Esbjörn Svensson Trio (e.s.t.) - Viaticum (CD)

Release Date: 02/01/05

“Can’t stand jazz? e.s.t. could be the band to change your mind.“ The Guardian

Mastermind Esbjörn Svensson doesn’t really like to describe the music on Viaticum, but he explains: 'It is clear that the proportion of the composed elements has grown, as we don’t jam as much as we used to.' When the talk is about the melodies and arrangements, Chopin has still a very special influential role for Svensson, but that of Johann Sebastian Bach should not be underestimated. An almost telepathic understanding for one another means that the trio is able to record an album in which they know how to merge the intensity of their almost legendary live shows with the technical possibilities of the recording studio. The trio places great weight on the titles of the individual compositions. Their titles invite, in just a few words, the opportunity to allow a deeper understanding of the music: 'Letter From The Leviathan', 'Twenty-Eight Days In My Veins', 'In The Tail Of Her Eye'. Don’t they sound like a sort of poetry? Svensson replies: 'It’s really important to us to have titles that sound right. When the decision for the specific tracks is made, it’s usually left to Magnus Öström. He takes the time to find the most appropriate concept. The art of this however lies in the fact that the imagination of the listener shouldn’t be distorted and each should be able to create their own image in their head.' If not before, the title track is likely to cause your imagination to run riot - do the three Swedes really mean 'the Eucharist when administered to or received by one who is dying or in danger of death' as defined by the Oxford English Dictionary? Svensson clarifies the situation: 'If you want to think of it in those terms, don’t let me stop you! But the word has another meaning. Just think of Viaticum as simply the provisions which the band would like to give you to take along on your journey.'