| Jazz |
Mathias Landæus Unveils His Most Personal Work to Date
Pianist and composer Mathias Landæus returns with a new album of remarkable depth, perhaps his most personal and profound recording to date. With a sound rooted in the traditions of European classical music yet shaped by the ever-evolving spirit of jazz, Landæus offers a deeply expressive body of work, both intimate and expansive in scope.
In the album’s liner notes, Landæus dedicates the project to freedom fighters around the world, a theme that resonates not only in the music but also in the collective spirit of the trio. The musicians gathered for this recording embody a rare kind of freedom: not bound by genre or stylistic conventions, but free to explore each piece as a living, breathing conversation. From moments of lyrical simplicity to bold forays into complex harmonic landscapes, they shape each track with an organic sense of direction and discovery.
Among the many sonic textures, the Suzuki Andes Melodica stands out. Featured on two tracks, this unusual instrument, somewhere between a keyboard and a flute, becomes, in Landæus’s hands, an emblem of the ensemble’s spirit. What might seem a novelty in other contexts becomes here a vessel for joy, curiosity, and fearless musical play.
Throughout the album, the trio’s chemistry is unmistakable. Their ability to merge deeply personal inspirations results in a listening experience that is both moving and unpredictable. Landæus is unafraid to offer pure, unadorned notes, eschewing polish in favor of authenticity. Tracks like Greed Ruined It For Everyone showcase his keen sense of composition and arrangement, as he deconstructs and reconstructs ideas with total creative freedom,exploring rhythm, color, silence, and sound without constraint.
This is not music that aims to please the mainstream. Some may find it too raw, too cerebral. But that is precisely the point. It refuses compromise. It speaks to city dwellers, creators, improvisers—those who live and think outside of prescribed forms. Here, improvisation becomes arrangement, and each performance an act of shared vision. The starkness of some tracks reflects the real-world struggles of those fighting for liberty—whether in exile, like the author of the liner notes, or in the midst of ongoing battles.
At its heart, this album is an expression of deep humanity. As Landæus himself puts it: “Improvised music is a deeply human activity. The ability to connect, to awaken the mind—that’s something humanity needs to cultivate in times like these.” And then, with a smile: “At least, that’s how I justify my greatest joy in life: playing with Cornelia and Johnny.”
Thierry De Clemensat
Member at Jazz Journalists Association
USA correspondent for Paris-Move and ABS magazine
Editor for All About Jazz
Editor in chief – Bayou Blue Radio, Bayou Blue News
PARIS-MOVE, April 22nd 2025
Follow PARIS-MOVE on X
::::::::::::::::::::::
Musicians:
Cornelia Nilsson, drums
Johnny Åman, bass,
Mathias Landæus, piano, suzuki andes melodica (tracks 2 & 5), fender rhodes (track 10)
Track Listing:
Glömska av bly
Simple Math
Resilience
Love Is Stronger Than Pride
Greed Ruined It For Everyone
Skiss till Bobo
Start And Stop, Stop And Start
Rising From The Top
Blipful
Mother Earth Is All We Need
Clubs And Diamonds
Trust
The Dark Tree (Horace Tapscott) – CD bonus track