A copy of this album has been in my possession for some time now. When it was first received I had no idea that the subsequent review would also become a lament for the tragic demise of the brilliant pianist Esbjorn Svensson.

Svensson’s death on June 14th in a scuba diving accident off the coast of his native Sweden shocked the jazz world. In addition to the human cost- Svensson is survived by his wife Eva and two young sons-there is the knowledge that the music has lost one of it’s greatest innovators of recent years, a musician at the peak of his powers.

Svensson was one of the giants of European jazz, as influential a figure as Django Reinhardt or Jan Garbarek. His reinvention of the piano trio breathed new life into the format and inspired numerous imitators. However E.S.T. were a great team, the contributions of the innovative bass and drum combination of Dan Berglund and Magnus Ostrom were vital to the trio’s success and should never be underestimated.

E.S.T made their recording debut on the Swedish label Dragon with the 1993 album “When Everyone Has Gone”. This was a remarkably mature debut of predominately original material by Svensson that already demonstrated his gift for melody.

The group subsequently signed for Siggi Loch’s Munich based ACT label which proved to be a fruitful relationship for all concerned. ACT’s international distribution network allowed the group to conquer Europe and subsequently even America, a market normally notoriously resistant to European jazz acts. In turn E.S.T. became ACT’s biggest sellers, helping to finance the expansion of the label.

The remarkable thing about the rise and rise of E.S.T. was that their commercial success ran in tandem with continuous artistic growth. Svensson’s composing gifts seemed to grow stronger with each subsequent album and the group’s increasing use of electronic effects actually enhanced rather than detracted from the music.

This was allied to a remarkable work ethic that saw the group touring relentlessly and building a following by word of mouth. The combination of this plus their unfailing ear for a good tune made them one of the world’s biggest jazz acts. It was pretty much the same formula that had previously worked for guitarist Pat Metheny, himself one of E.S.T.‘s biggest admirers.

Like Metheny E.S.T.‘s tasteful deployment of rock elements ensured that they gained an audience far beyond the normal jazz demographic, but without in any way compromising their music. It’s not an easy thing to do but E.S.T. did it with aplomb.

I first heard E.S.T some six years ago on BBC Radio Three’s “Late Junction” programme. At first I was struck by the similarity of Svensson’s playing to that of Keith Jarrett, another long time favourite of mine. However the purchase of the then current album “Strange Place For Snow” and a subsequent trawl through the back catalogue revealed that there was far more to Svensson and E.S.T than that.

E.S.T. subsequently became one of my favourite working units and I kept abreast of subsequent releases and saw the band in concert four times. The first was at St. George’s Bristol in 2002, part of a remarkable double bill with the Anglo/Norwegian group Food. The following year I saw them at Cheltenham Jazz Festival and in 2004 at Warwick Arts Centre. Each time the venue was bigger and the lighting effects more elaborate.
Finally came Birmingham Symphony Hall on March 22nd 2007. This concert is reviewed elsewhere on this site. It was the most elaborate E.S.T. show yet with quite remarkable lighting effects that perfectly followed and enhanced the patterns of the music. Afterwards I was lucky enough to speak to the band briefly at a post gig signing session. A glossy but highly informative brochure was produced for the tour. The recent sad events have meant that my copy, signed by all three musicians,has taken on an even greater significance as a treasured musical possession.

Which brings us to this live double album, incredibly their tenth for ACT,  and recorded some four months previously on November 22nd 2006 at the Laeiszhall Hamburg. Like the subsequent Birmingham show the bulk of the material was drawn from the group’s latest studio album “Tuesday Wonderland”.

By this stage E.S.T were stretching out the tunes, improvising expansively on them and drawing them out far beyond the length of their studio counterparts. Both “Tuesday Wonderland” itself and “Dolores In A Shoestand” are twice as long as their original incarnations.

All the classic E.S.T. elements are here, great tunes,  plus Svensson’s unfettered improvising that somehow combines passages of trance like ecstasy with the discipline of classical technique.  The material on “Tuesday Wonderland” was inspired by Bach, even though it might not sound like it.
Then there is Ostrom’s subtly propulsive drumming, clearly rock influenced but full of delightful percussive details. He is also the figure behind the group’s inscrutable song titles. Finally there is the man mountain Dan Berglund on bass, a unique voice on the instrument with his rhythmic drive, incredible dexterity (witness “Dolores In a Shoestand”)  and his extraordinary use of electronic effects to “treat” his sound.

All three musicians are incredible technicians and gifted soloists and each is extensively featured here. Berglund’s “Hendrix” of the bass routine graces “Tuesday Wonderland” itself and later he combines with Ostrom on “Definition Of A Dog”, a live favourite dating back to the album “From Gagarin’s Point Of View”. Svensson himself simply shines throughout as always.

By this time E.S.T. were radically different to my previous live sightings of them, taking greater liberties with their own material and improvising far more freely than ever before. “Live In Hamburg” shows a group that were still expanding, experimenting and developing.

It is perhaps too sprawling to be considered the definitive E.S.T. album (I’d give that honour to “Strange Place For Snow”, the one I started with) but it is an invaluable document and a wonderful souvenir for anybody who has ever seen the band in concert. They were due to play The HSBC Brecon Jazz Festival this year, it’s hard to believe that we’ll never see them again.

Fortunately “Live In Hamburg” does not represent Svensson’s final statement. An E.S.T. studio album entitled “Leucocyte” was already in the can when Svensson’s tragic death occurred. This will be his swansong/legacy and is due for release by ACT on September 1st 2008. It will be eagerly awaited and ironically may prove to be his biggest seller.

Writing this I still can’t quite believe what happened. My thoughts are with Esbjorn’s family and friends, with Dan and Magnus, with the band’s crew and all at ACT.

R.I.P. Esbjorn and thanks for the music.

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