Daniel Karlsson

Daniel Karlsson Trio
Daniel Karlsson - piano
Christian Spering - bass
Fredrik Rundqvist - drums & percussion

Probably no other jazz pianist has combined passion, creativity and a sense of humour, which has unfortunately become very rare, with such virtuosity as the Swede Daniel Karlsson. He is considered one of the most exciting European jazz musicians and is reminiscent of the legendary trio e.s.t. in many ways, not least because of his album "Fusion for Fish" , for which his band was named "Swedish Radio Jazz Group of the Year 2014" and won the "Golden Disc 2015" of the Swedish jazz magazine OJ as well as the Swedish Jazz Grammy 2015 . In November 2020, Karlsson released his sixth album "Fuse Number Eleven" on Playground Music Scandinavia. This was named jazz album of the week in 2021 by the internet platform All About Jazz . In August 2021, Karlsson was awarded the prestigious annual "jazzkannan" prize by the Swedish Jazz Federation "Svensk Jazz".

In October 2023, his trio released "Howling Jazz!!!! / Bark At Your Owner" label with "Sorry Boss" , his eighth album. It was highly praised by the international press, particularly because of Karlsson's own penchant for irony and humour and his refreshing attitude, which is always missing in modern jazz.

Karlsson is at home on the world's major festival stages and has already played with greats such as Michael Wollny, Till Brönner, Nils Landgren, Viktoria Tolstoy, Rigmor Gustafsson, Ernie Watts and many more. He is a founding member of the cult band Oddjob and a member of the Magnus Öström Band.

His trio mixes jazz, soul and pop with exuberant enthusiasm, but always with a clear Nordic flavour. At one moment it sounds like classical music, at another like jazz, then like electronic music - and suddenly like everything at once.

Karlsson is a senior lecturer in jazz piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Stockholm and, as an experienced music teacher, regularly gives workshops both solo and with his two band members during his national and international performances.

The performances of his trio are financially supported by the "Swedish Council of Cultural Affairs".

"His captivating playing and compositional charisma mark him out as one of the most exciting contemporary pianists" Ian Patterson, All about Jazz (Sep. 2021)

"Fürstenfeld: Daniel Karlsson Trio - Intoxicating states" Jörg Konrad, KulturKomplott (Nov. 2022)

"The Daniel Karlsson Trio show a more sanguine side of Nordic jazz, their funk-oriented material recalling not only E.S.T. but also Hancock and Zappa" Jazz Journal (Nov. 2023)

In the oversaturated market of piano trios, his imaginative trio stands out by far. "Karlsson is not afraid to bring in his musical influences without allowing them to define him. His captivating piano playing and compositional touch make him one of the most exciting contemporary pianists." (Ian Patterson, All About Jazz).

His 2016 release "At the Feel Free Falafel" attracted a lot of attention with outstanding reviews and extensive airplay. The same was true for his fourth title "Ding Dong", which was released in 2017. An album that earned his band another nomination for a Swedish Grammy for Best Jazz Album in 2018. Despite earlier laurels, Karlsson's impressive productivity continued unabated. Five years after his debut, he presented his fifth album with the fitting title "5" in spring 2018. In seven new tracks, the trio tells stories full of creativity and melody, proving once again to be a force to be reckoned with. Mastermind Karlsson tries to explore the limits of the piano trio and once again realises that they do not exist. In addition to the usual intimate line-up, the trio has expanded the instrumentation in certain areas this time. Loredana Karlsson can be heard on the violin on two pieces. Christian Spering takes up the double bass and cello as well as the dilruba and teer shehnai, two Indian string instruments.

The compilation album "So Far", released in April 2019, also contains the track "Colourful Grey", a tribute to Matera in southern Italy, which was named European Capital of Culture 2019.

Karlsson's album "Fuse Number Eleven" was released in November 2019 on the renowned label Playgrounds Music Scandinavia. Less is more here: the trio's sixth CD is elegant, minimalist and sometimes quietly experimental. Karlsson and his high-calibre colleagues venture into the borderlands with clever elegance, where classical jazz carefully approaches classical, electronic and Indian world music. The fact that some of the musicians know each other from their student days is unmistakable. As is the fact that the trio has no intention of resting on its laurels, but remains open to new ideas.

In October 2021, the English label released "Howling Jazz!!!! / Bark At Your Owner" released Karlsson's seventh album "Climbing The Ladder".

In November 2021, Daniel Karlsson performed with Michael Wollny as a duo on two pianos at the sold-out Stockholm City Theatre. In spring and autumn 2022, the trio toured Europe and Canada for several weeks with their new album, delighting audiences with performances at the Beethovenfest in Bonn and the International Jazz Festivals in Bydgoszcz, Poland, and Quebec City, Canada, among others. In November 2023, the trio performed at the international jazz festivals in Słupsk, Poland, and Stockholm, Sweden, among others.

In October 2023, his trio released "Howling Jazz!!!! / Bark At Your Owner" label with "Sorry Boss", his eighth album. It was highly praised by the international press, particularly because of Karlsson's own penchant for irony and humour and his refreshing attitude, which is always missing in modern jazz.