E.S.T. (Esbjörn Svensson Trio)
Live in Hamburg
ACT
This is Esbjörn Svensson Trio's third live album and the first recorded outside of Sweden. You would expect it to sound like Norwegian Tord Gustavsen and his trio, except it's not. EST has more of an experimental spirit in their songs and, because of that, they've redefined jazz. This time around, EST uses less dissonance than usual. They haven't left their minimalistic roots, but have filled out the spaces with more sound. Like in the past, they kick in a phrase or two of vocalizations or other unusual instruments that makes the song quirky and adventurous. As an aside, the clapping at the end of the tracks can really disturb the listening experience, as this one did. This may not be as great an introduction to EST as their earlier works are, but as a standard, it can be said that they've done it again.
- Jennifer Ma
