Stockholm Jazz Underground (English version. Svenska)
Next concert: February 24, 2022 @ Jazzclub Fasching, Stockholm
“Personal and free … The musicians are convincing and inspired in their playing … What a spring primer!” 4,5/5 – DIG Jazz, Sweden
Three old friends with a common musical vision, rising stars and important figures on the Swedish contemporary jazz scene, gathered some of their favourite local musicians to form a new eight-piece band.
After sharing the stage for many years in different projects, it felt like a natural step in their musical relationship to create a project together to try out new ideas in a larger setting, in a band with a sound that echoes that of the big band but with the improvisational freedom of a smaller unit.
Nils, Linus and Hans all wrote the music separately during a few autumn months. They premiered the music for an enthusiastic audience at well renowned Jazzclub Fasching in Stockholm and then went into the studio to record it.
We think the result is a good representation of the three composers and the music of their generation in Sweden. Maybe not what people would expect from a band from up here, rather a mix of several different things, reflecting the broad musical background and influences of the composers, though there is definitely a touch of the North present.
The musicians in the octet are all leading players on their instruments and bandleaders in their own right, with distinct, individual voices, all hand picked for the music written. Together they create new, vibrant and rhythmical music with roots in the rich jazz tradition, with influences from other contemporary genres, created in subterranean rehearsal spaces and inspired by the pulse of the city.
Press voices about the debut album:
“When 2017 will be summed up, it will be difficult to ignore this record. Highly recommended!” ♥ – Orkesterjournalen (OJ), Sweden
4/5- Dagens Nyheter, Sweden’s leading daily newspaper
“Intense and beautiful in the same breath with the eight man band … Impossible to fend off” – 4/5 Värmlands Folkblad
“Not a second feels boring, here, it is full of life from beginning to end.” – Dalademokraten
Stockholm Jazz Underground consists of:
Nils Janson, trumpet, composition
Klas Lindquist – alto saxophone / clarinet
Linus Lindblom – tenor saxophone / flute, comp.
Lisa Bodélius/Karin Hammar – trombone
Hans Olding – guitar, comp.
Calle Bagge – piano / keyboards
Filip Augustson – bass
Chris Montgomery – drums
Here you can listen to a sampler from the debut album “Stockholm Jazz Underground”:
https://soundcloud.com/user-60840289/samplersju
About the composers:
Hans Olding, guitarist, trained at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and the Paris Conservatory (CNSMDP). He has played and toured on several continents, with musicians from around the world and has released five well-received CDs under his own name on El Dingo Records. Hans writes music for, and leads his own quartet as well as playing in several other groups with some of Sweden’s most renowned musicians. He also co-leads several exciting projects down in Europe, along with musicians from France, Italy and the other Nordic countries. Italian All about jazz recently wrote: “Olding has the ability to express his original voice, with its own peculiarities, and with a narrative development that is increasingly interesting, even playing it back over and over again.” www.hansolding.com
Linus Lindblom, tenor saxophone, is one of the strongest and most unique voices in the Swedish jazz scene. He is active in several interesting groups as well as with his own projects. Linus has previously received the Swedish Radio National Radio price, Jazzkatten (the Jazz cat) as “Newcomer of the Year” and was last year awarded a grant from the prestigious Bertil Lewin Foundation with the motivation: “Linus Lindblom moves stunningly homely, in both the past, the present and the future that he is a part of, always with freshness, originality and personality”. He has recently released his third album under his own name along with his new quartet, including some of Sweden’s finests. www.linuslindblom.com
Nils Janson, trumpet, is a member of several exciting groups in Sweden, for example; The Stockholm Jazz Orchestra, Peter Danemo LED and a former member of national celebrity band leader, Fredrik Norén Band for several years. He has recorded four albums of his own, including the newly released “Låt på lut (Song on the way)”. Nils is one of Stockholm’s most sought after trumpeters and moves freely between genres. He has co-operated, recorded and toured with rapper Tomas Rusiak, rock band Mando Diao and salsa band Calle Real. His song Apollo has gone viral on Spotify with almost 4 million (!) plays.