Scorch Trio

The Scorch Trio emerged from a pivotal meeting between guitarist Raoul Björkenheim and bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten at the Jyvaskyla Summer Jazz Festival in 1998. Recognizing a shared musical vision and an immediate chemistry, they felt a collaboration would yield highly inspired and energetic music. Flaten, already familiar with the powerful drumming of Paal Nilssen-Love from their work in the group Element, identified him as the ideal drummer for the project. This led to a series of concerts in Finland and a recording for Finnish radio in early 2000. Further performances in Copenhagen, Gothenburg, and Oslo solidified their connection, paving the way for their debut album.

The trio's first album was released in 2002 on the Rune Grammofon label. It garnered significant critical praise, including being recognized as one of the 10 best jazz CDs of the year by The Wire magazine. Their second release followed in the winter of 2004, also on Rune Grammofon, further establishing their distinctive sound.