Esbjörn Svensson facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Esbjörn Svensson
Esbjörn Svensson, in concert in Ghent, 2007.
Background information
Birth name	Bror Fredrik Esbjörn Svensson
Born	(1964-04-16)16 April 1964 Skultuna, Sweden
Died	14 June 2008(2008-06-14) (aged 44) Stockholm, Sweden
Genres	Jazz
Instruments	Piano
Years active	1980–2008
Labels	ACT Music & Vision in license from Spamboolimbo Productions AB
Associated acts	Esbjörn Svensson Trio

Bror Fredrik "Esbjörn" Svensson (born April 16, 1964 – died June 14, 2008) was a famous Swedish jazz pianist. He was the person who started the popular jazz group called the Esbjörn Svensson Trio, often known as e.s.t.

Esbjörn Svensson became one of the most successful jazz musicians in Europe around the year 2000. Sadly, he died at the age of 44 in a scuba diving accident.

Early Life and His Musical Journey

Esbjörn Svensson grew up surrounded by music. His mother was a classical pianist, and his father loved jazz. Because of them, Esbjörn learned about both classical music and jazz very early on. At first, he was more interested in classical music.

As a teenager, he started listening to rock music and even formed some garage bands with his friends. But soon, he went back to classical music before finally finding his way to jazz. When he was 16, Esbjörn went to a music college to take piano lessons. Later, he studied music for four years at the Royal College of Music, Stockholm.

In 1990, Esbjörn Svensson created his own jazz group with his childhood friend Magnus Öström, who played drums. They had both played music on stage with other artists in Sweden and Denmark during the 1980s. In 1993, a bassist named Dan Berglund joined them, and that's how the Esbjörn Svensson Trio was formed.

The trio released their first album, When Everyone Has Gone, in 1993. In the years that followed, they became very well-known in the Nordic jazz scene. Esbjörn Svensson was even nominated for Swedish Jazz Musician of the Year in both 1995 and 1996.

Becoming Famous and His Legacy

The Esbjörn Svensson Trio became famous around the world with their 1999 album From Gagarin’s Point Of View. This was their first album to be released outside of Scandinavia. When they released their next albums, Good Morning Susie Soho (2000) and Strange Place for Snow (2002), people in the United States started to notice them.

In 2002, the trio went on a long tour, playing concerts in Europe, the U.S., and Japan for nine months. Their albums that followed, Seven Days of Falling (2003), Viaticum (2005), and Tuesday Wonderland (2006), were also loved by music critics. These albums led to many music awards and even appeared on jazz and pop music charts.

e.s.t. was the first European jazz group to be featured on the front page of the American jazz magazine DownBeat in May 2006. Their last live album, e.s.t. Live in Hamburg, was recorded during their concert in Hamburg, Germany, in 2006. It was released in November 2007.

Before Esbjörn Svensson passed away, the trio had already finished working on their album "Leucocyte," which was released after his death in September 2008. The music for this album was recorded during a long jam session in Sydney, Australia. In 2012, another album called 301 was released with more music from that same recording session. The very last performance by e.s.t. was in Moscow, Russia, on May 30, 2008. Besides his work with e.s.t., Esbjörn Svensson also recorded albums with other musicians like Nils Landgren, Lina Nyberg, and Viktoria Tolstoy.

On June 14, 2008, Esbjörn Svensson went missing during a scuba diving trip near Stockholm, Sweden. He was found unconscious and taken to the hospital, but he could not be saved. He was 44 years old and had a wife and two sons.

His Music Albums

Here are some of the albums Esbjörn Svensson made, either as a leader or with his trio:

As leader/co-leader

• When Everyone Has Gone (1993)
• Winter in Venice (1997)
• EST plays Monk (1996)
• From Gagarin's Point of View (1999)
• Good Morning Susie Soho (2000)
• Strange Place for Snow (2002)
• Seven Days of Falling (2003)
• Viaticum (2005)
• Tuesday Wonderland (2006)
• Leucocyte (2008)
• 301 (2012)

• E.S.T. Live '95 (1995)
• Live in Stockholm (2003) DVD
• Live in Hamburg (2007)
• E.S.T. Live in London (2018)

• Somewhere Else Before (2001, a collection of songs from earlier albums)
• Retrospective - The Very Best of E.S.T. (2009)

• Solo Flights (1997, includes some of his solo performances)

As sideman

• To My Friends (1992)
• Close (1993)
• Swedish Folk Modern (1998)
• Layers of Light (2004)

See also

In Spanish: Esbjörn Svensson para niños