Magnus Öström - Coming To Terms

Still facing up to the challenge of his loss, Öström has assembled a new band playing his own music and is joined by Pat Metheny and EST bassist Dan Berglund on one track. Stuart Nicholson talks to Magnus about his journey back to music.

It’s been a long time coming, and there was a moment when it might not have happened at all, but drummer Magnus Öström is back. Announcing his return with a brilliant new album Thread of Life on the ACT label, it gives full reign to his compositional, arranging, production and band-leading abilities. The result is a multi-faceted work that reveals what was so often hinted at during his time with the Esbjörn Svensson Trio – that each member of the group had listened widely and was able to subtly incorporate these experiences into their music. But this time Öström’s wide-ranging influences are writ large, from jazz to jazz-rock, from electronica to art rock, and from drum ’n’ bass to modern classical, all mediated by his signature drum sound that one web site currently describes as “the most exciting drumming since Tony Williams.”

“I am really excited about the album,” says Öström down his mobile from a quiet corner in a coffee shop in Stockholm. “I am really happy that I finally, at this stage you could say, ‘I’ve got it done.’ I am looking forward to what is to come next.” What comes next is touring the music with his band that includes Gustaf Karlöf on keyboards, Andreas Hourdakis on guitars, and Thobias Gabrielson on bass, additional keyboards and trumpet. “I love these guys and I love playing with them and I see huge potential in the band ‘live-wise’ when we actually get to tour this music, because I know when we jam they are really open minded guys, I picked them for that, I really wanted people as open as I am to go in any direction so there is no thinking about genres, its all about the music.”

This is an extract from Jazzwise Issue #150 – to read the full article click here to subscribe and receive a FREE CD...