Jeanette Lindström

Jeanette Lindström entered the world in Östersund, Sweden, several hours north of Stockholm, and grew up there before pursuing formal studies at the University of Lund. By age 23 she had completed her training at the Royal Music Academy of Stockholm in 1995. Early notice on the Swedish jazz circuit followed, where she performed with ensembles ranging from large orchestras to more exploratory collectives. That same year she traveled to Copenhagen, Denmark, to cut her first Caprice release, Another Country. Listeners unfamiliar with her appearance have sometimes inferred an African-American background from her phrasing, though that impression would quickly dissolve upon hearing her interpret jazz material in Swedish alongside bassist Anders Jormin. African-American vocalists left a deep mark on her style; the resulting impressionistic manner evokes Dianne Reeves and Abbey Lincoln, while her Caprice recordings occupy a post-bop territory shaded with R&B inflections. The following year Jormin placed her in a more avant-garde context on his Dragon album Once, where she alternated between English and Swedish. By contrast, Another Country and the equally engaging follow-up I Saw You, issued in 1997, confined her to English throughout.