Jens Ola Johansson (born 2 November 1963 in Stockholm) is a Swedish keyboardist and pianist. In the early 1980s he and his brother Anders (drums) played on Yngwie Malmsteen's Rising Force. Johansson is the son of the Swedish Jazz pianist Jan Johansson. Johansson has also worked with the guitar player Allan Holdsworth.

He is currently working with the Finnish power metal band Stratovarius. He is known for his high-speed and technical skills in the style of neoclassical, jazz 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. 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.

From 2015 to 2019 he joined Ritchie Blackmore's rock project Rainbow.

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 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. 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.

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 JV1010 as backup on live.

Band membership Timeline

Studio albums TitleLabelYearSilver Mountain: Shakin' Brains1983Yngwie Malmsteen: Rising ForcePolydor1984Yngwie Malmsteen: Marching Out Polydor1985Yngwie Malmsteen: TrilogyPolydor1986Erik Borelius: Fantasy1988Yngwie Malmsteen: OdysseyPolydor1988Yngwie Malmsteen: Trial by FirePolydor1989Dio: Lock Up the WolvesWarner Bros. Records1990Deadline: Dissident1991Stephen Ross: Midnight DriveShrapnel Records1991Anders Johansson: Shu-Tka1992Ginger Baker: Unseen Rain1992RAF: Ode to a Tractor1992Shining Path: No Other World1992Jonas Hellborg Group: E1993Snake Charmer: Smoke and Mirrors1993Dave Nerge's Bulldog: The Return of Mr. Nasty1994Robert Blennerhed: Seven 1994Smoke on the Water – A Tribute1994Tony MacAlpine: Premonition1994Anders Johansson, Jens Johansson and Allan Holdsworth: Heavy Machinery1996Stratovarius: EpisodeNoise Records1996Yngwie Malmsteen: Inspiration1996Anders Johansson: Red Shift1997Stratovarius: VisionsNoise Records1997The Johansson Brothers: Sonic Winter1997Itä-Saksa: Let's Kompromise1998Snake Charmer: Backyard Boogaloo1998Stratovarius: DestinyNoise Records1998Mastermind: ExcelsiorInsideOut Records1998Jens Johansson: Fission1998Benny Jansson: Flume Ride1999The Johansson Brothers: The Last Viking1999Stratovarius: Visions Of Destiny Noise Records1999Mastermind: Angels of the ApocalypseInsideOut Records2000Stratovarius: Infinite Nuclear Blast2000Stratovarius: Infinite Visions Nuclear Blast2000Einstein: Einstein Too2001La Leyenda Continua – Tributo A Rata Blanca 2001Stratovarius: IntermissionEdel Music2001Silver Mountain: Breakin' Chains2001Andy West With Rama: Rama 1Magna Carta Records2002Space Metal (Arjen Anthony Lucassen's Star One)Inside Out Music2002Benny Jansson: Save the World2002Aina: Days of Rising Doom2003Barilari2003Stratovarius: Elements Pt. 1Nuclear Blast2003Stratovarius: Elements Pt. 2Nuclear Blast2003Sonata Arctica: Winterheart's GuildSpinefarm Records2003Mastermind (Japanese band): To the World BeyondBlack Listed Records2004Spastic Ink: Ink Compatible2004Kamelot: The Black HaloSteamhammer Records2005Stratovarius: StratovariusSanctuary2005HammerFall: No Sacrifice, No VictoryNuclear Blast2009Stratovarius: PolarisEdel Music2009Avantasia: Angel of Babylon2010Amberian Dawn: End of Eden2010Stratovarius: ElysiumEdel Music2011Amberian Dawn: Circus Black2012Stratovarius: NemesisEdel Music2013Avalon: The Land of New HopeFrontiers Records2013Cain's Offering: StormcrowFrontiers Records2015Stratovarius: EternalEdel Music2015Stratovarius: Best OfEdel Music2016Stratovarius: Enigma: Intermission 2Edel Music2018Gloryhammer: Legends from Beyond the Galactic TerrorvortexNapalm Records2019Helloween: Helloween ("Skyfall")Nuclear Blast2021Star One: Revel in Time ("The Year of '41")InsideOut Music2022Jani Liimatainen: My Father's SonFrontiers Records2022Stratovarius: SurviveEdel Music2022

References

External links

Jens Johansson's Homepage Heptagon Records Stratovarius Homepage Interview with Jens Johansson, 1995 Interview with JENS JOHANSSON (STRATOVARIUS)