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Palle Danielsson

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

Nils Paul Palle Danielsson was a Swedish jazz double bassist, born on 15 October 1946 in Stockholm and died on 18 May 2024. His first instrument was the harmonica, which he began playing at the age of two. At eight he played the violin, an instrument he studied for about five years. During that time he became interested in jazz and began playing double bass. At fifteen he was already playing professionally. He studied from 1962 to 1966 at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm and then played with Scandinavian musicians such as Eje Thelin, Bobo Stenson and Jan Garbarek, and in international collaborations with, among others, Lee Konitz and Steve Kuhn.

Music and breakthrough

From 1974 to 1979 he was a member of Keith Jarrett's quartet. His albums from that time include Belonging from 1974. He further worked with Bill Evans, Kenny Wheeler, Geri Allen, Michel Petrucciani, Charles Lloyd, Peter Erskine, Elvin Jones, Ben Webster, George Russell, Albert Mangelsdorff, Enrico Rava, Tomasz Stańko and John Taylor. In Sweden he also led groups himself and released several recordings, such as Giulia's Thursdays in 2012 and Breathing In Unison in 2014.

Influence

Danielsson shows that Scandinavian jazz had a spacious sound of its own. His bass was a steady, warm ground beneath the improvisations of great names, and he connected European and American jazz. He is an example of the bassist as a load-bearing force in a band, not as a soloist in the foreground.

Listening

Listening tip. Listen to Belonging by Keith Jarrett's quartet and notice the bass beneath piano and saxophone: how calm and yet present Danielsson remains. Hear how he fills the space between the soloists.

Discography

Studio albums

In School of Rock

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Categories: Artists