Biography
Swedish tenor saxophonist Stefan Isaksson delivers an expressive brand of hard bop and post-bop that recalls the approaches of Wayne Shorter, John Coltrane, and George Coleman. Though he has never gained wide recognition in the United States, he commands respect among Scandinavian jazz audiences and has worked alongside many of the country’s foremost players. Born in 1956, Isaksson was still in his early twenties when drummer Fredrik Norén hired him, in the late 1970s, to perform bop with his big band. He entered singer Monica Borfors’ quintet in 1982 and remained affiliated with her on a part-time basis through 1993. During the same decade he also appeared as a sideman with the Radio Jazz Group, directed by American arranger George Russell, with the big band of fellow tenor Bernt Rosengren, and with various ensembles led by pianist Per-Henrik Wallin. In 1986 he joined Sweden’s Contemporary Bebop Quintet, whose roster has included pianist Ake Johansson and trumpeter Bosse Broberg, and he was still performing with the group in early 2000. After forming his own quartet in 1983, Isaksson made his first recording as a leader with the 1997 release of Three Cushions on Phono Suecia.
Albums
