Anna Einarsson

Rikard From: Sun of June

by Scott Lichtman
August 3, 2025

Pianist and songwriter Rikard From may get 360,000 listeners per month on Spotify, but I suspect a larger, as-yet-unaware audience would benefit from a thorough listen of his music. His primary sound combines the maj6/9 embellishments of Bruce Hornsby with the rollicking gospel of Keith Jarrett on a song like “God Bless the Child." His body ...

Juan Manuel Romero Silvera

Born: November 26, 1974

Juan Romero embodies the role of musical cultural bridge: blending Latin and Afro-Uruguayan rhythmic heritage with the Scandinavian and global music scenes through both performance and education.

Collaborations & Projects

Juan Romero is actively involved with a range of ensembles:

• Juan Romeros Manuella Orkester, Fire Orchestra, Syrsan, Cosmic Ear, El Siri B.B y La?Perrera and others.

Notable recordings include work with Sara Parkman (Vesper, 2019; Eros?Agape?Filia, 2023), Fire Orchestra (Echoes, 2023), and Cosmic Ear (Traces, 2025)

Present & Community Involvement

Hakan Brostrom

Born: 1955

Born in Motala, Sweden, in 1955, Håkan is an alto, soprano, and tenor saxophonist, arranger, and composer.

Already at the age of 8, Håkan started playing the piano, and when he was 15, he began playing the tenor saxophone and flute. One year later, he played the alto saxophone in various blues bands in Motala and the baritone saxophone with the Motala Big Band.

1972-1978

In 1972, he moved to Malmö to study at the music high school there, where his teacher was Helge Albin, a saxophonist and arranger with the Tolvan Big Band. He also started playing the soprano saxophone and collaborated with the Raj Montana Band and Dan Hylander. In 1977, he started studying at the Malmö College of Music and began composing regularly. He became a member of the Gothenburg group "Waves," led by the legendary drummer Conny Sjöqvist.

Mats/Morgan Band

Mats/Morgan Band (formerly Hot Rats and Zappsteetoot) is a band that features Morgan Ågren and Mats Öberg. Morgan is a drummer and composer and Mats is a keyboard player and composer. The band is a showcase for their virtuosic skills on their respective instruments as well as their compositional skills. Their music is difficult to categorize, containing elements of jazz, electronic music, waltz, dance music, avant garde/free jazz, techno, rock, progressive and modern classical music.

Morgan Ågren has been a drummer since age four. Born in Umeå, Sweden, Ågren was spotted as an outstanding talent at a young age as he began performing publicly at age seven, and eventually joined forces with keyboardist Mats Öberg in 1981. Mats has been blind since birth.

New Record 'Margin Call II': Where The Present Is Combined With Daniel Stahre's Lyrical Melodies

June 25, 2024

Gothenburg pianist Daniel Stahre returns with the new album Margin Call II��an instrumental fusion of contemporary, jazz and pop. With some of Sweden��s finest musicians, the listener is invited to a melodic journey rooted in the Nordic tradition. In the sequel Margin Call II, Daniel Stahre comments on contemporary life in a personal way, almost out ...

Lucky Lo: Swedish Pop Music with a Twist

by Lawrence Peryer
April 6, 2024

Today, the Spotlight shines On in a much different way than usual, as we turn the microphone over to guest host Miriam Boulos.Miriam has been a guest contributor to Bonus Tracks, the official blog of Spotlight On, since August 2023. Miriam publishes with us frequently, and her work has included interviews with and essays ...

Daniel ?gren: Nordic Psychedelia & Global Beats

by Lawrence Peryer
February 24, 2024

Today, the Spotlight shines On musician and producer Daniel ?gren. Daniel is one of the artists propelling Sweden's contemporary new music scene. He has an extensive body of work as a solo artist and as a member of Sven Wunder, The Greys, and, most notably, Dina Ögon. He also works as a producer and ...

Guitarist Tassos Spiliotopoulos Releases 'Ballad For A New World'

December 8, 2022

Ballad for a New World is the fifth album by Greek guitarist and composer Tassos Spiliotopoulos. After establishing himself in the London Jazz scene for more than a decade, Tassos Spiliotopoulos, now based in Stockholm, has previously released an impressive body of original work including the critically acclaimed In the North (2016) and Solitude EP (2021). ...

Sophie Dun��r

Born: October 28

“It’s not fusion – it’s Dúneresque – a newly created genre!” Grammy Award winning recording producer Michael Haas.

Sophie Dunér is a singer & composer with her roots in jazz. Originally from Sweden, she travels and performs internationally as her blend of jazz, world and contemporary classical writing receives demand worldwide – from the infamous CBGB´s in NYC to Buenos Aires Festival de Música Contemporánea La Plata to Festival O/Modernt in Sweden. Her new solo CD ‘Strictly Business’ (produced/recorded in London by the renown producer Darren Allison) was released in July 2022.