Have you heard of the Esbjorn Svensson Trio?

Bet you haven’t. Me neither, until Monday when I was listening to Jamie Cullum’s online jazz show on BBC Radio 2. Sure glad I did tho. Anyway, I was halfway through listening to the show, when one song made me sit up and pay attention. That song was the Esbjörn Svensson Trio’s (e.s.t in short) ‘Tuesday Wonderland’. The piano’s bass section starts off the song with a riff, then a theme starts to play, alternating with the riff. Then magic happens, the double bass enters with just one single sustained note, but played with effects (flanging, if I am not wrong). Then the piano re-enters for improvising, by this moment I have already died and entered aural heaven. All done in 7-7-7-8 time.

[If you are curious to know what I am talking about, you may just click here and watch the video yourself.]

Some quick wiki-ing will reveal that the trio comprised of the late Esbjörn Svensson – the purveyor of much of the piano magic, Dan Berglund responsible for all the ethereal effects done to his double bass and Magnus Öström who provides drumming that sounds veering to electronica. This Swedish trio have been around since 1993, and over the years went from gaining local accolades to global recognition in the jazz world.  A sad discovery that came with my discovery of this band was that Esbjorn Svensson the pianist passed on 2 years ago due to a diving accident.

I am no jazz specialist and so lack the expertise to best describe nor characterize or pigeonhole their music. On a personal level though, their music makes me enter a mental and emotional limbo where time suddenly reaches a standstill and problems are put on hold. It is not like anything I have heard before, it remains jazz but its sounds are contemporary and current. For its dark, ambient and reflective style, I liken it to listening to the Radiohead of jazz, for a lack of a better comparison (the opening section to ‘Serenade for the Renegade‘ reminded me of “Everything in its right place”). If I may also use the word ‘trippy’ to describe their music, for they also remind me at times of Massive Attack and Portishead.

The death of Esbjorn Svensson was globally regarded to have created a void in the Nordic jazz scene, and I personally consider it a tragedy that such unique music has ceased to be created. And that makes me treasure the aural wonder that is the E.S.T even more.

Below are video links to some E.S.T videos that I have found and liked, in no particular order:

1) Goldhearted miner -Check out the use of a piece of paper to imitate the banjo sound

2)Beyond the Yashmack – An abridged version of the video. Imagine what the full version would sound like, as the different phases build up towards a climax.

3)What though the way may be long- Lovely reflective piece, with a very nicely made accompanying video.

4)A Picture Of Doris Travelling With Boris - One of those tracks with a relentless drum beat that is capable of elevating a person towards an out-of-body experience.

5)Eighthundred Street by Feet- An almost classical sounding piano section that reflects the clasically-trained Esbjorn.

6)From Gagarin’s point of view- Trippy(?). Love how they incorporate other genres in their music, as many others may have also noted.