Articles

Sten Standell: Music Inside The Language

By Eyal Hareuveni

Swedish pianist Sten Sandell is one of the key figures in the Scandinavian free jazz and improvisation scene: a visionary and experienced musician who has developed a profound musical language. He is a member of the Gush trio, with saxophonist Mats Gustafsson and drummer Raymond Strid, celebrating this year its 20th year of activity, and leads his own trio, with bassist Johan Berthling and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love, and collaborates with other innovative European improvisers as saxophonists Evan Parker and John ...

Sten Sandell & Mattias Stahl: Grann Musik (neighbor music)

By Glenn Astarita

Master Swedish improvisers, pianist Sten Sandell and vibraphonist Mattias Stahl, radiate gobs of colorific contrasts via these freeform-based duets. At times fluid, introspective and somewhat jagged in scope, the artists pursue the art of intuitive music-speak during the prevalence of this 2008 outing.

On “ Sjöfortet," Sandell executes cascading block chords with the semblance of a classical pianist gone awry, while Stahl's contrapuntal statements inject a myriad of prismatic effects. The duo works within a similar musical plane throughout these ...

Sten Sandell Trio: Oval

By Nic Jones

Pianist Sten Sandell and his trio have excelled themselves on record in 2007, and listeners accordingly owe a debt of gratitude to both Intakt and Cleanfeed labels, whose “Strokes documented the trio in the company of saxophonist John Butcher for a program of music that exemplifies in-the-moment creativity of an uncommon order.

In comparison, Oval thus has a lot to live up to, but the trio's flagrant disregard for precedents and regard for the values of individual and collective identity ...

Sten Sandell - Fred Lonberg-Holm - Michael Zerang: Disappeared

By Glenn Astarita

Although they share similar improvising/new music and/or modern jazz credentials, Disappeared signifies the inaugural release by Swedish pianist Sten Sandell, and his Chicago, IL-based associates; percussionist Michael Zerang and cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm.

The title of this outing lends a bit of credence to the actual musical presentation as the Trio executes a series of mini-themes amid unexpected surprises and elusive methodologies. Throughout these nine pieces titled, “Disappeared-Day One” through Disappeared-Day Nine”, the musicians perpetuate oscillating flows of varying levels of ...

Sten Sandell: Behind The Chords

By Glenn Astarita

“Behind the Chords” is at times dark and mysterious. Swedish keyboard whiz Sten Sandell offers some enticing, yet at times bizarre excursions into his private world. This project is broken into 4 segments or Acts. Sandell’s composition titled “Under The Stone” and “After The Deserts” (Act 1) features subtle pulsating electronic keyboard work and some unusual vocals. Sandell’s vocalizations on this track rekindle thoughts of Captain Beefheart’s deep garbled baritone voice although Sandell is liable to render high pitch wails ...