Esbjorn Svensson Trio - Strange Place For Snow

Esbjorn Svensson Trio - Strange Place For Snow

Esbjorn Svensson piano
Daniel Berglund bass
Magnus Ostrom drums

1. The Message
2. Serenade for the Renegade
3. Strange Place For Snow
4. Behind the Yashmak
5. Bound for the Beauty of the South
6. Years of Yearning
7. When God Created the Coffeebreak
8. Spunky Sprawl
9. Carcrash


The Esbjorn Svensson Trio was a very prominent jazz group in the 1990's and 2000's. Sadly, Esbjorn Svensson died in a scuba diving accident in the summer of 2008, and the world lost, amongst many things, a great musical spirit.

E.S.T. gained a large following in their native Sweden. Many people were attracted to the band's musical aesthetic, which I may describe as Keith Jarrett's American/European groups combined with Radiohead. The group incorporated elements of electronica and drum-n-bass to their jazz sets. This was accomplished tastefully not by using electronic instruments, but by manipulating their acoustic instruments with line 6 effect pedals. I've read that their studio albums would be recorded live, and then the group would spend a lot of time in post production tweeking the timbre of the mixes. The Keith Jarrett comparisons can be heard in some of the more gospel tinged songs ("The Message") and also in some of Svennson's wordless vocals that accompany some of his playing.

I purchased Strange Place For Snow from a wonderful used record store in Ann Arbor, Michigan. I had wanted this album after I seeing the group perform "Behind the Yashmak" on youtube. This song is rather long, but it has many beautiful sections stitched together delicately. The climax of the song is the abrupt ending. The song is all rising action with no conclusion. One of the recurring melodies in the song almost sounds like a teasing of Erik Satie's first Gymnopedie.

A lot of the other songs ("Serenade for the Renegade", "Bound for the Beauty of the South", for example) contain a brooding minor feeling. I get the feeling that I'm wandering through a desert in the Mid-East listening to these modal melodies. This is comparable to some of Jarrett's songs (Take "Prism" or "Oasis" from Personal Mountains, for example).

The post production really shines on tracks such as "Serenade for the Renegade", "Behind the Yashmak", and the end of "Carcrash". "Carcrash" is 18 minutes long, largely because their is a "hidden track" many minutes after "Carcrash" ends. In fact, the tune "Carcrash" has very few post production effects, but the hidden track is an ambient techno-acid-jazz freak-out unlike any of the previous songs.

I have really enjoyed this album since I purchased it in late February. Along with the Christian Scott c.d. I recently blogged about, it is one of the few contemporary jazz albums I have taken a chance on. I don't know why I tend to be skeptical of all things new in jazz, but I know that I am not the only person that has these tendencies. I do try to be open minded when it comes to listening to music. Maybe it is because there is so much great older jazz to listen to, and not enough time to listen to it all! Anyways, this would be the jazz album that I would recommend to my friends that appreciate indie rock and/or drum 'n bass. Strange Place For Snow might not be E.S.T's best album, but it is very good, and it is the only album they made that I own. Therefore, I would suggest everyone give this group a chance. At least check out the youtube link I posted earlier!