeds rotate in short, repetitive figures over insistent cymbal patterns, then accelerate into a faster, tightly wound section before dissolving again. “Near the Sea” pulls the energy back, pairing restrained vocals with lightly brushed drums and flute lines that trace gentle arcs above the rhythm. The closing “Secret Oyster Service” unfolds patiently, beginning with long stretches of near-silence broken by sustained tenor sax lines, then locking into a firmer rhythmic drive where dual saxophones press against each other in rising intensity as guitar and organ thicken the texture beneath. Across the album, shorter song forms coexist with extended passages of suspended motion, favoring gradual buildup, repetition, and shifting instrumental emphasis over abrupt contrasts or solo display.

A1. “Across the Windowsill” (7:45)
A2. “Canaltrip” (5:20) — recorded separately in Copenhagen for a Henning Carlsen film
A3. “Rotating Irons” (8:25)

B1. “Gong-Gong, the Elephant Song” (5:50)
B2. “Near the Sea” (3:55)
B3. “Secret Oyster Service” (9:45)

Sessions took place in May, July, and August 1970. Most tracks were recorded at CBS Studios, London, with “Canaltrip” cut earlier at Wifos Studio, Copenhagen. The band tracked with engineer Mike Ross, alternating between live takes and rhythm-section overdubs. John Peel encouraged first-take performances; Ross pushed for layered construction. The album was mastered at Pye Studios and published by DMC.

Eddie Lee Beppeaux (aka John Peel) co-produced the album with Colosseum bassist Tony Reeves.

Poul Bruun handled cover photography and worked with the band on the sleeve design. Original pressings appeared on Sonet with inconsistent durations listed between sleeve and label.

6 Elefantskovcikadeviser

Povl Dissing and Burnin Red Ivanhoe released their collaborative album, 6 Elefantskovcikadeviser, in November 1971 on Sonet.

The project merged Burnin Red Ivanhoe’s eclectic, electric sound with Dissing’s theatrical folk delivery across a loose, song-cycle format that incorporated tour recordings, recited poetry, acoustic ballads, and ensemble compositions. The material originated from the “Ivanhoes Elefantrundfart” tour staged during Easter 1971, with additional elements recorded live or semi-improvised. Spoken-word interludes by Copenhagen street poet Sigvaldi bookend both sides of the album, giving the record a conceptual frame.

Karsten Vogel (soprano and alto saxophones, organ, piano, Mellotron) trades phrases with Kim Menzer (flute, harmonica, trombone, violin, hand percussion), the two shifting roles across overlapping timbres. Ole Fick doubles on electric and acoustic guitars and takes lead vocals, often intersecting with Menzer’s winds or Vogel’s keyboards in layered passages. Jess Stæhr supports with bass and acoustic guitar, locking in with Bo Thrige Andersen, who anchors the backbeat. Povl Dissing adds vocals, twelve-string guitar, and harmonica, while Sigvaldi contributes field-recorded spoken segments captured on tour. Freddy Hansson engineered and produced the sessions for the Danish Music Centre Production.

6 Elefantskovcikadeviser departs from Ivanhoe’s earlier jazz-rock complexity, the band adopts a stripped-down folk-rock style centered on Dissing’s theatrical Danish-language vocals. Most tracks follow singer-songwriter structures, though the 10-minute “Tingel-tangelmanden” revisits their heavier, jam-oriented roots. The album presents a stylistic detour shaped by narrative lyrics, poetic delivery, and modest arrangements.

A1. “Introduktion v/Sigvaldi” [Introduction by Sigvaldi] (0:40)
A2. “Wallifanten” (6:40)
A3. “Narrevise” [Fool’s Song] (5:16)
A4. “Snehvidekys” [Snow White Kiss] (4:00)
A5. “Kometen” [The Comet] (0:30)

B1. “Ta’ fri, ta’ fri” [Take Time Off, Take Time Off] (2:50)
B2. “Et samfund” [A Society] (1:55)
B3. “Tingel-tangelmanden” [The Vaudeville Man] (10:20)
B4. “Introduktion til medardus” [Introduction to Medardus] (2:40)

Sessions occurred in June 1971 at Ivar Rosenberg’s studio in Copenhagen.

“Et samfund” features lyrics by Danish poet Inger Christensen and originates from Henning Carlsen’s film Er I bange? The spoken segments were captured at Aalborghallen during the tour. The title—6 Elefantskovcikadeviser—refers obliquely to “six elephant-forest-cicada-songs,” a surreal compound word consistent with Vogel’s aversion to literal or simple titles.

The cover, designed by Fick, features liner notes contextualizing the album’s relationship to the stage show. Photographer John Fowlie captured images for the packaging. 

W.W.W

Burnin Red Ivanhoe released their third album, W.W.W., in December 1971 on Sonet.

The album functions as a loose concept suite exploring mental fragmentation through a mixture of composed sections, abstract sound passages, and ensemble improvisation. Four of the seven tracks form a conceptual narrative around disintegrating identity, with the album title referencing three fictional figures—Wilfred Ivanhoe, William Wilson (from Poe), and Wilfred from a Johan Borgen novel—whose lives mirror the fractured form of the letter “W.” Only the opening track contains lyrics; the remaining pieces employ shifting arrangements, abrupt transitions, and thematic motifs to portray states of instability and confusion.

The lineup retains Vogel, Fick, Menzer, Stæhr, and Andersen. Vogel composed and arranged all tracks except “Cucumber Porcupine” by Fick. Menzer adds violin.

W.W.W. unfolds as a loosely connected suite that favors atmosphere and gradual transformation over fixed structures. “Second Floor, Croydon” opens at an unhurried pace, with treated vocals floating above organ and drums before the ensemble tightens into a firmer pulse and flute lines spiral outward in the later sections. The title track strips motion almost entirely, beginning in near-stasis with sustained tones and amplifier textures that slowly accrue organ, bass, and cymbal detail, resolving only when flute and violin introduce calmer contours.

“Avez-Vous Kaskelainen?” and “Kaske‑Vous Karsemose” reintroduce momentum through repeating organ figures and insistent drumming, allowing sax and flute to alternate between clipped phrases and freer excursions. Shorter vocal pieces like “All About All” and “Cucumber‑Porcupine” sit on steady, mid-tempo frameworks, colored by brass interjections and playful rhythmic shifts. “Oblong Serenade” stretches its form through successive tempo changes, beginning with piano and horns before accelerating into denser ensemble interplay. Across the album, the band emphasizes texture, pacing, and instrumental dialogue, letting pieces evolve through accumulation and release rather than clear thematic resolution.

A1. “Second Floor, Croydon” (8:25)
A2. “W.W.W.” (6:05)
A3. “Avez-vous Kaskelainen?” [Do You Have Kaskelainen?] (4:40)

B1. “Kaske-vous Karsemose” [Do You Karsemose?] (4:40)
B2. “All About All” (4:10)
B3. “Oblong Serenade” (6:15)
B4. “Cucumber Porcupine” (5:15)

Sessions took place from September 22–25, 1971, at Rosenberg Studio in Copenhagen. Freddy Hansson served as producer and engineer, having concurrently worked on albums by Blast Furnace (Blast Furnace), Agitpop (Skolesange), The Danish Jazzballet Society (The Jazz Dancer Revisited), Midnight Sun (Midnight Sun), Thors Hammer (Thors Hammer), Alrune Rod (Hej Du), Povl Dissing & Burnin Red Ivanhoe (6 Elefantskovcikadeviser), and Jodle-Knud (Jodle-Knud).

Miley Smile/Stage Recall

Burnin Red Ivanhoe released their fourth album, Miley Smile/Stage Recall, in June 1972 on Sonet.

Right On

Burnin Red Ivanhoe released their fifth album, Right On, in 1974 on Sonet.

The album marked a brief reactivation of the band in a lineup that overlapped significantly with Secret Oyster. The material emphasizes tightly arranged jazz-rock structures, layered saxophone and keyboard voicings, and ensemble vocal arrangements. Several tracks feature lyrics by Danish poet Dan Turèll, while others reflect internal shifts in authorship and solo distribution. Kim Menzer was no longer part of the group; his role was absorbed by the expanded harmonic and rhythmic framework introduced through keyboardist Kenneth Knudsen.

Karsten Vogel (organ, piano, soprano and alto saxophones) composed most of the music and interweaves with Kenneth Knudsen (electric piano, piano) across shifting keyboard textures. Ole Fick sings and plays electric and acoustic guitars, joined by Jess Stæhr, who handles bass and shares lead vocals on “Make Me Look Away.” Bo Thrige Andersen and Stæhr lock into a unified rhythm base. Guests include Ole Prehn (vocals, bass) and Karsten Lyng, who plays the second guitar solo on “Make Me Look Away.” Benny Andersen and Niels Erik Wille supplied the lyrics. The band produced the sessions in-house with longtime engineer Freddy Hansson, who also oversaw sound on parallel projects.

Right On unfolds with taut ensemble interplay and an emphasis on tonal contrast rather than overt rhythmic variation. “August Suicidal” opens with surging organ chords, brisk snare patterns, and a coiled bassline under clipped vocal shouts and a midsection bass solo. “When I Look Into Your Eyes” drops the tempo into a restrained, slow-pulse frame where guitar and voice move in tandem across a descending phrase, held together by unbroken cymbal flow. “La Beauté Du Buste” contrasts the prior tension with overlapping phrases from Fender Rhodes, soprano sax, and bass, each taking improvisational liberties without overpowering the others.

“Make Me Look Away” moves at a moderate pace with dual guitar lines that alternate between compressed rhythm figures and wide, arcing leads, followed by a tightly harmonized chorus that resolves into further guitar exchanges. “Rockin’ Rambler” sustains a two-chord vamp for eleven minutes, anchored by steady drums and sax drone, gradually thinning the arrangement into a skeletal frame before folding in Rhodes textures and sax lines that spiral around the fading pulse. “Tell Me” returns to a linear vocal structure where repeated rising-scale figures mirror the phrasing of both voice and sax, breaking into a brief guitar solo before collapsing back into its verse shape. “After the Carcrash” closes with a slow, dirge-like intertwine of clean guitar plucks and long-tone soprano sax, fading into a decelerated, almost disembodied ending. 

A1. “August Suicidal” (4:32)
A2. “When I Look Into Your Eyes” (3:40)
A3. “La Beauté du Buste” [The Beauty of the Bust] (4:50)
A4. “Make Me Look Away” (5:40)

B1. “Rockin’ Rambler” (11:42)
B2. “Tell Me” (5:20)
B3. “Accident” (0:15)
B4. “After the Carcrash” (3:00)

Across the album, the band emphasizes timbral balance, subdued pacing, and parallel phrasing, favoring unison counterpoint and restrained improvisation over dense layering or rhythmic detours.

Sessions took place at Rosenberg Studio in Copenhagen in 1974. Freddy Hansson, also active that year on albums by Midnight Sun – Walking Circles, Hurdy Gurdy – Hurdy Gurdy, Andrew John – The Machine Stops, Stig & Steen – Da Solen Kom, Alrune Rod – Alrune Rock, and The Old Man & The Sea, served as producer and engineer.

Released by Sonet under Dansk Grammofon A/S with DMC publishing, Right On was issued without a tour due to the members’ increasing commitments to Secret Oyster, whose intense live schedule across Europe prevented further Burnin Red Ivanhoe activity.

Shorts

Burnin Red Ivanhoe released their sixth album, Shorts, in 1980 on Pick Up Records.

The album marked their first studio project since Right On (1974) and reconvened most of the classic lineup with added production oversight and more concise, song-oriented material. The compositions span compact jazz-rock forms, blues-inflected ballads, and theatrical cabaret sequences. Unlike prior albums, Shorts features no extended jams; most tracks emphasize brevity, arranged motifs, and alternating vocal leads in Danish and English.

Karsten Vogel (alto and soprano saxophones, keyboards) trades lead roles with Kim Menzer (harp, flute, tenor saxophone, trombone, percussion), the two rotating between winds and auxiliary textures. Ole Fick provides vocals and plays guitar, also designing the album’s cover art. Jess Stæhr and Bo Thrige Andersen supply the bass/drums rhythmic foundation.

A1. “Duen” [The Dove] (4:30)
A2. “With Love” (3:37)
A3. “Neonblomsten” [The Neon Flower] (5:28)
A4. “Latterens Slot” [The Castle of Laughter] (3:55)
A5. “Skumringsfalk” [Twilight Falcon] (4:46)

B1. “Lystige Lise” [Merry Lise] (3:40)
B2. “Tavse Thormod” [Silent Thormod] (4:05)
B3. “Zebra Danza” (3:10)
B4. “Den Hvide Manege” [The White Ring] (4:32)
B5. “Jeg tar dig som du er” [I Take You As You Are] (4:47)

Peter Thorup produced the album and contributed backing vocals and final mixes alongside Fick. Recording took place over June and July 1980 at Sweet Silence Studios in Copenhagen, engineered by Freddy Hansson and Finn Lyngemark.

Shorts was also issued in Germany on Fran Records with alternate cover art and translated track titles. The Fran edition retitled the album’s tracks (e.g., “Neonblomsten” as “Neon Flower,” “Duen” as “Sparrow”) and reordered the sides. The release marked Burnin Red Ivanhoe’s return to recording after a six-year studio hiatus, bridging their early electric jazz-rock sound with the more theatrical leanings that characterized the band’s later period.