Nils Landgren Funk Unit - Teamwork (2013)

This might well be the best Funk Unit that Nils Landgren has had gathered around him since 2010: technically outstanding, this is a group of team players who combine well with a great groove connection. James Brown meets Parliament meets Crusaders meets Funk Unit: that's one way you could describe the musical concept on"Teamwork". It is pure party feeling, the notes whirl coolly through the ranks, superb horn sets alternate with ecstatic solos, dance beats, smooth vocals and strong melodies, but there is also time for elegance and heartfelt blues. "Teamwork" is all that and then some, played by a dream team of sweat-inducing funk workers with soul in their blood.

Nils Landgren - Chistmas With My Friends III (2012)

 By BRUCE LINDSAY (allaboutjazz.com)_

The test of a great Christmas album is simple: will it sound good in August? Christmas With My Friends III should ace that particular test. Even those who derive most festive fun from repeatedly grunting "Bah, Humbug" at passing kindergarten children will be drawn into the spell of this music. Beautifully performed by some of the European jazz scene's finest singers and musicians, the gentle grace of the music comes to the fore and serves as a reminder of Christmas' spiritual quality.

This is the third Christmas album from prolific Swedish trombonist Nils Landgren, and features the same lineup of musical friends as Christmas With My Friends II (ACT, 2008). Recorded at two December 2011 concerts in Storkyrkan, Stockholm's largest church, Christmas With My Friends III boasts exceptional sound, thanks to engineer Lars Nilsson. This audio quality ensures that every nuance comes across clearly, transmitting the atmosphere of the live performances from those cold December nights.

Esbjörn Svensson Trio – 301 (2012)

Following the posthumous release of Leucocyte in 2008, only months after the untimely death of pianist Esbjörn Svensson, it seemed as though that album would represent e.s.t.’s final studio statement. Now, nearly four years later, 301 has emerged. It was recorded during the same sessions, whilst the Swedish trio were touring around Asia and Australia. The disc is named after the 301 Studios in Sydney.

This is no sweeping-up of studio off-cuts. This is one of e.s.t.’s greatest albums, and even arguably their ultimate work, in every sense of the word. It represents a colossal achievement, as they take their final bow. The 2007 material might be extremely varied in tone and approach, partly out of necessity, doubtless governed by the available recordings, but this circumstance works to the album’s advantage. It’s a summation of where the trio had been, and also of where these perpetually evolving players were heading next. [...]

Martin Longley (BBC Music)

Cecilia Stalin - Step Like A Giant (2012)

A massive return to form from Cecilia Stalin – and proof that she's got way more to offer than just some amazing vocals! The set's not just great on the vocal tip, but also in terms of the arrangements, too – a 21st Century recasting of jazz modes, criss-crossed with the best bits of the European underground – served up with a vibe that's especially heavy on London flavors, too! Music crackles right from the start – and Cecilia wrote and arranged the whole set herself, while also singing these beautiful lyrics that blend old school vocalese with contemporary soul – the kind of groove that we first loved when we discovered her singing with Koop about a decade ago – but even more focused and mature here! The set features a few great remakes – "Step Like A Giant", "Afro Blue (Roots)", and "Favorite Things" – all showing her love of John Coltrane – plus the tracks "Cinematic Favorite", "Quinox", "Aisha", "One", "Shining Star", "So Blue & Green", and "My Naima".  

Dusty Groove 

 

The Quiet Nights Orchestra - Chapter One (2009)

Just when you thought the Swedish invasion was over, Do Right! Music is thrilled to present the QUIET NIGHTS ORCHESTRA, yet another awesome export from the stoopidly diverse Stockholm scene.
Don't be fooled by the QNO's placid sounding handle, there's nothing stodgy about these eight bold souls -- led by trombone titan Peter Fredriksson and featuring the seductively swoopingvoice of Sofie Norling -- are among the hottest young jazz talents in Scandinavia. Now they're poised to take on the world.
The QNO's astonishingly tight Chapter One debut combines the sophisticated swing of a classic Blue Note set with the cool precision and propulsive grooves that exemplify the very best of the Nordic jazz tradition. But this creative crew isn't stuck in the past. The QNO's club ready joints, like their Latinesque heater The Search, and their modalicious Helsinki (recently given a broken beat retouch by Nils Krogh), are already getting spins from tastemaking selectas like BBC ace Gilles Peterson, dancefloor don Nicola Conte and Belgium's DJ Nova from Beyondjazz who know a good thing when they hear it. You'll know it too!

text from Do Right Music

Quiet Nights on MySpace - Quiet Nights on UTube -

Esbjörn Svensson Trio

R.I.P - Esbjörn Svensson

Pianist Esbjörn Svensson Dies in Diving Accident

Daily News Headlines

Pianist Esbjörn Svensson, leader of the Swedish jazz trio E.S.T. that appeared on the May 2006 cover of DownBeat, died Saturday, June 14 in a diving accident in Sweden. He was 44

When Svensson founded E.S.T. in 1993 with drummer Magnus Öström on drums and bassist Dan Berglund, little did he know that 15 years later the group would stand as such a major force in the European--and international--jazz scene. In fact, the group’s appearance on the cover of DownBeat marked the only time that a European band has appeared on the cover of the magazine.

Born April 16, 1964 in Västeras, Sweden, Svensson grew up in a musical family. His mother played classical piano, his father loved Ellington, and Svensson listened to the latest pop hits on the radio. In high school, Svensson played in his first bands, along with taking piano lessons for three years. He followed this with four years of musical studies at the University in Stockholm. As Dan Ouellette wrote in his cover story on E.S.T., Svensson developed a piano style that clearly showed the influences of Bill Evans and Thelonious Monk (including the album E.S.T. Plays Monk, while incorporating modern electronic and sampling elements to his music. Most importantly, he created his own voice on the piano, and led a band that had developed its own identity.

While E.S.T. did sign to Columbia Records in the United States and release two albums on the label, and occasionally toured the country, the group never reached the rock-star status that it achieved in Europe. Svensson did not alter his music to try to cross over to a U.S. audience. As he said in the DownBeat cover story: ”I don’t think that people who like the music care whether we’re from here or Sweden. They want to hear good music.”

"Esbjörn Svensson was the finest of all men I ever met, humble, modest, respectful,” said his manager, Burkhard Hopper. “His light truly lit the world and his music inspired people in all corners of this world.”

E.S.T. had recently finished recording its 12th album, Leucocyte.

Svensson is survived by his wife and two children.

Επίσημη ιστοσελίδα E.S.T Trio E.S.T MySpace page E.S.T @ YouTube