Tradition and renewal Although the regeneration of players has its counterpart in a regeneration of listeners, jazz remains a rather exclusive genre. However, a more open attitude to jazz at music colleges in recent times has meant that young musicians now have greater freedom of choice. Thus there are several performers whose artistry encompasses jazz, folk music, rock, pop and other forms of expression with apparent ease. Many of the young, college-trained jazz musicians also come from very diverse backgrounds, which is sometimes reflected in their work. The emergence of World Music has put a popularity stamp on experiments that have been going on in jazz for a very long time. Many musicians have continued to merge jazz and folk music in the 1990s, although with a wider scope of material (from Asia, Africa and the Orient as well as from the Nordic countries). A pioneer in this area is percussionist Bengt Berger (b. 1942), who studied in India and Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. He has been the initiator of numerous groups working with music from various ethnical backgrounds, some very obscure, such as West-African funeral music (The Funeral Bitter Beer Band). Another veteran is Roland Keijser (b. 1944), a saxophonist (and player of many other flutes and reed instruments) whose roots are in bebop music but who early on extended his musical language into other fields. Saxophonist Jonas Knutsson (picture) (b. 1965) plays in a diversity of styles, including fusion and experimental rock, but has been particularly acclaimed for his work in the Swedish folk music tradition. Knutsson plays soprano sax with folk music fiddlers, and he has also been involved in several World Music projects, including pianist Elise Einarsdotter’s (b. 1955) ensemble which specialises in jazz with a strong folk music flavour. He has also played in groups with singer Lena Willemark (b. 1960) and multi-instrumentalist Ale Möller (b. 1955), both of whom are primarily folk musicians but who also have a love of the language of jazz and readily use it in their music-making.  J onas Knutsson: Hymn (1994) from 'Lust' [Caprice CAP 21459] Pianist Esbjörn Svensson (photo: Tobias Regell/ACT) (b. 1964) plays in a conventional jazz trio with bassist Dan Berglund (b. 1963) and drummer Magnus Öström (b. 1965), but the scope of the ensemble, called e.s.t. ESBJÖR SVENSSON TRIO has been extended by way of media exposure and appearances at rock festivals and other non-jazz venues. With their backgrounds in rock and pop, Svensson, Berglund and Öström also relate easily to other forms of African-American music and collaborate successfully with artists from these and other areas.  Esbjörn Svensson Trio: Silly Walk (1993) from 'When everyone has gone' [Dragon DRCD 248]

Tradition and renewal (1 of 2)
Lars Westin: Jazz in Sweden - an overview