Esbjörn Svensson Trio / E.S.T. - Strange Place for Snow

2002 CD release.

Already on the first piece, "The Message", the album’s tone is made clear. It originates out of the so-called "free play" that was recorded in May 2001.The soft, gospel-like quality of "the Message", in which Jan Johansson’s ubiquitous spirit can be felt, is not really typical for E.S.T. Which on the other hand makes it very typical for E.S.T. Before "Serenade For The Renegade" was named, it was simply called "Radiohead-Melody". One can understand why, even when Chopin and Roxy Music appear on the reference list. "All three of us love Radiohead" Esbjörn declared, his whole face shinning with pleasure.

The title piece "Strange Place For Snow" in fact shouldn’t be on this album. Esbjörn related that "Before it got its final form, it sounded too much like pop". In retrospect one can’t say enough about how lucky it was that the trio finally decided to record "Strange Place For Snow" - it’s clearly a future classic. "Behind The Yashmak" is pure celebration-music. After a somewhat searching introduction, "Behind The Yashmak" finds its musical expression in a direction that previously could only be found in some of Pat Metheny’s most joyous sound adventures. The ending, with the "hockey celebration" blended in, is, to put it mildly, ecstatic. The meditative "Bound For The Beauty Of The South" is a virtual hymn of praise for Schloss Elmau castle. This "unusual" castle, which lies near Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany, has become something of a refuge for E.S.T. They find themselves continually returning, either to recuperate or to perform.