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Bobo Stenson

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Bobo Stenson, born Bo Gustav Stenson on 4 August 1944 in Västerås, is a Swedish jazz pianist and composer. From the age of eight he studied for fifteen years with the pianist and professor Werner Wolf Glaser, a Jewish refugee from Cologne. He began with a classical education, but soon chose jazz and as a schoolboy played with Börje Frederiksson and Palle Danielsson. After secondary school he spent some time in Paris and played there at the Blue Note Club. In 1963 he ended up in Stockholm, where he accompanied many visiting Americans, such as Sonny Rollins, Stan Getz and Gary Burton. From the start he also worked closely with Don Cherry, when the latter was living in Scandinavia.

Music and breakthrough

In the 1970s he played in many groups, including Rena Rama with Palle Danielsson, in a trio with Arild Andersen and Jon Christensen and in Oriental Wind with the Turkish percussionist Okay Temiz. Later he played with Jan Garbarek. In 1988 he joined the quartet of Charles Lloyd and from 1996 he appeared at major festivals with the groups of Tomasz Stańko. His records appeared mainly on ECM, from Underwear in 1971 to trio albums such as Goodbye in 2005 and Sphere in 2023.

Influence

The Bobo Stenson Trio, with the bassist Anders Jormin and the drummer Jon Fält, has existed for more than fifty years. In 2006 Stenson received the Swedish honour Litteris et Artibus. He belongs to the pianists who gave Scandinavian jazz a distinctive, restrained and lyrical sound.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to a piece from the album Goodbye (2005) and notice the space between the notes. Try to hear how piano, bass and drums talk with one another instead of following one another.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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See also

Categories: Artists