E.S.T. (The Esbjörn Svensson Trio)

A jazz trio, which sees itself as a pop band that plays jazz, E.S.T. (The Esbjörn Svensson Trio) breaks with the tradition of leader and sidemen in favor of equality within its members. Playing rock venues as well as the usual jazz clubs, in their native Sweden their music can be found in the pop-charts and their videos playing on MTV Scandinavia. Openness, curiosity, and a little bit of chance are all a part of pianist Esbjörn Svensson’s artistic foundation. With their unique soundscape, combining jazz with drum ‘n’ bass, electronic elements, funk, and pop and rock as well as European Classical music, E.S.T.’s audience spans from the classic jazz-fans to the youngest Hip Hop fans. The 2002 release Strange Place for Snow has broken all records as far as awards are concerned: the German Jazz Award, the German Critics Award for “Best Jazz Album of the Year”, the Guiness Jazz in Europe Award, the Choc l’annee by the French Jazzman magazine, and the Victoire de la Musique (French Grammy) in the category “Best International Act” proving that this band is “the trio of the decade” (London Times). Their latest album Seven Days of Falling is proving to be another sensation.