Know by the initials of their pianist/leader, the Esbjorn Svensson Trio (E.S.T.) travels coast to coast this month, with gigs at Yoshi’s in Oakland (January 11-12), in New York for the IAJE Convention at the New York Hilton(January 13), in Philadelphia at Zanzibar Blue (January 14), in Minneapolis at the Dakota (January 15), in Boulder, CO at the Boulder Theater (January 17), at the Hot House in Chicago (January 18), the Ark in Ann Arbor (January 19), and back east, to New York for three nights at the Jazz Standard (January 20-22), a night at Blues Alley in Washington (January 23), and finally to Boston at Scullers (January 24). And while E.S.T is just beginning to find an audience on this side of the Atlantic, their impressionistic creations, combining acoustic and electronic elements, have been garnering acclaim for over a decade in their native Sweden and throughout Europe. E.S.T was awarded "Best International Act” (2003) by the BBC, the Hans Koller Prize as the Best European Artist of 2004, has won two German Jazz Awards (2002, 2003), a German Jazz Critics Award for “Album of the Year” (2002), the Swedish Export Music Prize (2004), the “Choc L'Annee” (2002) from the French Jazzman magazine, the “Best International Act” (2002) and “Revelation of the Festival” (2003) awards from MIDEM, and numerous Swedish Grammies, including "Jazz Album of the Year” (1996, 1998, 2003). Their CD, Seven Days of Falling (215 Music), released in the US in 2004, was hailed as “that rare thing, an immediately accessible instrumental jazz album… a delicious banquet of timbres, melodies, harmonies and feels” (John Walters, The Guardian).

Born in Västeras, Sweden, 40-year-old Esjborn Svensson, son of a classical pianist, studied music in Stockholm. He heard his father’s jazz records as a child but thought the music was “strange and complicated,” and was initially drawn to 1950s rock and roll. With his friend Magnus Öström (who also recalls hearing jazz, particularly Glenn Miller, at home), he entered the local rock music scene as a teenager. The duo soon evolved as a piano-drum band, with the two young musicians providing some vocals as well. Gradually, Svensson notes that he started adding chords to a basic 12-bar blues structure, and with the addition of then-rock bassist Dan Berglund, E.S.T. was launched in 1993.

Difficult to classify with influences of classical, pop and techno as well as rock and jazz, E.S.T. has been described as “the more elegant alternative to the Bad Plus, they share a similar penchant for song-like structure, but with a more delicate approach” (John Kelman, All About Jazz). The trio work as a unit, equally sharing compositional credits; Svensson— with a style recalling early Jarrett but more spacious and restrained, and less ruminative— writes most of the melodies, while Berglund and Öström collaborate with the pianist on arrangements. Notes Svensson, “Individual expression has to be there, but when we solo, we improvise together so it’s more like a conversation between all three of us.”

Five recordings were released in Europe during the 90s, but most American audiences probably had no clue of E.S.T until Columbia issued a compilation of these early recordings as Somewhere Else Before in 2000. A Strange Place for Snow (Columbia) followed in 2002, including influences as diverse as Radiohead and Bartok. Of this recording, Svensson said, “We recorded most of the tracks…first as an acoustic jazz trio, then we revisited many of them to overdub grooves, electronic distortion and layered effects. But we also went into the studio earlier…and just played without any guidelines to see what we could come up with…Overall, the CD is like a long journey, with all the tunes connected."

Next came Seven Days of Falling (215 Records, 2003), a subtle shift of direction for the trio toward a more contemplative, ethereal sound. Critics’ Poll Awards in 2004 and 2005 from Downbeat Magazine fueled anticipation for the follow-up, Viaticum (215 Records, 2005). And the latest release reinforces the darker, more reflective nature of the trio in the new century. The inevitable comparison with the Bad Plus seems less an issue, as EST relies far less on the drama of percussion and increasingly more on subtle interaction among the three instruments, giving more room for electronic effects, more space between elements, and creating a darker atmosphere in which to explore. Like Seven Days of Falling, the 9+ tracks move along like a suite of connected motifs, a common sonic palette emerging with variations derived in nuance more than significant shifts in rhythm, pulse or dynamic expression. Some will argue that this is not really “jazz,” but there is no denying the underlying core of improvisation.

There’s a growing handful of jazz ensembles from diverse and global backgrounds who are selling out venues not necessarily associated with jazz—in stadiums, arenas, concert halls and rock clubs, from Hiromi and Brad Mehldau to Jason Moran’s Bandwagon and the Bad Plus. Combining acoustic instrumentation with varying degrees of computer-generated accompaniment, these musicians are pushing the envelope—and finding considerable success with cross-generational audiences. The Bad Plus and EST may be the yin and yang of modern jazz piano trios—Bad Plus hits you between the eyes, while E.S.T hits you between the ears.

It’s time for American jazz fans to get acquainted with Europe’s answer to the future of jazz. See E.S.T. live before they return home!

See EST, January Tour:

January 11-12, Yoshi’s (Oakland, CA); www.yoshis.com