STOCKHOLM, Sweden - Swedish jazz pianist Esbjorn Svensson, whose fusion of lyrical melodies and rock-inspired electronics broke fresh ground in modern jazz, has died in a diving accident, his manager said Monday. He was 44.
Svensson died Saturday in a diving accident off a small island near Stockholm, said Burkhard Hopper, manager of the musician's band, the Esbjorn Svensson Trio. Police will conduct a routine investigation of the accident, he said.
Svensson and his band won worldwide critical acclaim and several awards for their 2002 album "Strange Place for Snow," including the Guinness Jazz in Europe Award.
The group also was named best international artist in the 2003 BBC Jazz Awards. Two years later, the trio became the first European jazz band featured on the cover of Downbeat jazz magazine in the U.S.
Hopper said Svensson was instrumental in shaping contemporary jazz. "There was a certain mystique about his music and the interplay with his fellow musicians was absolutely unique."
The band, also known as E.S.T., released "When Everyone Has Gone" in 1993 and had their international breakthrough with the 1999 album "From Gagarin's Point of View."
Hopper said the band had just finished its 12th album, "Leukocyte," to be released in September. "Esbjorn was very happy with the result," he said.
Svensson is survived by his wife and two children. Funeral arrangements were not immediately available.
2 kritikan:
for me it's like the saddest news after the death of Michael Brecker..
EST is my favorite band, it still kills me now not to be able to see the band live here in Indonesia when they visited. I was new back then, didn't have access to..
to celebrate the life of Esbjorn Svensson.. i'm celebrating the life of Esbjorn Svensson..
godspeed man
on an interview
ARTURO MORA: Regarding E.S.T., you’re a very collaborative band. What would happen if any of the three current members were not available?
ESBJÖRN SVENSSON: We always expect to do everything that we do with all three of us, and also including Ake, all four of us. But let’s say something would happen in a very short notice, that somebody got sick, or couldn’t make it. I would think that we’d probably play duo. If, let’s say we had a show and Dan couldn’t make it, then I think Magnus and I would probably play duo, if Magnus couldn’t make it then Dan and I would play duo, I don’t think we’d be bringing a substitute. That would, of course, depend on how much it was, if it was a whole tour or just one show or... But in general I think we’re very hard to exchange any member in E.S.T.
Actually it happened a couple of years ago, for some reason Dan couldn’t play the second set, and then Magnus and I played the second set in duo, with very short notice, we didn’t know what to do at all, but we more or less improvised, we played some standard tune, so it became a total different thing, but still very much E.S.T., and that was exciting.
© 2006 Arturo Mora Rioja , Tomajazz
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