Jazz Articles about Lars Jansson
About Lars Jansson
Instrument: Piano
Article Coverage | Calendar | Albums | Photos | Similar ArtistsLars Jansson, Ark Ovrutski, Pablo Held and More
by Bob Osborne
A focus on Swedish pianist Lars Jansson is complemented with new releases from Ark Ovrutski, Pablo Held and Perry Smith. In a piano trio dominated show there is also a mix of classic recordings and exciting new cutting edge jazz. Playlist Ark Ovrutski “Second Line" from Journey Moments (Ark Ovrutski Music) 00:00 Lars Jansson Trio “The Masquerade Is Over" from What's New (Spice of Life) 05:22 Pablo Held Trio “Birkenhain" from Investigations (Edition) 12:53 Perry Smith “Rise ...
read moreLars Jansson: Just This
by Chris Mosey
Swedish pianist/composer Lars Jansson is a Zen Buddhist, concerned primarily with being in the moment. There can be difficulties--"To experience and accept all that happens in our lives is no easy matter," says Jansson. “It takes practice and an open mind (beginner's mind) to ignore expectations and preconceived attitudes and completely immerse oneself in the present as it unfolds." There are two songs on Just This that deal with this problem: the title track and “No Purpose." ...
read moreLars Jansson: Satori
by Chris Mosey
Satori means “sudden enlightenment" in the Japanese Buddhist discipline known as Zen. It's something you might be wise not to claim you had experienced for fear of the head priest fetching you a whack across the shoulders with his wooden staff while shouting something deep and meaningful such as “The pine tree in the courtyard!" Once expressed, the term Satori becomes rational and meaningless. In the same way, the word Zen itself can mean all manner of ...
read moreLars Jansson Trio: Koan
by Chris Mosey
A koan is a Zen Buddhist riddle that cannot be solved by the intellect alone. The best known, portrayed on the cover of Lars Jansson Trio's Koan, is “What is the sound of one hand clapping?" The koan has been described as a form of spiritual dynamite that can propel the mind into satori, or “spiritual equilibrium." Swedish pianist Jansson sees his music as “a kind of koan." He says, “You can of course analyze music in ...
read moreLars Jansson Trio: Koan
by James Pearse
The second Lars Jansson Trio recording of 2012, after the outing with Ensemble MidtVest on Worship Of Self (Prophone, 2012), is a deep and reflective one. Koan not only remembers the victims of the 2011 tsunami, but also pays homage to the people of Japan and their unique culture.Lars Jansson Trio is something of a permanent fixture on the contemporary Swedish jazz scene. Past members have included bassist Anders Jormin (later replaced by Lars Danielsson and Christian Spering), ...
read moreLars Jansson Trio with Ensemble MidtVest: Worship Of Self
by Chris Mosey
Pianist Lars Jansson's music is beyond category. Its roots are in jazz but, especially on Worship Of Self, it also embraces the Western classical tradition, bringing to mind the genius of Leonard Bernstein. Jansson hails from Sweden's second city, Gothenburg, but frequently visits Japan with his trio and is a self-proclaimed Zen Buddhist, and his meditative compositions reflect this. In his sleeve notes, Jansson says they are “built on melodic, tonal and atonal language," and quotes American ...
read moreLars Jansson Trio: In Search of Lost Time
by Chris Mosey
Pianist Lars Jansson recently cleared out the music room of his home in Gothenburg, on Sweden's west coast, and in the process, found some old songs he'd written but forgotten. Inspired by Marcel Proust's epic novel, A la recherche du temps perdu, he put them together with some new ones to create an album that sheds new and often surprising light on the familiar territory of piano jazz. Jansson is a Zen Buddhist, which accounts for most ...
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