To be released February 9th 24 (Ubuntu Music)
Preorder on BandCamp (includes 3 digital tracks today)

Award-winning multi-instrumentalist/composer/arranger/educator Martin Sjöstedt is set to release his latest album Horizon with the Stockholm Jazz Orchestra. The recording features four of Sjöstedt’s original compositions as well as arrangements of key pieces by John Coltrane, Herbie Hancock, Abdullah Ibrahim and Charlie Parker, all dedicated and specially written or arranged for a member of the band.

The Stockholm Jazz Orchestra works more like a jazz collective than a big band and all the musicians are accomplished soloists, composers and bandleaders with careers that extend far beyond Sweden's borders. Key soloists along with Sjöstedt (on piano rather than double bass) are Fredrik Kronkvist and Johan Christoffersson (alto saxophone), Karl Olandersson, Nils Janson and Magnus Broo (trumpet), Karl-Martin Almqvist (tenor saxophone), Fredrik Lindborg (baritone saxophone), Peter Dahlgren (trombone). “It's a significant challenge but also a privilege to write for some of the members I've not only toured with for almost 20 years but also consider close friends,” says Sjöstedt.

With this recording, Sjöstedt delves even deeper into the vision of creating freedom for the band's members, much like a piano trio or quartet, but all within the framework that personifies a big band. “I aim to create a musical framework where the soloist feels completely liberated while also allowing myself to communicate and challenge through the large ensemble, explains Sjöstedt.  “I now realise that all the music I compose for larger ensembles aims to provide a sense of personal involvement for everyone and allows space for each individual's unique personality."