Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Esbjorn Svensson: HOME.S.

Esbjorn Svensson: HOME.S.

By Karl Ackermann
November 1, 2022
View read count

In 2022, it has been more than a decade since the influential Swedish pianist/composer

Esbjorn Svensson

piano
1964 - 2008

" data-original-title="" title="">Esbjorn Svensson passed. The measure of his impact can be calculated in the ongoing comparisons of up-and-coming piano trios to his groundbreaking

" data-original-title="" title="">Esbjorn Svensson Trio. Several weeks before Svensson's untimely death his wife Eva heard him recording solo piano pieces in their home. She backed up his files for posterity but would not return to those recordings for more than ten years. She teamed up with e.s.t. sound engineer ?ke Linton and the end product is HOME.S.

Svensson has rarely been heard without the accompaniment of bassist

Dan Berglund

bass
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Dan Berglund and drummer

Magnus Ostrom

drums
b.1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Magnus Ostrom and, in that, the temperament of HOME.S. is not just warmer, but in retrospect, moving. Eva Svensson titled the album's tracks after letters in the Greek alphabet, in recognition of her husband's interest in wide-ranging historical and mythical influences. "Alpha," "Beta" and "Gamma" are each plaintive but always with some cerebral element that pulls the ear in. Within the nine compositions, there are blueprints that could have been the foundation for the most challenging work of e.s.t. on Leucocyte (ACT, 2008). "Delta" and "Theta" in particular have boisterous intensity and rock-influenced energy that would be at home in the trio repertoire.

For the most part, HOME.S. is an affecting offering for the fans of the Esbj?rn Svensson Trio, one that his wife describes as "getting a message smuggled over the border." It is also a different perspective of the deft composer/pianist, with everything else stripped away. HOME.S. is the only complete solo recording project from

Esbjorn Svensson

piano
1964 - 2008

" data-original-title="" title="">Esbjorn Svensson, though it does not represent the pianist's only recorded solo work. Svensson contributed four tracks to Solo Flights (Fairground, 1997). That Swedish release also featured the pianist on five duo tracks. HOME.S. is neither a collector's item nor a novelty; it is an exceptionally insightful, and relevant collection from Gagarin's or anyone's point of view.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Alpha; Beta; Gamma; Delta; Epsilon; Zeta; Eta; Theta; Iota.

Personnel

Esbjorn Svensson

piano

Album information

Title: HOME.S. | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: ACT Music

PREVIOUS / NEXT

The Festival Presenters: Rochester's...
< Previous

Beth Orton, Robin Holcomb, New Maste...
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.