2015: TOM FREDERIKSEN, FINN OLAFSSON & TORSTEN OLAFSSON
Publish Two Video Singles, Performed and Recorded Live in the Studio

2014: FINN OLAFSSON's VIDEO of the MONTH 2014 ONLINE MUSIC PROJECT

2014: A QUITE SECRET ACHE REUNION in DOWNTOWN COPENHAGEN

2012: "DE HOMINE URBANO" and "GREEN MAN" REMASTERED and REISSUED
on CDs by ESOTERIC RECORDINGS, UK

2012: ACHE's 1970 "DE HOMINE URBANO" - ESOTERIC RECORDINGS UK 2012 RERELEASE CD BOOKLET

2012: ACHE's 1970 "GREEN MAN" - ESOTERIC RECORDINGS UK 2012 RERELEASE CD BOOKLET

2011, 2013, 2015 & 2019: FINN OLAFSSON's MUSIC FROM NORTH SEALAND
- CDs, DVD & PRINTED MUSIC BOOK

   

Left: Finn Olafsson in front of Frederiksborg Castle, North Sealand. Photo: Helle Kongevang
Center: Finn Olafsson with Torsten Olafsson, left, and Michael Vogelius Larsen, right, performing "Music From North Sealand"
in the Frederiksborg Castle Chapel in Hillerød, North Sealand on September 29, 2013.
Right: The single CD "Hamlet's Castle" from "Music From North Sealand", 2012.



Finn Olafsson with Michael Vogelius Larsen, right, and Torsten Olafsson, left, performing "Music From North Sealand"
in Maribo Cathedral in SE Denmark on October 31, 2015.
Photo: Ronnie Bille

   

Left: Michael Vogelius Larsen setting up his gear at Tikøb Church in North Sealand, November 1, 2015
Photo: Torsten Olafsson
Center: Finn Olafsson concert at Maribo Cathedral, October 31, 2015, poster partly cropped
Right: Torsten Olafsson at Maribo Cathedral; in the background Michael Vogelius Larsen, October 31, 2015
Photo: Ronnie Bille



The stage is set for a performance of Finn Olafsson's "Music From North Sealand"
at Troubaduren in Sorø, SW Sealand, on November 6, 2015.

   

Left: Torsten Olafsson's "Kehlet Bass Cat" bass guitar, 2007
Center: Master acoustic guitar builder Ole Kehlet, 1952-2023
Right: Finn Olafsson's first "Kehlet Grand Folk Finn Olafsson Signature" guitar, 2004
All 3 photos by Hans Ole Madsen

2011: "DE HOMINE URBANO" and "GREEN MAN" REISSUED on vinyl LPs
by LUCKY PIG RECORDS in Germany

 

2010: TOM FREDERIKSEN, FINN OLAFSSON & TORSTEN OLAFSSON's
"Tribute to Tony Vejslev & Frank Jæger" CD, DVD & Concert Lecture Project

   

Left: Tony Vejslev & Frank Jæger at the Jæger family residence "Krogvadsdal" in Farum, 1948. Photo: Muriel Pearson.
Center: The trio's CD "Hyldest til Tony Vejslev & Frank Jæger" ("Tribute to Tony Vejslev & Frank Jæger"), Olafssongs, 2010. Photos by Tom Steffe.
Right: Tom, Finn & Torsten in 2017. Photo: Johnnie Jacobsen.

Composer, singer, guitarist and entertainer Tony Vejslev, 1926-2013, created melodies for more than thirty of his close high school friend Frank Jæger's, 1926-1977, finest poems. They first worked together - receiving wide national appraisal and succes - since the late 1940s till the end of the 1950's, or so, when work and geography came to distance them. Then, in 1983, Tony made a fine come-back with an LP album with new melodies that he had written more recently, thus making it "possible to also sing" those poems that he admired. Among his chosen poems were not only additional ones by Frank Jæger, but other celebrated Danish poets were included, such as then contemporary writers like Ole Sarvig and Thorkild Bjørnvig, and favoured ones representing the more "classical" early 1900s' period: Emil Aarestrup, Sophus Claussen and Johannes V. Jensen. The 1983 album titled "Tony Vejslev Synger ... ", "Tony Vejslev Sings ... ", was produced, arranged and orchestrated by Finn Olafsson who also contributed with his acoustic guitar playing. That album marks the start of a 4 decades long co-operation between Tony, the composer, and Finn, in his capacity as music publisher at Olafssongs Music publishing and music director. When, in 2008, Tom together with the two ACHE musicians Finn and Torsten had experienced their succes with Tom's "Synger/Sangskriver" album, the idea soon caught them that they could well create, record and live perform their own personal arrangements of selected Vejslev/Jæger songs. That idea crystallized with the CD album "Hyldest til Tony Vejslev & Frank Jæger", "A Tribute to Tony Vejslev & Frank Jæger", that was recorded in Olafssongs Studio and released in 2010, followed by a live concert DVD in 2011. Since then, the trio has given more than 80 concerts and concert lectures, added new songs of their own and published a number of well viewer rated YouTube music videos.

2007: TOM FREDERIKSEN's SOLO ALBUM SYNGER/SANGSKRIVER
featuring Finn Olafsson, Torsten Olafsson, Tobias Folting & Friends

   

Left: Singer, guitarist and songwriter Tom Frederiksen. Photo: Søren Andersen, 2021.
Center: Tom Frederiksen's solo album "Synger/Sangskriver", English: "Singer/Songwriter", 2007.
Right: The Danish Top of Pop Chart single hit "Søster Solskin", English: "Sister Sunshine".

In 2006, singer, guitarist & songwriter Tom Frederiksen, asked Finn Olafsson to produce and publish an album of his with songs he had been writing over a period of time. The resulting album was recorded in 2007 in Olafssongs Studio in North Sealand. As session musicians were invited Tobias Folting on drums, ACHE muscian Torsten Olafsson on bass together with selected other fine Danish professional instrument players and singers. After the release, the CD titled "Synger/Sangskriver" - a mixed pop, rock and folk music work - was nominated for the Danish Music Awards in 2008 in the categori Danish "Songs". Quite astonishingly, the song "Søster Solskin", "Sister Sunshine", was tested for and entered the Danish language Top of the Pops charts. The song succeeded in staying there succesfully for all the maximum 15 weeks while enjoying 3 weeks of Number #1 hit list fame status as well as enjoying several other fine chart positions throughout the period.

2006: WUTHERING HEIGHTS' COVER VERSION of SHADOW of a GIPSY

 

When, in 2006, Danish heavy metal band Wuthering Heights released their album "The Shadow Cabinet" in Japan,
a formidable cover version of ACHE's "Shadow of a Gipsy" from 1970 was included as a "Japan only" bonus track, #12, on the CD.

2005: Steen Toft Andersen's 2nd Solo Album "TRAVELLERS' TALES"

 

Bassist & Globetrotter Steen Toft Andersen, composer of the solo album
"Travellers' Tales - Featuring the Ukulele", recorded by ACHE musicians and others in 2004-2005

 

Steen Toft Andersen: "Travellers' Tales - Featuring the Ukulele", 2005 The ACHE musicians featured on this remarkable solo album by Steen Toft Andersen are: Finn Olafsson on guitars, Gert Smedegaard on drums, Torsten Olafsson on el. bass, and Steen Toft Andersen, himself, on the ukulele. Also, Finn and Torsten's Royal Danish Music Conservatory classically trained grand cousin Henrik Olafsson contributed on double bass. In early 1979, Steen Toft Andersen made up his mind to leave Denmark for unique globetrotter adventures all over the globe. On his numerous travels to far away worlds, Steen brought with him his ukulele to play and compose tunes, and the many sentiments and ideas were eventually collected, arranged and recorded on the instrumental music album of his titled "Travellers' Tales - Featuring the Ukulele".

2005 & 2016: KASPER SØBORG's Solo Albums "GUITAR SPHERES" & "COSMIC JUGGLING"

   

Left: On Kasper Søborg's CD album "GuitarSpheres", released by Olafssongs in 2005, ACHE musicians Finn Olafsson and Torsten Olafsson played acoustic guitar & shaker, tablas & shakuhachi, respectively. Center: Portrait of Kasper Søborg on his printed music book "Realization", engraved by Torsten Olafsson, and published by Olafssongs in 2005. Right: Cover front of Kasper Søborg's Olafssongs CD "Cosmic Juggling", 2016, partly recorded by Finn Olafsson, with cover art work created by Torsten Olafsson.

2005: HENRIK OLAFSSON's SOLO Album ACOUSTIC LINES

   

Left: Henrik Olafsson's CD album "Acoustic Lines", cover front. Center: "Acoustic Lines" CD disc
Right: Henrik Olafsson. Photos by Christoffer Askman.

When, in 2004 to 2005, double bass player and composer Henrik Olafsson recorded his solo album "Acoustic Lines" in Olafssongs Studio, he was backed by his two "grand uncles" Finn Olafsson and Torsten Olafsson. Trumpet parts were played by renowned Danish trumpet soloist Karl Husum. Finn as the producer/sound engineer and acoustic guitarist while Torsten played percussion and the Japanese bamboo flute 'shakuhachi' - Finn and Torsten both original ACHE musicians.

2004, 2004 & 2018: FINN OLAFSSON's ACOUSTIC GUITAR 1, 2 & 3 ALBUMS RELEASED on CDs

   

Finn Olafsson's second solo album, "Acoustic Guitar", first came out in 1980 on vinyl LP on the Danish Metronome phonogram company label. That album has ever since then earned for itself an undisputed reputation as a true classic in the realm of Danish acoustic guitar music, masterly played with fingerpicking "claws" on finely tuned acoustic guitar steel strings. Many, many years later, in 2004, the "Acoustic Guitar" album was then re-released on CD by Olafssongs. In that same year then, that of 2004, Finn Olafsson also - better late than never, you may say - followed up with his "Acoustic Guitar 2" album, this time on CD, though that was still recorded "analogously", on a fine Otari tape recording machine, in the Olafssongs Studio. Then, yet again, in 2018, the "Acoustic Guitar 3" also became a published reality. As of now, as well, Finn Olafsson's solo guitar music from all the three "Acoustic Guitar" albums has also been published in print in Western staff notation with complete tablature, precisely transcribed and presented by Finn Olafsson and Torsten Olafsson, together in close co-operation:

   

Finn Olafssons's three "Acoustic Guitar" music books, transcribed, engraved and designed by Torsten Olafsson

   

Finn Olafsson's two CDs "Acoustic Guitar 2" and "Acoustic Guitar 3" would never have sounded the same if it hadn't been for Danish master guitar builder Ole Kehlet.
Actually, in 2001, brothers Finn Olafsson and Torsten Olafsson visited The Danish Music Museum,
"Musikistorisk Museum" (Museum of Music History), in C. Copenhagen to enjoy its electric guitar and bass exhibition titled "Strøm til!", "Power On".

In a room in the back, however, two or more original acoustic guitars created by Danish guitar builder Ole Kehlet were also put on display,
one shown here to the left Ole Kehlet's "Concert" dreadnought and, to the right,
the Kehlet "Millenium" - both of them one of a kind.

Finn was then inspired to enter a close cooperation with Ole Kehlet for the invention of his and Finn's first
custom build "Finn Olafsson Signature" guitar, finished in 2004, while Ole Kehlet, three years later,
in 2007, finished Torsten Olafsson's unique "Kehlet Bass Cat" acoustic bass guitar.
Left and right photos by Hans Ole Madsen.

2003-2004: CHRISTIANIA, "DE SKÆVE DRØMME", "THE SKEWED DREAMS"

 

Re-united ACHE musicians during the recording of their Christiania tribute song
"De skæve drømme", "The Skewed Dreams", in Summer, 2003 - from the left:

Per Wium, Gert Smedegaard, Peter Mellin, Finn Olafsson,
Johnnie Gellett, Torsten Olafsson - and picture to the right: Steen Toft Andersen



"De skæve drømme", tribute single CD to Christiania, 2004

 

ACHE recording "De skæve drømme" in July, 2003, in Olafssongs Studio
Left: Johnnie Gellett, Finn Olafsson's daughter Maria Olafsson and Maria's best friend Anne-Line Edelgaard Gantzler
Right: producer and studio sound engineer Finn Olafsson

2003: B-JOE is FEATURED with his song "EYES of a CHILD"
RECORDED with 3 ACHE MUSICIANS BACKING in OLAFSSONGS STUDIO

 

In preparations for a potential new album, singer, guitarist & songwriter B-Joe had previously recorded the "Eyes of a Child" track in Olafssongs Studio in North Sealand. Beside producer Finn Olafsson, also on guitars, two other ACHE musicians had joined in, namely Gert Smedegaard on drums, and Torsten Olafsson on his Fender fine old Precision electric bass guitar. "Eyes of a Child" was released on CD single and also included on a Danish PR CD sampler titled "Discover Denmark" produced for the annual international music fair in Cannes, 2003.

2002 and 2003: New ANDERS ROLAND & FINN OLAFSSON CDs
- A CREATIVE ACOUSTIC GUITARIST DUO REUNITE after 11 YEARS

   

After, in 1988, Finn's brother Torsten was invited to play the tabla and the Japanese bamboo flute 'shakuhachi' on the duo's 3rd album "Globetrotter", that track, titled "Himmeltegn", "Airy Signs", was later included, when Anders and Finn reunited in 2002 and released the "greatest hits" album "Tilbage til nutiden". Torsten also contributed with his shakuhachi sound on the English version of that album, namely "Back to the Present", on a new composition for that album, titled "El Hadji".

2000: "DE HOMINE URBANO" and "GREEN MAN" RELEASED on CD for the FIRST TIME

 

In Autumn, 2000, Universal Music, Denmark, who had then purchased the master tape rights for ACHE's "De Homine Urbano" and "Green Man" recordings, released the first re-mastered, digital versions of those two classical ACHE albums, squeezed down on to but just one single CD disc. Also, the record company Free Records, was granted license to release the digital ACHE music files on CD in Germany in that same year. Interestingly, and noteworthily, indeed: At the time when Universal Music, Denmark, digitalized "De Homine Urbano" and "Little Things" from one of the Philips 1976 re-released "De Homine Urbano" album vinyl LP, no one at the company realized - nor even appear to have cared? - that the labels for the two record sides had, accidentally, been swapped back in 1976! That kind of "pretty embarrassing" mistake was only made up for when, in 2012, Esoteric Recordings in England re-issued both two albums on separate CDs. At that time, fortunately, ACHE musicians Finn Olafsson and Torsten Olafsson had been properly involved and engaged in the whole production process.

1984-1989: FINN OLAFSSON - GUITAR MUSIC COMPOSER, PRODUCER & SIDEMAN

   

Left, Anders Roland &: Finn Olafsson. Photo: Nina Lemvigh-Müller, 1986.
Center: ACHE's Gert Smedegaard during the Finn Olafsson solo album "Elements" recordings in 1981,
also studio drummer on "Himlen over dig". Photo: Jan Persson.
Right: The cover of the single "Himlen over dig", "The Sky above You", sung by the late Jytte Pilloni,
a fantastic Danish singer, songwriter and actress who left us all too early, in 1997.

The song "Himlen over dig", was composed by Finn Olafsson & Anders Roland for a short TV series produced by the National Danish Broadcasting Co., titled "Johansens Sidste Ugudelige Dage", "Johansen's Last Ungodly Days". Lyrics written by Sten Kålø. For the recording, producer Finn Olafsson again - like so often before and after - chose ACHE drummer Gert Smedegaard for the backing drum work.

   

From 1986 through 1988, Finn Olafsson sided, recorded and performed with famous Danish singer-songwriter Anne Linnet. In Mid-Summer, 1988, the ANNE LINNET BAND appeared live in concert on the annual Elsinore Kronborg Castle "Shakespeare Hamlet" performance stage. Left: Finn Olafsson - center: Sanne Salomonsen, Anne Linnet, Finn Olafsson - right: Finn Olafsson. Photos by Torsten Olafsson.

ACHE history: Already since the late 1970s, Finn Olafsson often engaged debuting heavy metal band METALLICA's producer Flemming Rasmussen
to co-engineer, produce and record a wide range of new Danish music projects
in the renowned Sweet Silence Studios on the island Amager in S. Copenhagen.


   

Three amazing fingerpicked steel-string acoustic guitar albums by ANDERS ROLAND & FINN OLAFSSON: "Sight-seeing", 1984, "Feriedage" ("Holidays"), 1986, and "Globetrotter", 1988, all produced by Finn Olafsson, together with internationally renowned Sweet Silence Studio sound engineer Flemming Rasmussen. Btw., do not be mistaken: Both Anders and Finn came with powerful talents and inspirations from both classical music, folk rock: HVALSØSPILLEMÆNDENE, and symphonic prog rock: ACHE. Among the musicians on the two last albums, you also find Torsten Olafsson, this time contributing on the Japanese bamboo flute 'shakuhachi'.

1987: PER WIUM's 1st SOLO Album IND i DET BLÅ

 

Per Wium's solo album "Ind i det blå", "Into the Blue", 1987 On this album, ACHE keyboard player and composer Per Wium was - among others - backed by three fellow ACHE musician colleagues, namely Finn Olafsson, guitars, Gert Smedegaard, drums, and Stig Kreutzfeldt, vocals.

1985: A SHORT ACHE REVIVAL TOUR in January, 1985

 

ACHE history: 1985 - Left, from top left and down: Finn Olafsson, gt; Alex "Savage" Nyborg Madsen, ld voc;
Klaus Thrane, dr; Per Wium, kb; Torsten Olafsson, bs - Right: Finn Olafsson

1983: The "VÆLG SELV", "YOU CHOOSE", YOUTH MUSICAL
RECORDED by FINN OLAFSSON, ACHE MUSICIANS and OTHERS

 

Again - just like in 1977-1978 - creative, songwriting Ballerup school dentist Bjarne Nørtov, had - in 1983 - come up with a collection of songs meant to inspire school children not to take up smoking tobacco. Finn Olafsson took charge of the production, the recording of the music, and he engaged these ACHE musicians to assist him, the guitarist, in the studio: Gert Smedegaard, Torsten Olafsson, Johnnie Gellett, Per Wium and Peter Mellin. Additional credited musicians were: Respected vocalists Mona Larsen, Tina Schäfer, Steffen Brandt & Thorstein Thomsen, percussionist Flemming Rasmussen, and Jens Haack Olsen on sax and lyricon.

1983: TORSTEN OLAFSSON's SOLO SHAKUHACHI FLUTE ALBUM
"STANDING WAVES - ZEN SHAKUHACHI MEDITATIONS"

   

In Spring, 1983, Torsten Olafsson recorded the album "Standing Waves - Zen Shakuhachi Meditations" featuring six selected solo shakuhachi pieces from the Kyōto Myōan Temple ascetic solo shakuhachi Taizan-ha repertory that Torsten had studied and "internalized" when he studied with that non-dualistic shakuhachi tradition's 'Suizen' teacher Ozawa Seizan in Kyōto, Japan, in 1977-78. Left: Photo from Daisen-in in Kyōto by Torsten Olafsson. Center: Photo by Mikkel Scharff, 1983. Right: CD art work by TAO Design. Then, in 2001, Torsten partnered with the Danish record label Fønix Musik to make the album available on CD, this time also with a 16 pages booklet. The six tracks were digitally remastered for the CD by Bent Hulsrøj who was also the studio technician when ACHE recorded in Metronome Studio A in 1969 and 1970. Over the years, eventually, LPs, MCs and CDs reached the total sales of more than 5.000 copies, in Denmark as abroad.

   

Torsten recorded the album with a Japanese 'shakuhachi' bamboo flute made by his teacher Ozawa Seizan and given to him as a present in late Spring, 1978, shortly before he returned to Denmark (left). "Standing Waves" was recorded in Spring, 1983, in the famous recording studio Sweet Silence Studios on the island Amager in S. Copenhagen. The album was produced there by Torsten's brother Finn and engineered by Flemming Rasmussen who enjoys worldwide recognition for his producing/recording the two Metallica albums "Ride the Lightning", 1984, and "Master of Puppets", 1986, in the original Sweet Silence Studios at Strandlodsvej on Amager. Photo of Finn and Flemming (right) was taken many years later, on March 29, 2017, in Flemming's "Sweet Silence North" studio in Elsinore, by Flemming Hjøllund. The "Standing Waves" album was the very first phonogram to be released by the new Olafssongs record label, in Spring 1983: Olafssongs OLP 001/OMC 001. Writing in 2023, independent Olafssongs label record releases is passing the number of 70 albums and more than 40 singles.

1983: HELGE DAMSBO's 2nd SOLO ALBUM "ALT IMENS"

 

In 1982-1983, guitarist/singer-songwriter Helge Damsbo prepared his 2nd solo album with ACHE guitarist Finn Olafsson as his producer. Beside Finn Olafsson on guitars, two other ACHE musicians were invited to join in, namely Gert Smedegaard on drums, and Torsten Olafsson on his fine old Fender Precision electric bass guitar. The photo on the right: In 1978, about 5 years prior to the "Alt imens" album, fingerpicking acoustic ACHE guitarist Finn Olafsson backed Helge Damsbo on the debut album of his, titled "Images" - here the two musicians perform together at the renowned acoustic music venue "ViseVersHuset" in Tivoli, Copenhagen, 1977. Finn Olafsson and Gert Smedegaard continued to back up Helge Damsbo on a number of fine Helge Damsbo albums and singles until Gert's death in late 2018.

1981: Steen Toft Andersen's 1st Solo Album "BAG MURENE"

Bass player, composer and lyricist Steen Toft Andersen's 1st solo album "Bag murene - Hos de dybt åndsvage", "Behind the Walls - With the deeply mentally retarded", about Steen's mid-1970s through early 1980 deeply moving experiences in his role as a caretaker for the institutionalized most seriously mentally retarded human existences at Ebberødgård Center in mid-North Sealand, which was later renamed "Svaneparken", "The Swan Park".   Drawing by Steen Toft Andersen in the printed music book of his, titled "Bag Murene", 1981. On the "Bag murene" album, Steen was backed by these good ACHE musician friends of his: Gert Smedegaard on drums, Per Wium, kb; Finn Olafsson, gt; and Johnnie Gellett, vc. By the way, among ACHE members, these four of them are sharing significantly mind-blowing and life-changing work experiences from public institutions for the care of the mentally retarded in Denmark: Gert Smedegaard, Johnnie Gellett, Steen Toft Andersen - and Torsten Olafsson, as well. Likewise, ACHE road manager and stage lights engineer in the mid-1970s Gunnar Hovgaard, worked for many years as a caretaker for the mentally retarded at Swan Park (formerly Æbberøgå) in North Sealand.

ACHE PICTURE GALLERIES 1964 and on ... - LINKS

ACHE HISTORICAL PICTURE GALLERY 1964 to 1976:




ACHE HISTORICAL PICTURE GALLERY 1975 to 1981:




ACHE HISTORICAL PICTURE GALLERY 1981 to 2019:




ACHE HISTORICAL PICTURE GALLERY 2019 to 2022:




ACHE HISTORICAL PICTURE GALLERY 2023 and on ...: