ESBJÖRN SVENSSON
Home.S. (ACT)
Home.S is a huge find for fans of the late Swedish jazz pianist Esbjörn Svensson, who in 2008 – a few months before his accidental death while scuba diving – recorded what would prove his only ever solo album. It remained on his hard drive for the next decade, until his wife came across the recordings and, understandably, couldn’t believe her ears.
The pieces on Home.S are stunning, and show just how influential Svensson was to the progression of jazz in the decade that his Esbjörn Svensson Trio was active. The music is transparent, classically informed but with a feel and movement that roots his playing firmly in the jazz idiom. The intimate nature of the recordings and easy, improvisatory feel to the playing makes you a little self-conscious – like you’re snooping into someone’s long lost diary. But these are obviously pieces Svensson wanted the world to hear, and we’re lucky to be given that chance.
words JOHN-PAUL DAVIES
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