Lars Danielsson Liberetto - Cloudland (2021 ACT Music)

When it comes to delivering up music with dreamy melodies, dense atmospherics, and folk music conversational stylings, Lars Danielsson does not disappoint. The Swedish double bassist is joined on this new-school Euro-jazz session by pianist Grégory Privat, guitarist John Parricelli, drummer Magnus Öström and guest trumpeter Arve Henriksen, and clarinetist Kinan Azmeh. Sometimes, the music generates an engaging dialogue; other times, it ranges into daydream territory. But it always radiates a friendly warmth and music like a welcoming smile.

We’ll end this month’s column with a shout-out for some older music.

1. Vildmark 01:12

2. Lars Danielsson feat. Arve Henriksen & Arve Henriksen - Cloudland 04:34

3. The Fifth Grade 05:37

4. Nikita's Dream 04:40

5. Lars Danielsson feat. Arve Henriksen & Arve Henriksen - Tango Magnifique 03:53

6. Lars Danielsson feat. Kinan Azmeh & Kinan Azmeh - Desert of Catanga 06:17

7. River of Little 03:22

8. Lars Danielsson feat. Arve Henriksen & Arve Henriksen - Yes to You 03:35

9. Lars Danielsson feat. Kinan Azmeh & Kinan Azmeh - Intermezzo 01:58

10. Villstad 04:12

11. Lars Danielsson feat. Arve Henriksen & Kinan Azmeh & Arve Henriksen & Kinan Azmeh - Sacred Mind 05:02

12. Imagine Joao 03:41

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Esbjörn Svensson Trio - e.s.t. songbook Volume 2 (ACT MUSIC 2018)

21 leadsheets for piano - content: dating picnic the chapel good morning susie soho did they ever tell cousteau? what though the way may be long carcrash letter from the leviathan reminiscence of a soul the well-wisher a picture of doris travelling with boris serenade for the renegade definition of a dog strange place for snow o.d.r.i.p. spunky sprawl in my garage somewhere else before brewery of beggars sipping on the solid groundwhere we used to live

Recording Information

e.s.t. Songbook

Volume II

96 pages

21 e.s.t. works

1 Serenade For The Renegade ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 04:26

2 Strange Place For Snow ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 06:46

3 Spunky Sprawl ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 06:23

4 Carcrash ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 05:05

5 Somewhere Else Before ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 05:36

6 Good Morning Susie Soho ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 05:53

7 Dating ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 05:32

8 Picnic ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 05:01

9 The Chapel ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 04:11

10 Definition of a Dog ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 06:04

11 In My Garage ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 04:16

12 O.D.R.I.P ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 08:19

13 sipping on the solid ground ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 04:32

14 where we used to live ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 04:25

15 brewery of beggars ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 08:22

16 Letter From The Leviathan ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 06:56

17 A Picture Of Doris Travelling With Boris ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 05:40

18 Did They Ever Tell Cousteau? ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 06:02

19 The Well-wisher ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 03:47

20 What Though The Way May Be Long ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 06:20

21 Reminiscence Of A Soul ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 05:45

Esbjörn Svensson Trio e.s.t. - e.s.t. live in London (ACT Music May 11, 2018)

The release of this album marks a poignant moment: the tenth anniversary of the tragic and premature death of Esbjorn Svensson on 14 June 2008.

During the last ten years after the end of e.s.t. there have been constant reminders of the indelible mark which the band has left on the international jazz scene. Indeed it is hard to imagine a whole generation of currently highly successful young bands all over the world, often attracting an audience of same age, without the deep and lasting influence of the sound and the aesthetic of e.s.t. It might sound like a cliché but it is evident that through his music, Esbjörn Svensson will stay with us forever.

The trio really was a phenomenon. Its scale, recognition and impact grew progressively and internationally during the seventeen years of its existence. British audiences, for example, took e.s.t to their hearts, and in a special way. Things began quietly when they first performed one night in the tiny Pizza Express Jazz Club in Dean Street in the late 1990’s, and their footprint in the UK just kept growing steadily from there, until they were packing out concert halls. It is part of a similar story in many European countries. They were not just met with massive success in Germany and France, they truly went Europe-wide. And they also reached out further: they were the first European band ever to appear on the cover of Downbeat in May 2006, the magazine’s seventy-third year. In 2006, one year after „Live in London“ was recorded, they played over 100 concerts in 24 countries and were heard by 200,000 people.

That unforgettable experience of e.s.t. playing live has been caught before on CD, notably in "Live in Hamburg", which was named the “Jazz album of the decade 2000–2010” by The Times, whose critic wrote: “In a decade when Scandinavia staked a claim as the home of progressive jazz, no one had more success than this piano trio.” Jamie Cullum described the appeal of their live concerts: „e.s.t. are a jazz trio, only I can take my non-jazz friends along to see them.”

This new release was recorded at a completely sold-out Barbican Centre in 2005, during a hugely successful and highly popular UK tour. It is e.s.t. at the peak of their creativity touring after the release of their to-date best selling album “Viaticum”. The organic and natural way in which the set evolves is remarkable, and there is plentiful evidence of what Canadian critic John Kelman has called their “unique simpatico.” For people who know and remember the band well, the absolute gem here is a serene, deliciously poised account of “Believe, Beleft, Below.”

The Independent’s critic Stuart Nicholson was clearly moved by the concert. Here we reproduce his thoughtful and vivid review:

The Esbjorn Svensson Trio, or EST as they like to be known these days, do to the jazz piano trio what James Joyce did to coming-of-age tales by cutting up the form and starting afresh. This acclaimed Swedish group have been a hit on the European scene for a while now. In 2000, the German news weekly Der Spiegel hailed Svensson as "the future of the jazz piano", and since then his trio have consolidated their position as one of the top bands on the circuit. They are currently more popular than most big American jazz names.

Attracting the kind of following EST enjoy prompts accusations - often well founded - of dumbing down. But Svensson is one of those rare musicians who dispenses the common touch without compromising his art. He avoids the usual jazz musician's stock-in-trade of cramming as many notes as he can into the square inch, instead favouring innovative silences and a darkly intense lyricism that allows his emotional honesty to show through.

Although he once dabbled among the magical spells of the pianist Keith Jarrett's Belonging period, the new spirit Svensson has come up with is shorn of Jarrett's angst and the feeling that a good thing has been taken to wearying extremes. Featured were several tunes from EST's current album, Viaticum (which went gold in France and platinum in Germany), including "Tide of Trepidation", "Eighty-eight Days In My Veins" and the title track.

The suave use of lighting underlined the shifting moods of EST's music while their careful use of dynamics, unusual in jazz, which usually opts for fast-equals-loud, slow-equals-soft, made Svensson's lyrical intensity stand out in sharp relief. Yet the non-conformist Dan Berglund likes Jimi Hendrix and Richie Blackmore (of Deep Purple) and is not afraid to use a wah-wah pedal or feedback with his acoustic bass ("Mingle In the Mincing Machine"), while the drummer Magnus Östrom dances around formal regularity with a variety of techniques, such as using his fingers on his snare to emulate pop's rhythm samples.

EST renew the notion that the cutting edge of jazz need not involve volatile experimentation. At the head of a sense-sharpening breeze of change currently blowing through European jazz, Svensson [..] gave further evidence that the best European jazz is no longer a pale imitation of what is happening in the United States. Indeed, here was evidence that Europe is now moving ahead in creativity and originality.

Lars Danielsson - Liberetto III (ACT MUSIC 2017)

Music must touch the emotions

For Lars Danielsson, that consummate craftsman of sound on both cello and bass, the power of music resides in melody. It is the heart from which everything else develops, and his Liberetto ensemble has stayed true to this principle again in its third album. The word 'Liberetto' which Danielsson coined for the name of the group also serves well as a descriptor of his art. 'Libretto' is a reference both to Western art music which is the source of his compositions, and to their lyrical, vocal character. But also hidden in the band's name is the Latin adjective 'liber' (free). That stands for improvisation, for how individuals can take lines and shapes and adapt them, but above all it refers to Danielsson's musical understanding which acknowledges no boundaries.

This third edition of “Liberetto” transcends more of those boundaries than ever before. The opening track of the album looks heavenward: “I wrote 'Agnus Dei' for my mother,” Danielsson explains. “She sang in a choir - as I did later too. The spirituality and the ceremony of liturgical music left their mark on me.” Following on from this gentle, almost classical hymn is “Lviv”, a tune which is very differently wired: it’s brisk, based on a simple poppish melodic hook and it has an uncommon sense of rhythmic forward propulsion. What follows is many-sided: “Sonata in Spain” the band toys with Spanish folklore, “Taxim By Night” has a waft of Turkish-Arabic scent, and “Gimbri Heart” has African charm and warmth. By contrast, “Mr Miller” is a touching ballad with a ‘Nordic Sound’ aesthetic.

All twelve tracks are compositions by Danielsson, and they sum up what 'Liberetto' is all about: through keeping structure and freedom in such a fine balance, the musical expression acquires an almost weightless sense of poise and easefulness. And binding it all together is the wonderful interaction of the musicians. Whether they are playing unison lines, solo-ing and accompanying, or engaging in interplay, the ball is generously and deftly passed from one player to another. 

“The band has developed massively since 2012”, reflects Danielsson. “We have played together so much, we all seem to have a sixth sense now. And that helped us to make the new album more varied and colourful, to take off in even more directions.” However, one member of the original quartet including guitarist John Parricelli and ex-e.s.t. drummer  Magnus Öström, is no longer there: Tigran, the pianist on both of the first albums. But it happened that Danielsson became aware of the extremely talented French pianist Grégory Privat. His origins are in the Caribbean island of Martinique and he also happens to be a member of the ACT family. Danielsson invited him to play and found straight away that they were on the same wavelength. “He is a fantastic addition. Grégory is a hugely gifted storyteller at the piano, with loads of rhythmic sensitivity, plus he brings a Creole element into our music. We are thrilled to have him with us.” 

As was the case for the first two “Liberetto” albums, there are some carefully selected guests, who bring their talents and energies to particular tracks: Sting’s guitarist Dominic Miller makes another appearance, as does trumpeter Mathias Eick with his inimitably rounded sound. Arve Henriksen takes the other trumpet parts - he was in the mix on the “Liberetto” debut album too. The striking oboe solo on “Da Salo” is played by Björn Bohlin of the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra, with whom Danielsson has been working recently, and finally there is the sensitivity and fair of oud player Hussam Aliwat. As a co-producer singer Cæcilie Norby supported Danielsson to make his musical visions come true.

“Lars Danielsson has a knack of forming great bands", Stuart Nicholson wrote in Jazzwise in 2014."He manages to realise the potential of his musicians in directions even they had not imagined.” With Liberetto III, he has done it again, and produced a beautifully constructed, and yet deeply felt album.

Lars Danielsson / double bass, cello, piano intro on 05 & 08, wah-wah cello & guembri on 09

Grégory Privat / piano

John Parricelli / guitars

Magnus Öström / drums & percussion

Guests:

Arve Henriksen / trumpet on 01, 02, 06, 09, voice on 06

Dominic Miller / acoustic guitar on 10

Hussam Aliwat / oud on 04 & 07

Björn Bohlin / english horn on 02, 03, 08 & oboe d'amore on 01

Mathias Eick / trumpet on 10

Music written by Lars Danielsson

Recorded and mixed by Bo Savik at Tia Dia Studios, Mölnlycke Sweden

Additional recording: Simon Danielsson & Michael Dahlvid

Mastered by Jan Erik Kongshaug at Rainbow Studio, Oslo, Norway

Piano tuning by Bengt Eriksson

Produced by Cæcilie Norby & Lars Danielsson

Magnus Öström - Parachute (2016)

“Öström’s compositions cut across style and genre, going where the mood takes him... cinematic post-rock and an unmistakable prog tang.”

PROG Magazine

“...a refreshingly unique sound of its own.”

Rhythm

“...hypnotic, dance-inflected grooves...”

Irish Times

A member of world famous Esbjörn Svensson Trio (e.s.t.), the drummer Magnus Öström is set to release his third solo album entitled Parachute on 1 April. His solo career has been a fruitful one with two solo albums released all over Europe and Japan and his debut, Thread Of Life nominated for a Swedish Grammis and also earning him an Echo Jazz Award in Germany. He has also collaborated with Pat Metheny who appeared on Thread of Life.

The new album features the same band members as the two previous albums: Andreas Hourdakis, guitars; Thobias Gabrielson, bass & keys; Daniel Karlsson, piano & keys, and arrives in full-circle back to the label Diesel Music where Magnus' career got started with e.s.t. (it's now 20 years since the hugely successful and critically acclaimed album e.s.t. Plays Monk was released). Parachute comprises eight original compositions by Magnus and also features the amazing Norwegian trumpet player Mathias Eick who guests on The Shore Of Unsure.

Although Magnus' solo career has been successful, the loss of Esbjörn Svensson has been devastating and it is music that has helped him overcome some very dark times.

"During the years after Esbjörn’s death I have struggled to find my way back to life. Sometimes life has been ok, but at other times it has been really dark. As for most of us, life has its ups and downs, but when I have been at my lowest, when you don't see any way out, the music has always been there to save me, it has been my Parachute. This record is a celebration of music itself and to the energy it carries. It has helped not only me, but also most of the people on this tormented globe that we travel on. As a temporary guest on this planet I hope I will leave it a better place than when I arrived - I hope we all will do. That's what I'm striving for.”  Magnus Öström 2016

1 Dog On The Beach

2 Junas

3 The Green Man And The French Horn

4 Walkabout Bug

5 Parachute

6 The Shore Of Unsure

7 Reedjoyce

8 All The Remaining Days

Magnus Öström, drums, percussion, voice

Andreas Hourdakis, electric and acoustic guitars

Thobias Gabrielson, bass, bass synthesizer, keyboards

Daniel Karlsson, grand piano, keyboard