Esbjörn Svensson

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Esbjörn Svensson (* 16. April 1964 in Västerås, Sweden) is a jazz pianist and founder of the jazzband Esbjörn Svensson Trio, commonly known as E.S.T.

[edit] Biography

Through his parents, his mother a classical pianist, his father a jazz enthusiast, Svensson came in touch with classical and jazz music very early in his life, but he went for the classical music first. In his teenage years, he developed an interest in rock’n’roll music and started some garage bands with classmates, before he went back to classical music and finally made his path towards jazz. At the age of 16, Svensson went to a music college, where he got piano lessons. Later, he studied at Stockholm University for four years.

In 1990, Svensson startet his own jazz combo, in which his childhood friend Magnus Oeström (*1965) took the percussion part. Both made their first appearances on stage as sidemen in the swedish and danish jazz scene during the 1980ies. In 1993, bassist Dan Berglund (*1963) entered the circle and the Esbjörn Svensson Trio was born.

It was in 1993, when their first album When Everyone Has Gone was released. In the middle of the 1990ies, the trio had established itself in the nordic jazz scene. Svensson was nominated Swedish jazz musician of the year in 1995 and 1996. International breakthrough came with their 1999 album From Gagarin’s Point Of View, the first album to be released also outside Scandinavia.

With the albums Good Morning Susie Soho (2000) and Strange Place For Snow (2002), the trio was first noticed by a broad US audience. In 2002 they went on a 9-month-tour through Europe, USA and Japan. The following albums Seven Days Of Falling (2003), Viaticum (2005) and Tuesday Wonderland (2006) were equally accepted by critics and fans and resulted in several nominations as well as good positions in jazz and pop charts.

E.S.T. were the first European jazz combo to make the front page of the US jazz magazine Down Beat (May 2006 issue). The newest album, e.s.t. live in Hamburg was released in November 2007. It is a live recording of a concert in autumn 2006 in Hamburg, Germany at the Tuesday Wonderland Tour.

The trio still works on the concept of integrating electronical and mechanical sound expansions in a jazz trio context. Further, Svensson recorded albums with Nils Landgren and Viktoria Tolstoy. He is married and father of two sons.

[edit] Selected discography

• When Everyone Has Gone (1993) Dragon
• E.S.T. Live '95 (1995, released in Sweden as Mr. & Mrs. Handkerchief) ACT Music + Vision
• Winter in Venice (1997) Superstudio GUL
• EST plays Monk (1998) Superstudio GUL
• From Gagarin's Point of View (1999) Superstudio GUL
• Good Morning Susie Soho (2000) Superstudio GUL
• Somewhere Else Before (U.S. compilation from From Gagarin's Point of View and Good Morning Susie Soho, 2001)
• Strange Place for Snow (2002) Superstudio GUL
• Seven Days of Falling (2003) Superstudio GUL
• Live in Stockholm (2003) DVD, recorded December 10, 2000 - including videos and an interview
• Viaticum (2005) Spamboolimbo
• Tuesday Wonderland (2006, Recorded and mixed by Åke Linton at Bohus Sound Recording Studios, Gothenburg, Sweden in March 2006)