Jazz in Swedish 50 years
A lauded album celebrates its 50th anniversary with another year at the top of the charts.
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Swedish jazz musician Jan Johansson, whose monumental album "Jazz in Swedish" turns 50 this year. Johansson tragically died in a car accident on his way to a concert in 1968. -
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It's been 50 years since Jan Johansson released the album "Jazz in Swedish" — practically defining a new genre in music. It was 1964, and Swedish jazz was known for its tinge of sadness that could be traced to Swedish folk music. But with bassist Georg Riedel, classically trained pianist Johansson recorded a selection of songs from the Swedish folk tradition with a playful improvisational touch that naturally, effortlessly merged Swedish blues with American jazz. In particular, "View from Utanmyra" became a signature tune for Johansson and Swedish jazz in general, and the album is still the best-selling Swedish jazz album of all time.
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