Jazz Articles about Esbjorn Svensson

The Esbj: Viaticum

by Woodrow Wilkins
January 4, 2006

While the piano-led trio is one of the staples of jazz, it can conform to tradition so much that it fails to connect with listeners on an emotional level. Not so with E.S.T. This Scandinavian group adheres to the form just enough to be considered a jazz trio, but between original compositions and sound enhancements that can fool you into believing that more than three musicians are playing, E.S.T. is anything but boring. One distinction: The group ...

The Esbj: Viaticum

by Sergio Masferrer
March 4, 2005

The Esbjörn Svensson Trio stayed hidden to my ears until I discovered the existence of Viaticum. The impact of this recording is immediate: it belongs to a new jazz school, in which I don't know who's the teacher and who's the pupil, but where we can find the names of Brad Mehldau--with his Art Of The Trio series--and The Bad Plus, led by pianist Ethan Iverson. With this new way of making jazz, the musicians reach out to an extensive ...

The Esbjorn Svensson Trio (e.s.t.): Viaticum

by John Kelman
February 7, 2005

Together now for over a dozen years, e.s.t. has clearly developed a number of personal stylistic markers. Blending improvisation with a distinct pop sensibility that includes subtle use of electronics--with the exception of Dan Berglund's aggressive fuzztone arco bass--the trio has honed a sound incorporating elements of drum 'n' bass, electronica, funk, pop, classical and rock, without losing sight of its own voice. Often spoken of in the same breath as The Bad Plus, e.s.t. is the more elegant alternative, ...

Esbjorn Svensson: What Jazz Is, Not Was

by Joshua Weiner
November 29, 2004

We're featuring this 2004 interview in memory of Esbjorn Svensson. Svensson died on June 14th at the age of 44. News. Pianist Esbjorn Svensson leads the Swedish group EST, one of the most exciting and original piano trios in jazz today. They've been playing together for over ten years, an extraordinary length of time for a jazz lineup, and have known each other much longer than that. The group has evolved a distinctive style, in which Svensson's ...

Esbjorn Svensson Trio: Live at Dakota Jazz Club

by Joshua Weiner
November 24, 2004

The latest album by EST, Seven Days of Falling, is in all aspects an excellent record, displaying the musicians' ample talent for mixing strong original songs with a fresh approach to the jazz piano trio that tastefully incorporates moods and textures from rock and electronic music. However, to paraphrase guitarist Robert Fripp, albums are calling cards, while live dates are love letters. And nothing on Seven Days of Falling, accomplished as it is, could quite prepare the listener for the ...

ISO e.s.t

by AAJ Staff
November 19, 2004

Wanted: Jazz trio with the nuance of a dancer, the subtlety and chops of a diamond cutter and the expertise to teach it in Braille. Must be willing to consistently show both love and logic in the face of little recognition of their idiom and a smothering cacophony that believes only in bloodletting, cookie-cutter music.

Despite some logistical issues with the audience, The Esbjorn Svensson Trio fulfilled those requirements November 13th at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor. A ...

Esbjorn Svensson Trio (e.s.t.): Seven Days of Falling

by Jerry D'Souza
September 16, 2004

The Esbjörn Svensson Trio, or e.s.t. as it prefers to be known these days, brings luminosity to the art of the piano trio on this, its eighth recording. Credit these three players with a strong sense of musicality and the ability to go past the obvious and build layer upon layer of enticing sonority. The arrangements are clever, letting them spin ideas and move them into unexpected terrain. The continuous changing and shaping of structure lends a sharp edge that ...