Lars Erstrand has passed away

One of Uppsala's and Swedens best jazz musicians, vibraphone player Lars Erstrand, passed away today at the age of 72.

I liked his concerts with Swedish Swing Society and Lars Erstrand Four and I will always remember his warmth, his joy and his humour that he gave to us in the audience. Rest in peace.

Do you have any memories of Lars Erstrand that you would like to share? Please comment.

Lars Erstrand Four: Concert photos

After a warm week of sunny weather, Mother Nature (or Thor) decided that a big thunderstorm was in place just before the Lars Erstrand Four started their concert at Parksnäckan. As Parksnäckan is an outdoor stage this made it less desirable to sit under the open sky, but the staff found a solution, they rearranged the band on the stage, which is quite big, and invited the audience on stage where they had put out chairs. This made the concert very intimate.


This was the the 30th summer that Lars Erstrand played at Parksnäckan and the group has found it's format with about half swinging numbers and the other half with ballads. Excellent musicianship from all the band members. I especially like the drumming that Björn Sjödin does, he has so many different ways of accentuate the music. His joy of playing really is contagious. I'd say Björn Sjödin is the best jazz drummer in Uppsala right now.




The band played some songs that they always play. Being a dancer I didn't care too much for the ballads even though they were very beuatiful. I like the uptempo songs like: How high the moon, Stompin' at the Savoy and Flying Home. They also did a latin jazz number that I enjoyed.

Tip: If you sit on the front row you can hear the humorous banter between the band members.

In the band you also have Arne Wilhemsson on bass and Bertil Fernqvist on guitar.

The next jazz concert at Parksnäckan will be Aug 12th when Peter Lind and the Cabaret band performs the show Stardust. Stardust is about the jazz musicians in Harlem in the 1930's and 1940's. Don't miss that.

The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license them.

What do you think of Lars Erstrand Four? Please comment.

Lars Erstrand Four at Parksnäckan tonight

Lars Erstrand Four is a really good swinging band that will play at Parksnäckan tonight at 19.30. The tickets cost 90 kr (70 kr if you got a UNT-card).

Take a look at what I wrote about their concert in Parksnäckan last year.

The photo is taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license it.

What do you think of Lars Erstrand Four? Please comment.

Parksnäckan: Summer jazz in Uppsala

There are plenty of jazz concerts this summer in Parksnäckan, the outdoor stage in the City Garden of Uppsala.

The jazz concerts are arranged by jazz promotor Björn Sjödin. The concerts will start at 19:30 and cost 90 kr (70 if you got a UNT-card).

Here is the list of summer concerts:

July 3: Teamwork Big Band featuring Claes Janson and Nina Rydberg.
The concert will celebrate the life of Povel Ramel, a Swedish entertainer and comedian who sometimes used jazz songs.

July 24: Svenska Showorkestern Phontrattarne
Here is another chance to see their Grand show that they produce each year. Phontrattarne is a really good swinging orchestra combined with lots of humour.

July 31: Lars Erstrand Four
Lars Erstrand Four is a swinging quartet consisting of Lars Erstrand (vibraphone), Bertil Fernqvist (guitar), Arne Wilhelmsson (bass) and Björn Sjödin (drums).

Aug 12: STARDUST by Peter Lind and the Cabaret Band
A musical cabaret with stories and anecdotes about Harlem, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller, Hoagy Carmichael and the other great stars of the swing era.

Aug 19: Solskensorkestern
A big band that doesn't play jazz but other old time music from the 1930-1940s, a musical style that in Sweden is called schlager.

Aug 21: Good Morning Blues
The oldest blues band in town (41 years!), Good Morning Blues, does their traditional summer performance in Parksnäckan. The band consists of Claes Janson, Bosse Broberg, John Högman, Anders Johansson, Jan Wärngren, Thomas Lindroth and Björn Sjödin.

What do you think of these summer jazz concerts in Uppsala? Which ones would you like to attend? Please comment.

The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license them.

Lars Erstrand 4: Concert Photos

Last Saturday Lars Erstrand Four played at Katalin . The concert was arranged together with Uppsala Jazz Club.



I really liked the concert (how could you not, they are such talented and swingin' jazz musicians) but since I'm a dancing fool, I would have like more uptempo songs instead of jazz ballads.

My favorite song of the concert was "Lady, Be Good" (Or was it Sweet Georgia Brown? I can't remember) that had an exiting arrangement with a boogie beat that I never have heard before. Great stuff.



The band consists of Lars Erstrand (vibraphone), Bertil Fernqvist (guitar), Arne Wilhelmsson (bass) and Björn Sjödin (drums).

The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license them.

Did you visit the jazz concert with Lars Erstrand Four. What did you think of the concert? Tell me.

Lars Erstrand Four at Katalin on Saturday

Lars Erstrand Four will play at Katalin on Saturday. The concert is arranged together with Uppsala Jazz Club.

The band consists of Lars Erstrand (vibraphone), Bertil Fernqvist (guitar), Arne Wilhelmsson (bass) and Björn Sjödin (drums).

These guys really swings, I last heard them this summer when the Lars Erstrand Four played at Parksnäckan. If you have the opportunity you should see them. Although there is no real dance floor, I think you can find a space to swing out in.

The concert starts at 14.00. I don't know right now what the price for the concert is. As usual, if you're under 25 years you'll get in for free.

The photo is taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license it.

Have you heard Lars Erstrand Four? What do you think of them? Tell me.

Uppsala Jazz Club: Spring Program 2008

Uppsala Jazz Club has released the concert program (pdf) for the spring. A lot of good concerts are coming up:

Saturday February 16th
Hacke Björkstens 3G (Three Generations)

Hacke Björksten, saxophone
Karl Olandersson, trumpet
Ulf Johansson Werre, piano
Arne Wilhelmsson, bass
Mathias Puttonen, drums

Saturday February 23rd
Johan Christoffersson 4

The winners of Youth Jazz Contest 2007
Johan Christoffersson, saxophone
Filip Ekestubbe, piano
Petter Olofsson, bass
Sebastian Ågren, drums


Saturday March 8th
Lars Erstrand Four

Lars Erstrand, vibraphone
Bertil Fernqvist, guitar
Arne Wilhelmsson, bass
Björn Sjödin, drums

Saturday April 5th
Emily McEwan and Kjell Fernström kvartett

Kjell Fernström, piano
Ola Botzén, drums
Per Nilsson, bass
Claes Askelöf, guitar

Saturday April 19th
Gerschwin on Guitar

Andreas Pettersson, guitar
Daniel Tilling, piano
Martin Sjöstedt, bass
Daniel Fredriksson, drums

Which concerts are most interesting to you? Tell me.

Kulturnatten in Uppsala/ Cultural night

Tonight it's "Kulturnatten" in Uppsala, which means "The Culture Night". Kulturnatten is a really big cultural event here in Uppsala, I haven't counted but I think there are over 400 different cultural activitives going on during the evening. There are lots and lots of music, dance, art and performances. I think there are like 60000 people out on the streets. Did I say this was big?

It's impossible to see everything you would like to see, so you have to scan the program and decide what you really want to do. See the whole program for Kulturnatten.

Visit Swingkatten at Forumtorget

I will be an busy organiser tonight for Swingkatten's, our swing dance society's, activities. We have a lot to offer if you take a trip down to Forumtorget: Two livebands: Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers 18-19 and Palladium between 20-22. There will be dance performances at 20.00 and 21.00. Come visit us!
Read more about the program in Swedish at Swingkatten.

Jazz at Kulturnatten

Here is also some other jazz tips for Kulturnatten:

• 16.00-17.30 Lars Erstrand Four, Svava
• 18.00 Author Samuel Charters talks about jazz in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina.
• 18.00-19.30 Peter Lind and the Cabaret Band, Svava
• 19, 20, 21 Swing club, french style (Django?) jazz, Grand Hotell Hörnan
• 20.30–21.00 Canal Street Syncopators, Atrium Konferens & Bankett
• 20.30–21.00 Jazz standards with Sara Djärv and Anders Bromander, Domkyrkocentrum
• 21.00 -22.00 New Orleans jazz with Crescent City Four, Missionskyrkan
• 22.00 Jump dealers, Uplands nation
• 22.00 Sextett 60, Dance at the library, Stadsbiblioteket
• 22.00–22.30 Dixielandjazz, Fyris Jazz Band, Atrium Konferens & Bankett
• 22.30-23.30 Linné Swings in spring, Uppsala University Jazz Orchestra, Musicum
• 23.30–24.00 Radio Uppland Big Band, Atrium Konferens & Bankett

This is just a taste of the jazz part of the evening. Enjoy the evening!

What are your plans for Kulturnatten? What events is not to be missed? Tell me.

Lars Erstrand Four: Photos

Last week I listened to Lars Erstrand Four when they played at the outdoor stage at Parksnäckan in Uppsala.




They played the songs: "Beautiful Friendship", "Cherokee", "The Things We Did Last Summer", "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans", "I Want To Be Happy", "I Found A New Baby", "Satin Doll", "It Might As Well Be Spring", "When You're Smiling", "All The Things You Are". My favorite song for the evening was "Timme's Blues". A really swinging song with great rhythm.

The featured guest, jazz fiddler Gunnar Lidberg, was great and played some songs by Svend Asmussen.



During the talk between the songs I found out that there have been an outdoor dancing place a few hundred meter south of Parksnäckan where there nowadays is a mini golf course. The dancing place was run by a woman named Saga Hedén. I would be fun to know more about this place, do you know something? Please tell me.

It would be nice to have an outdoor dancing place here in Uppsala during the summer. We dance at quayside every now and then but a place with a roof in a sunnier location would be great. A place for dancers of all kinds of dances to use. I have an idea that I would like to pitch to the city council, but that would take some work, if you're interested in helping me, let me know.



Lars Erstrand have met his idol Lionel Hampton several times and one time Lionel Hampton gave him this advice:

"If you got an audience that doesn't want to go home, just play a really slow ballad."

Consequently, the band ended the concert with "A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square".



The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license them.

Have you heard Lars Erstrand Four? What do you think of them? Tell me.

Lars Erstrand Four feat. Gunnar Lidberg

Tonight Lars Erstrand Four featuring Gunnar Lidberg will play at an outdoor concert at Parksnäckan in Uppsala.

The band consists of Lars Erstrand (vibraphone), Bertil Fernqvist (guitar), Arne Wilhelmsson (bass) and Björn Sjödin (drums). Gunnar Lidberg plays violin.

The concert starts at 19.30 and costs 90 kr (70 kr with UNT-card).

The photo of Bertil Fernqvist is taken by me at Uppsala Winter Swing and may not be used elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license it.

Have you heard Lars Erstrand Four before? What do you think of them? Tell me.