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Jan Lundgren Trio communicating with İstanbul through jazz
Lundgren began playing piano at the early age of 5, but it wasn’t until he discovered jazz that his passion for music blossomed. Until that time he’d also been a promising tennis player. But, he says in an interview with Today’s Zaman: “I more or less stopped tennis gradually after I discovered jazz at 15 years old. The passion for jazz music was simply stronger.” But he adds that he has recently taken up the sport again, which, he notes, is “a good way to balance the traveling life of a musician.”
Since embarking on his career in jazz, Lundgren has collaborated with many great musicians, including Putte Wickman and Bernt Rosengren. Asked about the artist who has had the greatest impact on him, he says: “It’s not easy to mention only one because there have been so many influences in my musical education. However, the legendary Swedish alto saxophonist Arne Domnerus was the one who kind of discovered me and took me into his band. I was around 22-23 years old at the time.”
Lundgren’s music often evidences a wide variety of influences, including folk and classical music. He explains: “To me music is a great way to communicate. Jazz is very emotional but also stimulating because it’s improvised music. I don’t think it’s necessary to put up borders in music. Many of the greatest musicians of today use influences from a lot of different places. Music is like language; there are many different languages and musical styles.”
Lundgren’s trio was formed in 1995, though it started with a different drummer, Rasmus Kihlberg, who was later replaced by Csörsz. The artist says he wanted a trio “because it’s a perfect platform to work in,” adding that it allow a venue for “three people in dialogue with each other.” He explains: “I can compare it to a group of people discussing something together. If it’s too many people at the same time it can be difficult. Three is a good number because everybody always gets their chance to say their piece. At the same time, three is enough to inspire each other.”
He says his work with the group has affected his solo work “only in a positive way,” adding that “you learn a lot from doing both. When I play solo I have no musician to communicate with so I only have to consider myself. To find inspiration solo you have to occasionally surprise yourself; you have to be brave.”
Ahead of the concert, he and the group will also be offering a workshop on jazz as “a way of communication” at the Akbank Art Center. Asked about what kinds of ideas they hope to communicate in this workshop, Lundgren says: “Jazz in present day is influenced by a lot of [other mediums]. As a jazz artist you have to look into yourself and listen to your own voice. There are so many ways to go, but the most important for a jazz artist is to find a path of your own.”
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