Lennart Simonsson

Try the BEST MySpace Editor and MySpace Backgrounds at MySpace Toolbox ! When I met Ladislau ¨Müller, this wonderful and inspiring Rumanian borned composer and pianist, teaching in Växjö (a town in the southern part of Sweden, where I spent my youth) he introduced me in improvisation and composing, and got me listen to Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea among others. We also worked with the old masters such as Bach and Mozart. During the summers, between the semesters, I worked as an organist in different churches.
This brought me after some years to The Royal Collage of Music in Stockholm where I graduated in 1986.
Now I have been working in Stockholm for over 20 years as a pianist, MD, arranger and composer, in big-bands as well as small groups playing jazz, pop and rock - cooperating with several of the greatest Swedish musicians and artists. I´ve participated in nearly thirty musical-productions. The latest was last autumn 2006 as Musical Supervisor for ”RENT” on Göta Lejon, Stockholm. I have taught jazzpiano, music communication and interpretation at The University of Music in Piteå –94 – 2002.
Today I´m the pianist in the jazzpianotrio ”Trio X of Sweden” situated in Uppsala, Sweden. We have so far done three cd:s ”In dulci jubilo” (Swedish and Scandinavian christmas songs – 2003), ”Trio X of Sweden” (mostly original compositions – 2005) and ”Trio X + Agnas Bros – Live at Fasching – 2006). The latest really interesting cooperation is with the world famous recorder-player Dan Laurin.
In autumn 2000 the Vocal Ensemble of Erik Westberg performed my ”Oratio”, a piece for choir, synthesizer, tablas, vibrafon and percussion at Nybrokajen 11 in Stockholm. Since then I have composed for classical chamber ensembles and jazz piano trio several times. Last autumn my newest piece for symfonic orchestra and jazz piano trio ”The Albatross Suite” was performed in Uppsala. Paul Mägi (Estonia) conducted and I played the solo parts.
As you can understand I´m very interested of blending the improvised music, for example jazz and folklore, with the ”classical” sound of an instrument or an ensemble and in the same time developing and exploring the boarderland between different types of music.