Esbjörn Svensson | |
|---|---|
 Svensson in concert,Ghent, 2007 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Bror FredrikEsbjörn Svensson |
| Born | (1964-04-16)16 April 1964 Skultuna, Sweden |
| Died | 14 June 2008(2008-06-14) (aged 44) Stockholm, Sweden |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation | Musician |
| Instrument | Piano |
| Years active | 1980–2008 |
| Labels | ACT Music & Vision (licensed from Spamboolimbo Productions AB) |
| Website | Official website |
Bror Fredrik "Esbjörn" Svensson (16 April 1964 – 14 June 2008) was a Swedishjazz pianist and founder of the jazz groupEsbjörn Svensson Trio, commonly known as e.s.t.
Svensson became one of Europe's most successful jazz musicians at the turn of the 21st century before his death, at the age of 44, in ascuba diving accident.[1]
Svensson was introduced to bothclassical music andjazz very early in life through his mother, a classical pianist, and his father, a jazz enthusiast, and first showed interest in classical music. In his teenage years, he developed an interest inrock music and started a fewgarage bands with classmates, before going back to classical music and finally making his way towards jazz. At the age of 16, Svensson went to a music college, where he took piano lessons. He later studied at theRoyal College of Music, Stockholm, for four years.
In 1990, Svensson established his own jazz combo with his childhood friendMagnus Öström on percussion. Both had made their first appearances on stage as sidemen in the Swedish and Danish jazz scene during the 1980s. In 1993, bassistDan Berglund joined the duo, and the Esbjörn Svensson Trio was born. The trio released its debut album,When Everyone Has Gone, in 1993, and in the following years established itself in the Nordic jazz scene. Svensson was nominated for Swedish Jazz Musician of the Year in 1995 and 1996.
The trio's international breakthrough came with their 1999 albumFrom Gagarin’s Point Of View, their first album to be released outside Scandinavia. With the release of their albumsGood Morning Susie Soho (2000) andStrange Place for Snow (2002), the trio drew the attention of United States audiences. In 2002, they toured Europe, the U.S. and Japan over 9 months. Their subsequent albums,Seven Days of Falling (2003),Viaticum (2005), andTuesday Wonderland (2006), were equally well received by critics and resulted in several music industry award nominations as well as making the jazz and pop charts.
e.s.t. was the first European jazz combo to make the front page of the American jazz magazineDownBeat (May 2006 issue). Their last live album,e.s.t. Live in Hamburg, a recording of their fall 2006 concert inHamburg, Germany, as part of the Tuesday Wonderland Tour, was released in November 2007. Before Svensson's death, the trio had already finished the work for what became their album "Leucocyte", which was posthumously released in September 2008. The music to the album was recorded during a 9-hour jam at 301 studios in Sydney and in 2012 another album was released with music from that same recording entitled301. e.s.t.'s last performance took place in Moscow, Russia, at theTchaikovsky Hall, on 30 May 2008. In addition to his work with e.s.t., Svensson recorded albums withNils Landgren,Lina Nyberg andViktoria Tolstoy.
On 14 June 2008, Svensson went missing during a scuba diving session onIngarö outsideStockholm, Sweden. His diving companions, including an instructor and his then 14-year-old son, eventually found him lying unconscious on the seabed.[2][3] Having sustained serious injuries, he was rushed toKarolinska University Hospital by helicopter, but could not be saved. He was 44 years old, married and the father of two sons.[1]
Studio albums
Live albums
Compilation albums
Compilation with other artists
Solo
With the Fredrik Noren Band
With Panta Rei
With the Peter Danemo Quartet
With Lasse Lindgren
With Lina Nyberg
With Jazz Furniture
With Freddie Wading
With Lars Ekström
With Lisa Nilsson
Viktoria Tolstoy (listed as "Bro Falk")
Nils Landgren
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