Esbjörn Svensson Trio e.s.t. / e.s.t. Live ‘95 - 2 Vinyl LP (November 2021 ACT Music)

They have been lauded as the "New sound in the Old World", and as "high voltage out of Sweden"; the group has been called "possibly the best jazz trio in the world". The Esbjörn Svensson Trio’s - known as EST - rise to the heights has been almost frightening. After their first major success in Sweden, their international breakthrough came in 1999 during the ACT World Jazz Night at the Montreux Jazz Festival. In the following years EST was a sensation throughout Europe, and they are now on the path to continuing their success story in the USA. It’s no wonder that, especially when playing "live", EST lets loose an almost unbelievable energy - and this energy appears to grow from tour to tour - a rising star that shines ever brighter.

Stars sometimes shine much longer than one would think. And here are recordings that demonstrate this is true for EST. The band, which was first formed in 1993, quickly found their very special sound. However, at first, no one outside EST’s homeland was aware of them. Six years ago, in 1995, when Esbjörn Svensson still had long hair, and wore a headband, a record titled "Mr. And Mrs. Handkerchief", which consisted of live air shots from various towns in Sweden, was released. A year later, EST recorded the album "Esbjörn Svensson Trio Plays Monk" (recently re-released as ACT.). It reached the undreamed of sales of 10,000 CD’s nationwide. Those who have heard how the trio played back then can attest that it was breathtaking music (for a quick listen: track 5).

Much of what characterizes EST’s play today was already well-defined in 1995: the unity and riveting strength of the inter-play, the compelling themes - themes that immediately jump out at the listener, and yet are never burdened with cliches. Then there are the musical influences of the likes of Thelonious Monk and Kieth Jarrett, which are fused into a unique style that is again and again infected by the forward-thrust of rock. Magic moments are preserved for posterity in these live takes. In tracks three and seven, Svensson plays on an upright piano that doesn’t even come close to the brilliance and clarity of a concert grand - and yet, these recordings are pearls. The trio had by this time mastered the ability to react spontaneously to the inspiration of the moment.

Absolutely no difference from today? On their latest tours EST sounded tighter, less raw, with the impetuosity of wilder times more under control. Comparison with the masterpiece "Dodge the Dodo" from the 1999 Montreux concert (bonus CD) shows that the trio’s development has not been by leaps and bounds, but has been a continual process. Esbjörn Svensson himself has stated most clearly how much the music from past periods influences the band; "Obviously we develop all the time, both as individuals and as a group. But development isn’t only about blind process. So instead of just going forward, in places we’ve chosen to refer back to our earlier sound, to what we had on our first two albums." That’s already reason enough to pay new attention to "EST LIVE ‘95".

1 Say Hello To Mr. D (To Mr. S.) ( Svensson, Esbjörn) 09:12

2 The Rube Thing ( Svensson, Esbjörn) 05:28

3 Happy Heads And Crazy Feds ( Svensson, Esbjörn) 05:20

4 The Day After (leaving) ( Svensson, Esbjörn) 04:39

5 Like Wash It Or Something ( Svensson, Esbjörn) 08:57

6 Breadbasket ( Svensson, Esbjörn) 05:06

7 What Did You Buy Today ( Svensson, Esbjörn) 03:10

8 Hymn Of The River Brown ( Svensson, Esbjörn) 05:13

9 Same As Before ( Svensson, Esbjörn) 06:25

10 Mr. & Mrs. Handkerchief ( Svensson, Esbjörn) 07:19

11 Dodge The Dodo "live in Montreux" ( Svensson, Esbjörn / Berglund, Dan / Öström, Magnus) 10:02

Esbjörn Svensson - piano

Dan Berglund - bass

Magnus Öström - drums

Recorded by Åke Linton in March 1995, except # 11 recorded by Manu Guiot at Montreux Jazz Festival July 16, 1999, # 5 by Per Åke Hermansson, Radio Dalama and # 6 by Verner Kjersgaag, DR Östjüllands Radio

Mixed by Åke Linton at Bohus Studio

Produced by e.s.t.

Format:Vinyl (also available as CD )

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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.