Ellen Andersson featuring Heine Hansen, Thomas Fonnesbæk and Andreas Svendsen
Biography Ellen Andersson featuring Heine Hansen, Thomas Fonnesbæk and Andreas Svendsen
Ellen Andersson
has been described as two voices in one - the young, curious and the mature, experienced - a person with a rare artistic depth. With a distinctive voice and an unmistakable expression she has, since her debut in 2016 with “I’ll Be Seeing You”, been praised by both critics and audiences - quickly establishing herself as one of the most notable artists on the Swedish jazz scene. In 2020, she released her long-awaited second album - “You Should Have Told Me”, which earned her a Swedish Grammy nomination as well as the Monica Zetterlund Award.
“A vocalist has rarely been this wished-for. Finally!”, Johan Norberg wrote, and her debut album was awarded “Best Album of the Year” by Swedish jazz magazine Orkesterjournalen, as well as “Newcomer of the Year” by Swedish National Radio. Since then, she has been seen and heard on stages across Sweden as well as abroad, often with acclaimed symphony orchestras and big bands and as a soloist with other artists. 2024 sees the release of her third album - ”Impressions of Evans” - in collaboration with some of Denmark’s most acclaimed jazz musicians.
The acclaimed, young super group Ellen Andersson Quartet released their debut album ”I’ll Be Seeing You” on Prophone Records in September 2016, which would soon also be rewarded with ”Gyllene Skivan” (”The Golden Record”) – considered the most prestigious award within Swedish jazz. The album had before then also been chosen by The European Jazz Network as one of September’s ten best jazz records released in Europe, Johan Norberg from magazine VI called the album ”a sensation”, and the concerts during the fall received great acclamation from both audiences and critics. In December, the reputable American jazz magazine DownBeat published an interview with Ellen Andersson and guitarist/co-producer Anton Forsberg, putting the group on the map outside of the European borders too.
The vocalist Ellen Andersson has one of the most distinctive voices in Swedish jazz right now, and is – apart from melody carrier and storyteller – also a skilled improviser. Several critics have put emphasis on the delicate interaction between the musicians, where Ellen’s voice is considered one of the quartet’s instruments.
With the American jazz standard repertoire as a stepping stone, Ellen Andersson Quartet lets the past meet the present in personal, innovative arrangements, where playfulness encounters great seriousness. Ellen Andersson has been described as ”a new world star”, and the group has received top scores and the finest of reviews, in Sweden as well as abroad.
