ACT Esbjorn Svensson Trio: Live In London

Esbjorn Svensson - pian
Dan Berglund - bas
Magnus Ostrom - tobe

Concertul a fost inregistrat in Londra, la Barbicane Center, pe 20 mai 2005, in timpul turneului efectuat imediat dupa lansarea albumului Viaticum

Inregistrat si mixat de Ake Linton ( Room 307 Svenska Grammofonstudion )
Masterizat de catre Classe Persson la CMP Recording

AllAboutJazz:

"Let's get the obligatory background recap out of the way first. The Esbjorn Svensson Trio was a one-of-a-kind outfit, their DNA encompassing an amorphous pop-classical-jazz-tronica mix that made all those things co-exist so naturally it was almost unnatural. For all their bold experimentalism in disregarding genres, sculpting song structures and often integrating processed sounds into the piano-trio format, e.s.t. stayed eminently approachable to listeners of vastly different stripes. The distinct alchemy helped them build a remarkable degree of acclaim through the jazz world and beyond, which has lasted and grown after Svensson's sudden drowning in a June 2008 SCUBA-diving accident.

And although it's sad to be commemorating the anniversary of that loss, this splendid release should bring a ray of happiness to old and new listeners alike. e.s.t. live in London captures the band on a magical evening when everything went right. Half the program came from the new-at-the-time Viaticum (ACT, 2005), with the remainder only a couple years older. The trio always loved taking everything beyond how it sounded on record; even the brand-new pieces weren't performed so much as explored, stretched and treated as springboards for some wondrous flights.

In the live environment these compositions would blossom and breathe like living organisms. The eastern-European chamber-ish vamp of "Tide of Trepidation" subtly smolders with just a hint of gypsy tango. "Mingle in the Mincing-Machine" goes equally playful and loud instead; Dan Berglund amps up his upright bass with wah-wah and electric fuzz for a fairly wild showcase, until Svensson eventually takes back the reins. His rock-and-roll juice has a superb match in Magnus Ostrom, who stays right alongside in stoking the heaviest moments to a boil and knowing just when to simmer instead (not to mention creating one abstract soundscape passage for the weirdest moment of the night). "