Elise Einarsdotter Trio: Key’s Company.

The Elise Einarsdotter Trio performs at 4MBS Performance Studios on Monday.

Swedish Jazz Unit, The Elise Einarsdotter Trio are currently touring Australia showing off an obvious Hallmark of beauty and good energy in their music. A spirited and perceptive pianist who is quite the Prima Donna Absoluta in Swedish jazz circles leads the trio. Her name is of course is Elise Einarsdotter.

Although this particular Einarsdotter formation has only been in existence since 1999, Elise was fortunate enough during the 80’s to attract the attention of a passionate and expressive bass master called Olle Steinholtz and he remains by her side today. Completing the Trio beautifully is Scandinavia’s leading jazz vocalist Rigmor Gustafsson.

A mixture of childhood experiences influenced Elise’s call to music she hints: “I grew up in the countryside in southern Sweden with a lot of pasture, wind, sea, horses and a piano in the house. I played by ear early on, and in that way developed and took piano lessons locally.”

“Going to the States at 18 to attend Berklee Music College was of course a great challenge, and a tremendous amount of information, inspiration and in those years really a platform in my musicianship. I Heard lots of great music, played and studied with Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny, Herbie Hancock, Oscar Peterson, Chick Corea, and met Arthur Rubenstein,” says Elise.

With Berklee College studies out of the way Elise returned to Sweden and took on complementary courses at the Royal Musical Academy in Stockholm. This wise move enabled her to naturally get a Swedish perspective on her music as well as a couple of years part time employment as a music teacher.

From 1977 Einarsdotter’s fulltime professional musical career opened up to her she recalls: “I was asked to join/form the Tintomara group, which played light Swedish and Latin jazz, and actually became quite popular. We travelled around several times a year, and then once in a while larger trips.”

Since 1984 Elise has set up various Elise Einarsdotter formations: “We started as a quartet but after a short while became a quintet. With this band we've developed a quite strong sound in terms of the arrangements and connections to Swedish traditional folklore and jazz.” We’ve been lucky to become popular and travel all the places around the world, working with bands in Ethiopia and South Africa, particularly at Festivals all over Europe.  It's of course a great privilege to have the clearance to have the ability to communicate the music in this way.”