From Gagarin

For those who have yet to delve into Yuri Gagarin's work, this is a Swedish instrumental space rock group that quickly managed to assemble a loyal underground following from the moment their self-titled debut was released in 2013. The band's formula isn't very intricate, relying instead on the huge atmosphere the instruments create. Also, repetition is essential in this type of music, as it manages to induce you in a lovely trance, while they work wonders.

Love remains…In 1993, three musicians from Sweden, Esbjörn Svensson, Dan Berglund and Magnus Öström formed the band e.s.t.. Svensson and Öström had known each other ever since their first steps into music as children. Neither of them could have anticipated that e.s.t. would become the most influential band in European jazz of the noughties. And when the band formed they probably didn't think they were particularly ‘jazz’ either; all they wanted to do was to play the music which united their passions: rock, pop, classical, folk, improvisation. In the following 15 years, e.s.t. would play thousands of concerts worldwide, release ten studio albums and several live recordings, win awards, gold discs. We all know how the story ends.

Love remains…In 1993, three musicians from Sweden, Esbjörn Svensson, Dan Berglund and Magnus Öström formed the band e.s.t.. Svensson and Öström had known each other ever since their first steps into music as children. Neither of them could have anticipated that e.s.t. would become the most influential band in European jazz of the noughties. And when the band formed they probably didn't think they were particularly ‘jazz’ either; all they wanted to do was to play the music which united their passions: rock, pop, classical, folk, improvisation. In the following 15 years, e.s.t. would play thousands of concerts worldwide, release ten studio albums and several live recordings, win awards, gold discs. We all know how the story ends.

“…and finally evening comes. We usually meet in the dressing room. Magnus’ drumsticks are pattering against his legs. Åke is talking—saying something about different sound systems or complaining about the US and Bush. Dan and I are jumping up and down to get our energy going. Then we go on stage, meet the audience, the music. Timeless, without a program, without a set list. We want to be open to what fits just then. Sometimes nothing comes to mind and it’s frustrating, but things always work out and it is definitely worth it […] because when it does we can just go with the flow.

Love remains…In 1993, three musicians from Sweden, Esbjörn Svensson, Dan Berglund and Magnus Öström formed the band e.s.t.. Svensson and Öström had known each other ever since their first steps into music as children. Neither of them could have anticipated that e.s.t. would become the most influential band in European jazz of the noughties. And when the band formed they probably didn't think they were particularly ‘jazz’ either; all they wanted to do was to play the music which united their passions: rock, pop, classical, folk, improvisation. In the following 15 years, e.s.t. would play thousands of concerts worldwide, release ten studio albums and several live recordings, win awards, gold discs. We all know how the story ends.

With their all-embracing vision of jazz, Esbjörn Svensson Trio (pianist Esbjörn Svensson, bassist Dan Berglund and drummer Magnus Oström) was without doubt one of the most widely admired and influential European instrumental ensembles in the first decade of the new millennium.

No other European jazz pianist has had such a formative influence in his field in recent years as the Swede Esbjörn Svensson, who died far too soon in 2008. In changing constellations, moods and interpretations, Iiro Rantala, Viktoria Tolstoy, Ulf Wakenius, Lars Danielsson and Morten Lund take on some of the best-known Svensson respectively e.s.t. works. And if the album title “Tears For Esbjörn” becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy upon hearing Svensson’s most emotional piece “Love Is Real” nobody needs to be ashamed; neither for tears of sadness at the irreplaceable loss of Esbjörn Svensson, nor for tears of joy at the music he left us with.

Like string quartets in classical music, jazz trios — commonly recognised as the genre’s elite discipline and in that regard perhaps the classical string quartet’s counterpart — are steeped in musical quotes of paragons and often subject to comparisons with their archetypes. In jazz, this usually concerns piano trios, among which the Bill Evans trio and Keith Jarrett’s standards trio could be considered the jazz lineup-equivalents to the quartet repertory by the likes of Ludwig van Beethoven or Claude Debussy.

Theodosius Kaskamanidis (aka Saki Kaskas) was born in Germany in 1971 and was transported to Vancouver, Canada in 1973. He decided to make music his career in 1987, when he started to learn how to play the guitar. He was 15 years old.