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Esbjörn Svensson Trio: e.s.t. live in Gothenburg
More than a decade after a tragic diving accident ended Swedish pianist Esbjorn Svensson's life and thus dissolved his renowned trio, the group remains a potent force in the world of popular jazz recordings. This digital document from a 2001 concert in Gothenburg seems certain to perpetuate that legacy. While much of this album is comprised of fairly standard piano-based aesthetics, the remarkable skills displayed by Svensson, drummer Magnus Ostrom and bassist Dan Berglund, in technical prowess and ...
read more3x3: Piano Trios: October 2019
Esbjörn Svensson Trio Live in Gothenburg ACT Music 2019 At the time, it was a marvel. The Esbjorn Svensson Trio had already come a long way since their early-'90s beginnings in reshaping the already-skewed traditions of Monk-ian jazz. Their audiences back in 2001 would have been continually thrilled at discovering this fresh slant on the classic piano trio, bridging bop flair with hooks and grooves drawn from the modern rock and electronica scenes. Looking back ...
read moreEsbjorn Svensson Trio: e.s.t. live in london
Ten years on from the tragic death of Esbjörn Svensson, it's easy to forget just how ground-breaking e.s.t. was. Its seamless embrace of jazz, pop, rock and electronics aesthetics brought CD sales and a following more typical of successful pop acts. It was also the first European jazz band on the cover of Downbeat. Easy to forget, too, how influential the trio remains. Countless times, when a new a piano trio presents itself, the back-handed compliment is offered: 'Oh, they ...
read moreEsbjorn Svensson Trio: e.s.t. live in london
Let's get the obligatory background recap out of the way first. The Esbjorn Svensson Trio was a one-of-a-kind outfit, their DNA encompassing an amorphous pop-classical-jazz-tronica mix that made all those things co-exist so naturally it was almost unnatural. For all their bold experimentalism in disregarding genres, sculpting song structures and often integrating processed sounds into the piano-trio format, e.s.t. stayed eminently approachable to listeners of vastly different stripes. The distinct alchemy helped them build a remarkable degree of acclaim through ...
read moreEsbjorn Svensson Trio: e.s.t. live in london
In the ten years since the Esbjörn Svensson Trio came to a tragic end, a handful of piano trios have shown a trace of promise in becoming successors to the eclectic pianist's group. Capturing the raw energy that coalesced jazz, classical, rock, and technique in their unique way has been elusive. Since Svensson's accidental death in 2008 ACT Music has released Leucocyte (2008) and 301 (2012). The latter of the two consists of tracks that were recorded during the Leucocyte ...
read moreCatching Up With e.s.t.'s Dan Berglund and Magnus Ostrom
The tragic death of pianist Esbjörn Svensson in the summer of 2008 brought to a close the 12-year run of one of the most prolific and brilliant piano trios in recent years. The enigmatically hypnotic tapestries that the Esbjörn Svensson Trio (which came to be known as e.s.t.) wove simultaneously eschewed and venerated the jazz tradition. This magnificent juxtaposition resulted in a unique musical world dealing as much with the piano trio lineage of Keith Jarrett as with the intoxicating ...
read moree.s.t.: 301
Australia in January 2007, the height of summer, a time for relaxing on the beach and for taking it easy in the post-Christmas comedown--but not for the Esbjörn Svensson Trio. Hiring Sydney's Studio 301 for a couple of days, the band spent its time jamming and improvising, yielding what would seemingly be the groundbreaking trio's final studio album, Leucocyte (ACT, 2008), for Svensson's untimely death was less than 18 months away. In late 2011, bassist Dan Berglund and drummer Magnus ...
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Prize: Ragmala: A Garland Of Ragas by Adam Rudolph
World music pioneer Adam Rudolph and his groundbreaking Go: Organic Orchestra join forces with Brooklyn Raga Massive to create the monumental new album, Ragmala – A Garland of Ragas (Meta Records). Ragmala bridges generations, cultures and traditions in a deep-rooted, forward-looking sound born of 21st-century innovation and hybrid voices. Epic in scale and ambition, the project features 40 world-class musicians including Gnawa master musician Hassan Hakmoun, legendary drummer/percussionist Hamid Drake, forward-thinking cornetist Graham Haynes, and tradition-blurring flutist...
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