Biography
Torbjorn Hultcrantz, occasionally referred to as Johan for those daunted by his full name, anchored the modern jazz movement that took shape in Sweden during the 1950s. He moved well past the straight-ahead bass conventions modeled by his influences Percy Heath, Oscar Pettiford, and Paul Chambers, which suited him for work with mainstream bandleaders such as Lars Gullin in 1956. Hultcrantz traced his decision to leave university to what he called a "sheer love of jazz."
Although his piano-teaching mother had placed him at the keyboard roughly a decade earlier, he did not take up the bass until age 18. By the time he began working as a jazz musician, therefore, he possessed only a few years of experience on the instrument. Appearances on recordings with Gullin, Ake Persson, the Jazz Club 57 band, and other Scandinavian players charted his ascent among local rhythm sections. His résumé also documents collaborations with touring Americans across varied idioms, including bebop pianist Bud Powell and the experimental world-music projects of multi-instrumentalist Don Cherry. He likewise belonged to the first groups assembled by revolutionary tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler.
Although his piano-teaching mother had placed him at the keyboard roughly a decade earlier, he did not take up the bass until age 18. By the time he began working as a jazz musician, therefore, he possessed only a few years of experience on the instrument. Appearances on recordings with Gullin, Ake Persson, the Jazz Club 57 band, and other Scandinavian players charted his ascent among local rhythm sections. His résumé also documents collaborations with touring Americans across varied idioms, including bebop pianist Bud Powell and the experimental world-music projects of multi-instrumentalist Don Cherry. He likewise belonged to the first groups assembled by revolutionary tenor saxophonist Albert Ayler.
Albums
