Winter Stories Jacob Karlzon

• 1 Evermore 05:59
• 2 Winterballad 03:38
• 3 The First Noel 02:54
• 4 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 04:08
• 5 Shine Over Lakes and Shores (Gläns över sjö och strand) 04:57
• 6 A Child Is Born 02:42
• 7 The Night Is Dark (Så mörk är natten i midvintertid) 02:02
• 8 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel 03:39
• 9 Suantrai 04:19
• 10 When Christmas Is Coming (När det lider mot jul) 03:17
• 11 Bel Veter Due 02:18
• 12 Christ's Lullaby (Taladh Chriosta) 02:29
• 13 Silent Night 04:36
• Total Runtime 46:58

Info for Winter Stories

Winter Stories is an atmospheric collection of seasonal soundscapes, imbued with atmospheric beauty and thoughtful contemplation in equal measure. Jacob Karlzon masterfully conjures up the chill of Scandinavian winter with the help of his imagination and Steinway D grand piano. His determined naturalistic approach and impressive dynamic range brilliantly capture an emotional time of year, sometimes characterised by isolation, but also by meditation and melancholy. The pieces feature his interpretations of songs associated with both winter and the Christmas season - including ‘Silent Night’ and the Bulgarian ‘Bel Veter Due’ - as well as music that evokes similar sentiments. Highlights include Karlzon's own composition ‘Winter Ballad’, the traditional English Christmas carol ‘The First Noël’ and the reflective ballad ‘Evermore’ by Taylor Swift.

Jacob Karlzon, piano

Jacob Karlzon
applies a concrete image when he speaks about his music: “We are modern people with a history, and it is precisely this which is reflected in my music. I am fascinated with the possibilities of new technologies. However, I also need a sense of warmth and a connection with the earth in order to feel happy”. - A wide horizon thus, which also includes unusual facets, especially for a piano virtuose: Metal and electro have their place in his music as well as folk songs from his Swedish homeland. With such an open attitude, Karlzon balances the depths of his musical ideas and achieves vibrant pulsating soundscapes in a spectrum from light to energetic, fragile to powerful, organic to electronic – sometimes all at once. He calls his creations - his ability to bring into harmony his musical skills and preferences – 'technorganic', in a free play of transcending musical borders. It is precisely in this way that he has expanded European jazz in recent years.

His stupendous technique and his tremendous sensibility made him a popular 'sideman' already in his early career. He accompanied stars like Silje Nergaard, Nils Landgren and Viktoria Tolstoy. He shared stage with Billy Cobham, Kenny Wheeler, Norma Winstone, Jeff Ballard and other greats of his genre. And with the growing reputation of his musical play, his own projects also received growing recognition. In 2010 he was awarded the Swedish Django d'Or and was voted Jazz Musician of the Year in Sweden. Being elected into the renowned group of Steinway-Artists in 2012 was an international recognition of excellence.

So far, Karlzon has produced nine albums under his own name, the most recent one, SHINE, under the German ACT Label. Besides solo recordings and quintet productions, he works primarily with his JK3 formation as a creative unit. From the beginning, Hans Andersson has been playing the bass, while in 2013 Robert Mehmet Ikiz joined the band and enriches the group-sound with his great dynamic force.

Jacob Karlzon is always on the search for new places, - not only in his music. After concerts in Europe, JK3 recently toured China and the USA. And despite his rising fame and his journeys to ever more distant countries, he always likes to return to the beginnings of his career and his early musical ideas: 'I got into jazz because I loved improvisation. And this kind of spontaneous play achieves ever new levels in the direct communication with the audience, in the exchange of energy and emotion. Performing live is for me the original place of music – not an educational event, but an ecstatic experience on both sides.

Booklet for Winter Stories