Kind of Jazz II – A Tribute to Bill Evans

Jan Lundgren is one of our foremost musicians, and with around fifty CDs and a range of projects and collaborations, he has consistently shown his ability to embrace tradition while always evolving. Each year, Jan Lundgren presents three concerts under the banner Kind of Jazz – unique meetings with invited artists and ensembles. Kind of Jazz 2025 marks the series’ seventh season.

“This is a tribute to Bill Evans, who was one of my most important influences when I started playing jazz,” says Jan Lundgren. “I was captivated by his sound: his way of playing and voicing chords, the immense richness of his harmonies. It made him truly unique, and I consider him one of the most important jazz musicians of all time. We’ll play some original Bill Evans music, like Waltz for Debby and Very Early, as well as music he’s associated with, such as Song from MASH. We’re paying homage to both the artist and the composer. To recreate his style and not just play the songs requires a deep understanding of the artist – without losing oneself.”

Just as Bill Evans had his trio, Jan Lundgren has put together an exceptionally skilled trio here. German drummer Wolfgang Haffner, one of the foremost in the world, has previously worked with Jan Lundgren (as well as with Nils Landgren, for instance). The renowned Swedish bassist Anders Jormin has also taken a leading role in international music and is now a professor at the Academy of Music and Drama in Gothenburg.