 EST © Andrea Canter
For
the third time in the past two years, and the second time in six
months, the Esbjorn Svensson Trio (E.S.T.) played to enthusiastic
crowds at the Dakota in downtown Minneapolis. Maybe it is the
prevalence of Scandinavian ancestry here that creates a mutual
attraction between Twin Citians and the Swedish trio. Whatever the
source, music turns to magic whenever EST comes to town, and their
two-night engagement this week was arguably their most charming and
elegant yet. The winners of the 2004 Hans Koller Prize (European Jazz
Artist of the Year) and numerous Swedish Grammies including "Jazz
Album of the Year”(1996, 1998, 2003), this cutting edge ensemble,
like the Bad Plus, has attracted a large and diverse audience,
bringing modern jazz into venues throughout Europe that are more
known for pop and rock.
 Esbjorn Svensson © Andrea Canter Led
by pianist Esbjorn Svensson, the trio has been together for a
remarkable ten+ years. With bassist Dan Berglund and drummer Magnus
Ostrom, EST performs original compositions that often combine lyrical
post bop melodies with rock-infused electronics to produce a wide
array of sound and rhythm. Their most recent releases, Seven Days
of Falling (2004) and Viaticum (2005) on 215 Records,
contain haunting, celestial passages that gleam like high-tech
renditions of the Keith Jarrett trios of the 70s, all wrapped in
highly original, sonically engaging metaphors that create a far more
interesting aural palette than what is often exported as “European
Jazz.” Yet, despite the successes of their recordings, hearing EST
live is to experience this music at another level, a creative melding
of acoustic and electronic elements more readily appreciated with
visual input, a musical fusion of American post bop, synthesized
abstractions, and Nordic cool.
The
two sets on the second night presented a combination of new
compositions (for an upcoming recording) and announced selections
from Viaticum (2005), Seven Days of Falling (2003), and
Strange Place for Snow (2002), as well as several unnamed
pieces. Given the extent of their improvisations, tune titles are
typically humorous but unnecessary as each set unfolds as a
multi-movement suite, one piece often flowing into the next. Although
working under the banner of Svensson, EST is a very democratic
ensemble, each member contributing as composer and performer to each
work; on stage, while each musician summons his own muses and works
his own magic, the threesome collectively use their energies to weave
together the individual voices into a coherent whole across each set.
Unlike
the minimalist ruminations of some of his contemporaries sporting the
21st century “European jazz” label, Svensson
alternates acoustic and electronic strategies to spin tales that are
melodic and multi-layered, landing somewhere between a futuristic
Bill Evans and a tame Craig Taborn. Significantly he evokes Keith
Jarrett with hints of Brad Mehldau, Fred Hersch and Geoffrey Keezer,
minus their bluesy undercurrents yet more informed by American jazz
traditions than are many of his peers on the Continent. Instead of
spare structures, Svensson’s style is relatively dense, melodically
and rhythmically diverse, conjuring rich sonic images (a locomotive,
a rain forest). Yet he does make effective use of space, with well
placed hesitations, rests, and sudden power surges. On several
compositions Svensson’s extended solos took the listener on a
lyrical acoustic journey, only to emerge inside the piano or
synthesizer; and what sometimes sounded like a piano in dire need of
repair served to transition our ears to a new menagerie of sound
effects from bass and/or percussion.  Magnus Ostrom © Andrea Cante
And
the sound effects from Ostrom and Berglund extend not only the realms
of their respective instruments but push the
boundaries—delightfully—that define improvised music. There may
be no active drummer today who can surpass Ostrom’s handling
of brushes, which he uses not only to paint a subtle aural wash (as
on “In the Tail of Her Eye” and the new “800 Sheets By Feet”)
but also on heavy percussive passages (as on “Mingle in the Mincing
Machine”). Among his other feats were engaging Berglund in a duel
using bell sticks, turning a pair of maracas into mallets, and then
contributing an enchanting solo on maracas, swatting at mere air and
striking a gong. With an apparatus resembling the tubes of a short
wave radio kit, Ostrom looked more like a sound engineer than percussion virtuoso, but his sound was unmistakably that of a master musician.
Given
the truly collaborative nature of EST, it is probably inappropriate
to single out one musician, but bassist Dan Berglund
deserves special attention. Like Charnett Moffett (of late with McCoy
Tyner), he transforms the acoustic bass into a full orchestra; even
more so than Moffett, he makes extensive use of the bow, not always
in conventional fashion and often in tandem with the synthesizer to
create new sounds that range from ethereal flotations to buzzing
 Dan Berglund © Andrea Canter
Articles
and reviews regarding EST often reference their popularity and even
style in comparison to the Bad Plus. While their mutual appeal to a
younger generation raised on rock and electronica, and particularly
among European audiences, reinforces (or is fully responsible) for
this connection, the differences between the two trios are more
worthy of consideration. There is the obvious difference in the
contexts in which each set of musicians studied and performed, middle
America versus northern Europe, and while American post bop as well
as rock informs both trios, it is EST whose improvisational and
interactive approach seems more readily tied to such icons as Evans
and Jarrett. Both trios use playful strategies, be it acoustically
with walkie-talkies turned drum sticks (The Bad Plus’ Dave King) or
via technology with the eerie sounds of the synthesizer (EST); yet as
my friend Pamela Espeland noted, “EST is serious, the Bad Plus is
ironic.” Both give tunes outrageous titles, but original
compositions from the Bad Plus tend to fit the titles while the tunes
of EST transcend their labels. Most importantly, the music of EST has
more layers—while both trios create orchestral sonics, the
structures differ as much as do Bach and Stravinsky.
Let’s
leave the comparisons to the Bad Plus—or to any other modern
band—at the jazz club door. EST is as unique and effective in its
approach to music as any other band at this level of artistry. And
frankly, there are very few contemporary ensembles at this level. For
elegance paired with high tech wizardry, EST stands alone.
For
tour dates and more about EST, visit www.esbjornsvensson.com.
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Thursday, 08 January 2009
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