Bror Fredrik "Esbjörn" Svensson (16 April 1964 – 14 June 2008) was a Swedish

jazz pianist Jazz piano is a collective term for the techniques pianists use when playing jazz. The piano has been an integral part of the jazz idiom since its inception, in both solo and ensemble settings. Its role is multifaceted due largely to the Musical ...

and founder of the jazz group Esbjörn 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 a

scuba diving Scuba diving is a Diving mode, mode of underwater diving whereby divers use Scuba set, breathing equipment that is completely independent of a surface breathing gas supply, and therefore has a limited but variable endurance. The word ''scub ...

accident.

Early life and work

Svensson was introduced to both

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

and

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

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 in

rock music Rock is a Music genre, genre of popular music that originated in the United States as "rock and roll" in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of styles from the mid-1960s, primarily in the United States and the United Kingdo ...

and started a few garage 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 the Royal College of Music, Stockholm, for four years. In 1990, Svensson established his own jazz combo with his childhood friend Magnus 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, bassist Dan 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.

Rise to prominence and death

The trio's international breakthrough came with their 1999 album ''From Gagarin’s Point Of View'', their first album to be released outside Scandinavia. With the release of their albums '' Good Morning Susie Soho'' (2000) and '' Strange 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), and ''Tuesday 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 magazine ''

DownBeat ''DownBeat'' (styled in all caps) is an American music magazine devoted to "jazz, blues and beyond", the last word indicating its expansion beyond the jazz realm that it covered exclusively in previous years. The publication was established in 1 ...

'' (May 2006 issue). Their last live album, ''e.s.t. Live in Hamburg'', a recording of their fall 2006 concert in

Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...

, 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 entitled ''301''. e.s.t.'s last performance took place in Moscow, Russia, at the Tchaikovsky Hall, on 30 May 2008. In addition to his work with e.s.t., Svensson recorded albums with Nils Landgren, Lina Nyberg and Viktoria Tolstoy. On 14 June 2008, Svensson went missing during a scuba diving session on Ingarö outside

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

, Sweden. His diving companions, including an instructor and his then 14-year-old son, eventually found him lying unconscious on the seabed. Having sustained serious injuries, he was rushed to Karolinska University Hospital by helicopter, but could not be saved. He was 44 years old, married and the father of two sons.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Studio albums * ''When Everyone Has Gone'' (1993)

Dragon A dragon is a Magic (supernatural), magical legendary creature that appears in the folklore of multiple cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but European dragon, dragons in Western cultures since the Hi ...

* '' Winter in Venice'' (1997) Superstudio GUL * ''EST plays Monk'' (1996) Superstudio GUL * ''From Gagarin's Point of View'' (1999) Superstudio GUL * '' Good Morning Susie Soho'' (2000) Superstudio GUL * '' Strange Place for Snow'' (2002) Superstudio GUL * '' Seven Days of Falling'' (2003) Superstudio GUL * ''Viaticum'' (2005) Spamboolimbo * '' Tuesday Wonderland'' (2006, Recorded and mixed by Åke Linton at Bohus Sound Recording Studios, Gothenburg, Sweden, in March 2006) * '' Leucocyte'' (2008, recorded by Åke Linton at Studios 301, Sydney, Australia) * '' 301'' (2012, recorded in January 2007 at Studios 301, Sydney, Australia) ACT Live albums * ''E.S.T. Live '95'' (1995, released in Sweden as ''Mr. & Mrs. Handkerchief'') ACT Music + Vision * ''Live in Stockholm'' (2003) DVD, recorded 10 December 2000 – including videos and an interview * ''Live in Hamburg'' (2007, recorded 22 November 2006) * '' E.S.T. Live in London'' (2018, recorded 20 May 2005) * '' E.S.T. Live in Gothenburg'' (ACT, 2019), recorded 2001 Compilation albums * ''Somewhere Else Before'' (U.S. compilation from ''From Gagarin's Point of View'' and ''Good Morning Susie Soho'', 2001) * ''Retrospective - The Very Best of E.S.T.'' (2009) Compilation with other artists * ''Solo Flights'' (Solo performances by Steve Dobrogosz (3 tracks), Bobo Stenson (2 tracks), Anders Widmark (5 tracks), Esbjörn Svensson (4 tracks). Scandinavian Songs Music Group, 1997) Solo * ''Home.S'' (posthumous release, ACT Music, 2022)

As sideman

With the Fredrik Noren Band * ''Joao Carlos'' (Dragon, 1987) With Panta Rei * ''The Dance Continues'' (Dragon, 1998) With the Peter Danemo Quartet * ''Banebo'' (Dragon, 1991) With Lasse Lindgren * ''To My Friends'' (Dragon, 1992)Comiskey, Ray (4 March 1994) "Jazz". ''Irish Times''. p. 10. With Lina Nyberg * ''Close'' (Prophone Records, 1993) With Jazz Furniture * ''Jazz Furniture'' (Caprice Records, 1994) With Freddie Wading * ''En Skiva Till Kaffet'' (MNW, 1999) With Lars Ekström * ''Fair Weather'' (Gazell, 2000) With Lisa Nilsson * ''Små Rum'' (Diesel Music, 2001) Viktoria Tolstoy (listed as "Bro Falk") * ''Shining On You'' (ACT Music, 2004) Nils Landgren * ''Swedish Folk Modern'' (ACT Music, 1998) * ''Fonk Da World'' (ACT Music, 2001) * ''Layers of Light'' (ACT Music, 2004)

Early life and work

Rise to prominence and death

Discography

As leader/co-leader

As sideman

See also

References

External links