Release party: Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers: Turn it up

Last Saturday the rhythm & blues band Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers had a release party at Katalin to celebrate their new cd Turn It Up.

They played songs from the album, great jump blues as always. What I really like is the fact that the band has written some new songs.

You can buy Turn It Up from their label: Heptown Records.



I only had time to see their first set since I had to hurry back to prepare for the swing night and the vintage fashion show at Grand.

I also didn't have time to pick up the actual cd, a pity since I was really curious about what the booklet inside looked like. I photographed the pictures that is inside, the photos where taken when Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers played at Parksnäckan in June.



The photos are taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission.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 Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers new cd, Turn it up? Please comment.

Jazz photography: Stockholm Classic Jazz Band

Yesterday The Stockholm Classic Jazz Band played at a concert at Pub 19 in Uppsala.

Pub 19 is a classic stomping ground for jazz listners, a couple of years ago "Katalin and all that jazz" was located here before they moved to the new location right by the central station. The pub really has an intimate feeling. All around the walls there are photos of many musicians that has played there over the years.



Stockholm Classic Jazz Band played good trad jazz and had a really good lineup of musicians. One of them is Bent Persson, the trumpet player. I have one of his cds: Swingin' Straight, when I spoke to him he said that he usually plays other kinds of jazz than what's on that cd. So I guess Bent Persson mostly plays trad jazz.



Jens Lindgren on trumpet and song is another member of the Stockholm Classic Jazz Band. What you might not know is that he and Lennart Westerlund and the dance group The Rhythm Hot Shots started Jesses Jazz Club that was located at Katariahissen (Pryssgränd) where there was dancing every week to live bands. In the early days Jens Lindgren was the MC of the night. One of these days I might go through my old photo albums, I might have some photos from Jesses Jazz Club (or better yet, you send me one!).

When the rent became to high they had to move to another location. The dance night has now transformed into Zackes Jazz Corner which is hosted each Wednesday at the Chicago Dance Studio owned by The Harlem Hot Shots. Chicago Dance Studio is located at Hornsgatan 75 in Stockholm.

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 Stockholm Classic Jazz Band? Please comment.

Swinging events this week

Swingkatten's regular event Cats Corner takes a break tonight as there are other things scheduled at Uplands nation but there are several other events this week:

• Tomorrow Wednesday: Swing Time Sextett featuring Margareta Nordlander at Katalin. Show by MessAround. Dance floor available. 20-22. 100 kr.
• Thursday: Uppsala University Jazz Orchestra: Exam concert at Katedralskolans aula. 19:00 - 20:15. Free.
• Friday: After Work Jazz. Concert with Kari Sjöstrand, tenor sax, flute and vocals, Daniel Lantz, Fender Rhodes and Henrik Voldsgaard Christensen, double bass. Where: The pub Pipes of Scotland/Hotel Uppsala (intersection of st. olofsg./kungsgatan) At 17.30. Free.
• Saturday: Outside dance at Kopphagens dansbana in Länna. Celebration of Lennakatten. Show by MessAround. 12:30 - 16:00. Swing dj: Henrik Eriksson (me!). Free. Read more.
• Sunday: Swe-dukes playes at Skarholmen. 15-18. 50 kr.

Wow. What a lineup of great events. Be sure to visit most of them!

I'll write more about them later on.

Which events are you going to? Tell me.

Andreas Pettersson: Gershwin On Guitar

On Saturday I visited a concert at Katalin arranged by Uppsala Jazz Club that was called "Gershwin On Guitar" performed by the Andreas Pettersson Quartet.

Andreas Pettersson is an amazing guitarist that I've had the pleasure of listening and dancing to before. Two years ago he was playing together with his old friend Ulf Johansson Werre and some other musicians at Uppsala Winter Camp. What a treat.

This time he and his quartet interpret George Gershwin's songs. The other musicians in the band are: Daniel Tilling (piano), Martin Sjöstedt (bas) och Daniel Fredriksson (drums).



They started with songs from George Gershwin's early career: "Preludes I, II och III”.

Andreas Pettersson continued with songs like: "Embraceable You", "Strike Up The Band", "Lady Be Good" and "´S Wonderful".

They also played a bunch of melodies from George Gershwin's opera "Porgy and Bess": "It Ain´t Necessarily So", "Summertime" and "Bess, You Is My Woman Now".

If you want to hear what they sounded like, take a look at this page with the album "Gershwin On Guitar", which has sound samples.



In the break I had the good fortune of sitting beside a retired music teacher from Uppsala who told me some anecdotes.



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

Did you visit the concert "Gershwin On Guitar" with the Andreas Pettersson Quartet? What did you think of it? Tell me.

Emily McEwan & Kjell Fernström Kvartett: Concert photos

On Saturday I visited a concert at Katalin where Kjell Fernström Kvartett featuring Emily McEwan performed. The concert was arranged by Uppsala Jazz Club.

The quartet consists of Kjell Fernström (piano), Per Nilsson (bass), Jesper Kviberg (drums) and Claes Askelöf (guitar). Together with them they had singer Emily McEwan.



This was a really really good concert. It had a little bit of everything: swingin' jazz, latin jazz, blues and ballads.

Emily McEwan has a beautiful voice and I like to hear more of her. In the middle of the second set, when she had sung "Over the Rainbow", band leader Kjell Fernström remarked: "We could end right now and everybody would be satified". He was right. Fortunatly they kept on playing. I liked the way she kind of danced on stage full of energy when the other musicians played.



I liked how piano player Kjell Fernström phrased the music. I also like how fun they had playing together.

I wish the band could play at a swing dance at Swingkatten, I think they would be great.



Jesper Kviberg was also here in Uppsala last fall when he played at a concert with Monica Borrfors. The first time I heard Emily McEwan was last spring when she sang at After Work Jazz with Daniel Lantz Trio.


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 concert? Have you heard Emily McEwan & Kjell Fernström Kvartett before? What do you think? Tell me.

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.

Johan Christoffersson 4: Concert Photos

On Saturday The Johan Christoffersson 4 played at Katalin at an concert arranged by Uppsala Jazz Club. The band plays modern jazz and while my main consumtion of jazz is swing, I really liked their music.

They are very good musicians and what I like most about them apart from the music is the joy of playing that they have, they are having fun on the stage and I love watching the interaction between the band members.



Johan Christoffersson 4 consists of Johan Christoffersson (saxophone), Filip Ekestubbe (piano), Petter Olofsson (bass) and Sebastian Ågren (drums).



In the first set they played Nardis, It could happen to you, Joshua but also some of their own songs like Lucky Number 7 (by Petter Olofsson) and The Hip World of Klaus Wunderlich.



In the second set they continued with a song of their own: Grova händer and then they played songs like Night and Day (by Cole Porter) and Goodbye Porkpie Hat.

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 Johan Christoffersson 4? What did you think of them? Tell me.

Johan Christoffersson 4 at Katalin

If you like modern jazz, you should check out the band Johan Christoffersson 4 at Katalin today at 14. They won The Youth Jazz Contest 2007 arranged by Uppsala Jazz Club.

Johan Christoffersson 4 consists of Johan Christoffersson (saxophone), Filip Ekestubbe (piano), Petter Olofsson (bass) and Sebastian Ågren (drums).

The concert costs 100 kr (If you're younger than 25, you'll get in for free!)

And don't miss to come and see and dance to Palladium at Grand Swing Party tonight.

Have you heard Johan Christoffersson 4? What do you think of them? Tell me.

Hacke Björksten 3G: Photos

Last Saturday the spring season of Uppsala Jazz Club's concert series started with a bang when Hacke Björksten 3G took the stage at Katalin and all that jazz.

"3G" is short for the 3 generations of jazz musicians in the band. Hacke Björksten, the band leader and saxophone player, is the oldest man in the band. He knows how to talk jive and the introduction of the songs is often done with great humour.



Karl Olandersson on the other hand is the youngest musician and he's a really talented trumpet player. I've heard him play in several bands and it's always great to hear him.



Ulf Johansson Werre on piano had a very busy day. When the concert ended he had about 40 minutes to get to his next gig together with Toots Thielemans at Uppsala Konsert & Kongress. Luckily it's only 200 meters between the places. If you've been following this blog you know that Ulf is one of my favorite jazz musicians.



In the first set they played the songs: Three Generations, All Time Blues, I Hear Music, Autumn In New York, On The Alamo.

In the second set they played Free Kick, Polska från Gemåla (a fusion between Swedish folk music and jazz in the style of the late piano player Jan Johansson), Someone To Watch Over Me, Horse Power, Scrapple From The Apple.

Several of these songs are available on Hacke Björksten's cd.

Above you see a picture of Arne Wilhelmsson, the bass player and below a photo of the drummer Mattias Puttonen.



They ended the concert with a really swinging version of Duke Ellington's Things Ain't What They Used To Be.

Things may not be be like the swing era anymore, but this is pretty darn close! Catch the band if you have the chance.

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

Were you at the concert with Hacke Björksten 3G? What did you think of them? Tell me.

Hacke Björksten 3G at Katalin tomorrow

There is a lot of things happening tomorrow. One of the things are the first jazz concert arranged by Uppsala Jazz Club for this spring.

On stage is Hacke Björksten 3G. 3G refers to that it is three generations of jazz musicians in the band.

The band consists of Hacke Björksten (saxophone), Karl Olandersson (trumpet), Ulf Johansson Werre (piano), Arne Wilhelmsson (bass) and Mattias Puttonen (drums).

I've heard all of these jazz musicians before (except the band leader) and they are great. I think that this concert will swing much. I don't know exactly what style they will play but I hope it's very danceable.

The concert starts at 14 and is located at Katalin. Note: If you're under 25 you'll get in for free. What about that!



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

Will you go to the concert tomorrow? Tell me.

Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers: Photos from Katalin

A week ago I saw the rhythm & blues band Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers at Katalin & All That Jazz in Uppsala.

They had good solid energy as always. You can depend on that. After being used to hearing Jimmy Witherspoons version of Good Rockin' Tonight, it's refreshing to hear the band's arrangement of the song.

One girl on the dance floor reminded me of a song by Candye Kane: "Crazy Little Thing".



According to Sweet Emma's website they will record some tunes during the spring and I look forward to their next album. In the mean time you can support the band by buying their first cd: "More".

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

What do think of Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers? Tell me.

Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers at Katalin

Tonight the rhythm & blues band Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers will play at Katalin in Uppsala. You will hear good jumpin' music with great energy.

The band will play in the pub so there is no entrance fee (so buy a beer). They will start playing at 21.

If you check out the new poster for the band, you'll see one of my photos as the main photo.

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 Sweet Emma & The Mood Swingers? Tell me.

Youth Jazz Contest 2007

Tonight it's time for Youth Jazz Contest 2007 in Uppsala at Reginateatern where young jazz musicians compete. You might spot the jazz stars of tomorrow there. The concert/competition is FREE.

The event starts at 19 o'clock and is arranged by Uppsala Jazz Club. The winner gets to play at either Katalin or Uppsala Konsert & Kongress in the spring.

In the photo you can see Johanna Grim and Henrik Grim who competed in last years Youth Jazz Contest. The photo is taken by me and may not be published elsewhere without my permission. Contact me if you want to license it.

Are you going to the Youth Jazz Contest? Tell me.

Hot Club De Norvege: Photos

Today the band Hot Club De Norvege played gypsy jazz in the style of Django Reinhardt at a concert at Katalin and all that jazz. The concert was arranged by Uppsala Jazz Club.

It was a great (grejt!) concert and if you like this kind of music you should see and listen to the band if they are in your neighbourhood.


Hot Club De Norvege consists of Jon Larsen (guitar), Finn Hauge (violin and harmonica), Per Frydenlund (guitar) and Svein Aarbostad (bass).


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


Were you at the concert with Hot Club De Norvege? What do you think of them? Tell me.

Hot Club De Norvege at Katalin tomorrow

Tomorrow the band Hot Club De Norvege will play at a concert at Katalin and all that jazz. The concert is arranged by Uppsala Jazz Club.

Hot Club De Norvege consists of Jon Larsen (guitar), Finn Hauge (violin and harmonica), Per Frydenlund (guitar) and Svein Aarbostad (bass).

The band plays what is refered to as gypsy jazz inspired by Django Reinhardt and Quintette du Hot Club de France but with their own twist. They have performed together with members of the Rosenberg Trio.

The concert starts at 14 tomorrow Saturday. If you're younger than 25 years old you'll get in for FREE! Othervise it costs 160 kr (130 if you're a member of Uppsla Jazz Club or has a UNT-card).

Have you seen or heard Hot Club De Norvege before? What do you think of them? Tell me.

Fredrik Kronkvist Quartet at Katalin today

Upcoming concert

Today Fredrik Kronkvist Quartet will play at a concert at Katalin and all that jazz. The concert is arranged by Uppsala Jazz Club.

The quartet consists of Fredrik Kronkvist (alto saxophone), Kasper Villaume (piano), Martin Sjöstedt (bass) and Daniel Fredriksson (drums). From what I heard on his MySpace page they will play bopish jazz, however I'm not sure that they would classify their music that way, but I think you get the idea.

The concert starts at 14 and costs 210 kr (180 if you're a member of Uppsala Jazz Club or has a UNT-card).

Jesper Thilo Danish Quartet at Katalin

Today Jesper Thilo Danish Quartet played a concert at Katalin. The quartet consists of Jesper Thilo (tenor saxophone), Oliver Antunes (piano), Bo Stief (bass) and Frands Rifbjerg (drums).


The great thing with jazz is that you are supposed to interpret and add your own flavor to the standard songs and I enjoyed their treatments of the jazz standards they played. Some of the songs were: "Have you met Miss Jones", "Misty", "Things are not what they used to be". I really liked their version of "Lester leaps in".

Oliver Antunes impressed me with his piano playing.

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 listen to Jesper Thilo Danish Quartet at Katalin? What did you think of them? Tell me.

Uppsala Jazz Club: Fall season program

Today Uppsala Jazz club starts its fall season of jazz concerts.

First out is Jesper Thilo Danish Quartet. The quartet consists of Jesper Thilo (tenor saxophone), Oliver Antunes (piano), Bo Stief (bass) and Frands Rifbjerg (drums).

I photographed almost all concerts that Uppsala Jazz Club arranged in the spring and I'll continue with the jazz concert photography the semester as well. It'll be fun :).

The concert is held at Katalin and all that jazz, it starts at 14 and costs 230 kr (200 if you are a member of Uppsala Jazz Club or has a UNT-card).

The other jazz concert this fall:

• 13 oct Fredrik Kronkvist Quartet
• 27 oct Hot Club de Norvège
• 17 nov Monica Borrfors med Gösta Nilsson Trio
• 24 nov Pidgin featuring Fredrik Nordström
• 8 dec Thomas Arnesen Trio

If you like to know more about the concerts, take a look at the official program (PDF, 500k, swedish)

What do you think of Uppsala Jazz Clubs program? Have you heard the mucians before? Tell me about them.

Lost Wandering Blues & Jazz Band: Photos

Last Wednesday The Lost Wandering Blues & Jazz Band played at Katalin. The weather was really nice and warm and everybody was sitting at the outside restaurant so the band set up outside as well.

The band grabbed some members of the audience to play washtub bass along with them. I'm pretty sure that they need bass players when they play at Katalin tonight again sometime after 20 o'clock. If you'd like to play in a jazz band, this might be your chance.



Since they play in the pub or outside there is no entry fee so you can tip the band, buy their cds, buy a beer or some food there or all of the above. Outside you have plenty of room to dance, inside it probably will be a little bit crowded but you can try if you're careful.

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

What do you think of The Lost Wandering Blues & Jazz Band? Tell me.