Open borders Understandably, there were many musicians who nurtured dreams of travelling to the homeland of jazz, which became possible once the war was over. Two of these were Åke Hasselgård and Rolf Ericson, who both went to America in 1947. Åke Hasselgård (photo) or “Stan Hasselgard”, as he was called in America, rapidly became a well-known name, even making his own recordings in the United States. He was also featured as soloist in Benny Goodman’s septet and led his own band on 52nd Street in New York but was killed in a car crash 1948, only 26 years old.   Åke "Stan" Hasselgård: Always (1947) from 'Swedish Jazz History Vol.5' [CAP 22026] Rolf Ericson (photo: Bo Flodin) played in several well-known bands, including those of Woody Herman and Charlie Barnet (and later on with Stan Kenton, Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus and others). This - the very fact that Swedish jazzmen could make an impact “over there” - drastically altered the perspectives of those who remained at home.  Rolf Ericson: Nancy with the laughing face (1985) from 'Stockholm sweetnin' [Dragon DRCD 256] Post-war jazz in Sweden was in fact of very high quality. Unexposed to the ravages of war, the music had been able to develop freely, and Sweden’s isolation had merely been beneficial. The end of the war also meant that the flow of records and guest artists from America was resumed, bringing with them new impulses. Early in 1948 Dizzy Gillespie and his legendary bebop big band toured Sweden for two weeks. The following year saxophonist James Moody made some of his most successful recordings (including “Moody’s Mood for Love”) with local musicians in Stockholm, and in 1950 Charlie Parker toured Scandinavia with a Swedish band. Two young American saxophonists - representatives of the budding “cool” style - were to have an even stronger influence on Swedish jazz; Stan Getz (picture) and Lee Konitz both toured Sweden in 1951, and Getz recorded Ack Värmeland du sköna (later entitled “Dear old Stockholm”) with a quartet that included 18-year-old pianist Bengt Hallberg (b. 1932). This venture - the first time that a Swedish folk tune was blended with the language of jazz - was a huge success, not only in Sweden but also in the United States.  Stan Getz: Dear old Stockholm (1951) from 'Swedish Jazz History Vol.6' [CAP 22041] A number of Swedish soloists now came to the fore, each with a distinctive and personal profile: Hallberg, Domnérus, Wickman, Gullin and trombonist Åke Persson (1932-75), to mention the most successful.

Open borders
Lars Westin: Jazz in Sweden - an overview