Parachute Magnus Öström

• 1Dog on the Beach04:04
• 2Junas09:55
• 3The Green Man and the French Horn05:50
• 4Walkabout Bug04:03
• 5Parachute06:11
• 6The Shore of Unsure07:11
• 7Reedjoyce04:35
• 8All the Remaining Days06:19
• Total Runtime48:08

Info for Parachute

A member of world famous Esbjörn Svensson Trio (e.s.t.), the drummer Magnus Öström is set to release his third solo album entitled Parachute. His solo career has been a fruitful one with two solo albums released all over Europe and Japan and his debut, Thread Of Life nominated for a Swedish Grammis and also earning him an Echo Jazz Award in Germany. He has also collaborated with Pat Metheny who appeared on Thread of Life.

The new album features the same band members as the two previous albums: Andreas Hourdakis, guitars; Thobias Gabrielson, bass & keys; Daniel Karlsson, piano & keys, and arrives in full-circle back to the label Diesel Music where Magnus' career got started with e.s.t. (it's now 20 years since the hugely successful and critically acclaimed album e.s.t. Plays Monk was released). Parachute comprises eight original compositions by Magnus and also features the amazing Norwegian trumpet player Mathias Eick who guests on The Shore Of Unsure.

Although Magnus' solo career has been successful, the loss of Esbjörn Svensson has been devastating and it is music that has helped him overcome some very dark times.

'During the years after Esbjörn’s death I have struggled to find my way back to life. Sometimes life has been ok, but at other times it has been really dark. As for most of us, life has its ups and downs, but when I have been at my lowest, when you don't see any way out, the music has always been there to save me, it has been my Parachute. This record is a celebration of music itself and to the energy it carries. It has helped not only me, but also most of the people on this tormented globe that we travel on. As a temporary guest on this planet I hope I will leave it a better place than when I arrived - I hope we all will do. That's what I'm striving for.” (Magnus Öström)

Öström´s gifted Metheny-esque guitarist Andreas Hourdakis and free-spirited jazz pianist Daniel Karlsson get plenty of space to cut loose on a mix of … uptempo songs and e.s.t.-anthem pieces.” (The Guardian)

“He can write very strong thematic material...while allowing judicious space for improvisation.” (Jazzwise)

'Öström’s compositions cut across style and genre, going where the mood takes him... cinematic post-rock and an unmistakable prog tang.” (PROG Magazine)

Magnus Öström, drums, percussion electronics
Andreas Hourdakis, guitars
Daniel Karlsson, piano, keyboards
Thobias Gabrielson, electric bass, bass synthesizer, keyboards

Magnus Öström
was born on May 3rd, 1965 in Skultuna, Sweden as second son to local painter Arne and Siv Öström. His brother Tommy was three years older and influenced Magnus in his early years with his eclectic record collection including Jimmy Hendrix, Deep Purple, Almond Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd. At the age of eight Magnus built his first drumkit out of his fathers empty paintcans and only a year later he started his first band together with a kid from across the street, Esbjörn Svensson. Magnus received his first real drumkit only one year later as a christmas present. Another year later he performed his first concert. The band was called ”Beware Of The Beginners”.

In 1978 his brother took him to a concert of Billy Cobham with John McLaughlin. This experience turned his musical world upside down and got him into jazzrock. Aged 13 to 16 Magnus had several bands simultaneously together with Esbjörn Svensson playing all different styles, from dance-music to punk. From 1981 to 1983 Magnus studied at the music highschool (Gymnasium) in Västerås. During those years Esbjörn and Magnus had their first trio together. From 1983 to 1985 he then studied music at Sjöviks folk high-school.

In 1985 Magnus moved to Stockholm to study at the Royal Conservatory of Music. He immediately started to play in different bands on Stockholm´s jazz scene. Between 1987 and 1992 he was a constant member of Monica Borrfors band, a well-known Swedish jazz vocalist who played mainly jazz standards and together they toured extensively throughout Sweden and beyond. ”Playing live, especially with a singer is the best school in the world for a young drummer”, he says.

In 1989 after a break of a few years Magnus and Esbjörn hooked up again and started jamming together. They formed a band called ”Stock Street B”. The setup included - amoung other gadgets - samplers and octapads with sampled vocals. ”It was too early for that kind of thing. No one understood what we were doing, really. They thought we were playing to backing-tracks but everything we did was live…!”

In 1991 him and Esbjörn started the predecessor to e.s.t. and in 1992 Dan Berglund joined on bass. Together they recorded 12 albums and one concert DVD, toured the world several times over, sold hundreds of thousands of albums, and were titled the ”trio of the decade”. Nowadays e.s.t. are considered to have been the most influential band in jazz in the Noughties and their album ”Live in Hamburg” (ACT 6002-2) has been awarded ”Album of the Decade” by no lesser than the London Times.

The career of e.s.t. came to a sudden, tragic end when Esbjörn Svensson died in a scuba diving accident on June 14, 2008.

Three years later, on Februar 25, 2011, Magnus Öström released “Thread of Life” (ACT 9525-2) – his debut as a leader and his first (musical) sign of life after the tragedy. Its haunting, dark music, drawing inspiration from jazz, progressive rock, drum’n’bass and minimal music was Öströms attempt of coping with the huge loss. On the song “Ballad for E”, Magnus Öström and Dan Berglund played together in the studio for the first time after Svenssons death – accompanied by the great e.s.t. fan Pat Metheny.

In July 2011, the German JazzBaltica Festival is paying tribute to Esbjörn Svensson and e.s.t. . The highlight of the festival is an evening with music by and for Esbjörn Svensson, on which Magnus Öström not only performed with his “Thread of Life” band but also was hosting the programme.

In 2012, Magnus Öström received the „Echo Jazz“, Germany’s most important music award, as „best drummer international“ for „Thread of Life“. His performance of piece “Tears for Esbjörn”, together with pianist Iiro Rantala was an emotional peak of the award ceremony.

Four years after the death of Esbjörn Svensson, on March 30, 2012 with „301“ (ACT 9029-2) a new e.s.t. album was released – with previously unreleased studio material, produced by Magnus Öström and Dan Berglund. The album made it to #53 of the German popcharts and #1 of the jazzcharts. Also, since the release of “Liberetto” (ACT 9520-2) in February 2012, Magnus Öström is a permanent member of the band of bassist Lars Danielsson.

This album contains no booklet.