Esbjörn Svensson’s posthumously released album is as adventurous as it is accessible ★★★★☆

Swedish pianist Esbjörn Svensson was fast becoming the most popular piano trio of his generation with his trio est when he died in a diving accident in 2008 at the age of 44. Ten years later, his widow found on his laptop a complete album (36 minutes) with nine songs, only the titles were missing.

Whether Svensson still intended to ask bassist Dan Berglund and drummer Magnus Öström for the rhythmic interpretation is not entirely clear. But also sounds without them the album HOME.S. as it appeared four years after the discovery, completely finished.

Solo shifts his smooth playing a little closer to Keith Jarrett, an influence that was also audible on est’s groundbreaking albums. But the nine pieces, each given a letter from the Greek alphabet as a title by Svensson’s widow, are (like est’s work) all as adventurous as they are accessible.

Very clever how intense a blues like gamma is played and yet remains light in nature. Svensson’s melodic figures are freer in design and exude an enormous virtuosity that never becomes obtrusive. A real discovery, this solo album by the man who is still regarded as one of the most influential pianists of recent decades.