This weekend I were playing at Karlstad Jazz Festival with Johan Gund Big Band. Johan is an old friend of mine and the whole idea of the project was that he had gathered a lot (a big band) of his friends from around Sweden to make a gig at the festival.

For me the whole thing got a bit of a bad start. I had to leave Stockholm very early last Friday morning and had put the alarm on for 5:15 am. Unfortunately I only managed to get four hours of sleep and was anything but well-rested. Good that I’m gonna sit on a train for three hours I thought, then I can sleep some there. Unfortunately destiny and the train company had something else in mind and placed me together with a mother and her three children, and one of them weren’t the most calm little thing I have ever met. In other words, no sleep on the train either.

After arriving in Karlstad we rehearsed with the saxophones from 10am to lunch, and then with the entire band from 2pm to 7pm. After this I was pretty much out of energy. After waiting to get access to where I was staying I could finally go to sleep around 1am. I usually have a hard time falling asleep, but this night I only had to lay my head on the pillow and I were off in the land of dreams. I wish it could always be that easy! The following morning I slept through the morning and then went out to Mariebergsskogen (Marieberg forest) where the festival area was located.

The gig itself went very well, it had some nerve considering we only had played together once at the rehearsal the day before, but with all the experience in the band this was not a problem. Everyone played really well and the concert seemed to be very appreciated by the audience.

The festival was very nice, good concerts and a great atmosphere. It was fun meeting all friends that were there playing that I hadn’t seen in a long while, both in our and other bands. I also got the opportunity to say goodbye to Per that leaves for China and Carolina for Trondheim, Norway, both for half a year. Good luck to both of you and have fun! The goodbyes also reminded me of my own move to Vienna that is getting closer, and it’s easy to get a bit sad realizing how much you like your friends and how much fun it is here. But I guess I have to make sure I have fun in Vienna as well!

This morning we rehearsed with Thomas Backman’s band Jerry The Cupboard, with which we’re gonna have our premiere gig the 11th of September at Glenn Miller Café in Stockholm. I think it will be a really nice concert, the rehearsal was a blast! Great when you feel that the music begins to find it’s right shape.

Tomorrow morning at 06:30am my train leaves from Stockholm central station to Karlstad, I hope I wake up! We’re rehearsing the whole Friday, then we play at the festival sometime during Saturday. I’m looking forward to it!

I have uploaded a sound clip from one of the tunes from the Fasching gig with Fabulous Five on my myspace. The tune is called Abstrakt Boskap, is written by Rasmus Borg and recorded by Swedish Radio P2. Now you know, listen if you feel like it.

The Kenny Garret concert at Fasching was incredibly schizophrenic. Both sets started incredibly good, the level of energy couldn’t have been higher and the whole band played, in classic American style, their asses off!

Unfortunately Kenny seems to have quite a different style when it comes to putting a set list together. When the duo number, which he played together with the piano player in the end of the first set was performed, I got really confused. The melodies alone were really beautiful, but the way they had chosen to arrange and harmonize it all really didn’t fit in the rest of the concert.

Also when he ends the concert with the crowd-pleaser Happy people, with some kind of awkward rap and singalong, it once again gets weird, and I have a hard time not starting laughing. Well, considering the title, maybe that’s what he want, but I would have been smiling from a whole different reason if he skipped the circus act and just played the great stuff that I love him for.
I’m proud owner of all Kenny Garret’s records so of course it was great for me to see him live, and parts of it was a fantastic concert. Nevertheless I still left Fasching with a slightly weaker picture of Kenny Garret than I had when I came.

The day after started with thunderstorm and lot’s of rain. The sky brightened in the afternoon and I, John and some other guys decided to head over to Bergshamra and do some fishing. I have never been fishing there before, fun to try some new locations. Unfortunately there was not a single sign of fish the whole afternoon, and we swore a little over the change of weather, which we thought would give us some great fishing.

In the evening when we were on our way home, we finished the session with a few casts at the bridge where we also started the day. All of a sudden a fish are biting on my lure, and I get a chock when I feel how big it is. I have a pretty modest pike record from the past, 3.5 kilos, but now it’s definitely bigger! It really puts up a great fight and I really have to struggle to be able to move it. For a second it comes up to the surface, and I see a big back and get really hopeful! Then the scenario gets an abrupt ending. The pike starts swimming for the reed without me managing to stop it. After arriving in the reed, one of the hook’s get stuck but the pike is still there, I do what I can to loose the lure from the reed, eventually make it, but then the pike is gone. We stay for a while, maybe we can catch it or a friend of his again, but faith had other plans this time. I have to go there and try to catch it again!

Then yesterday it was finally time! I went out running for the first time in I don’t know how many years. A bit scary realizing what a bad shape one is in, but at the same time good to feel that I didn’t totally collapse. The pains today aren’t a game I tell you, but in some way it is a nice pain, since it’s coming from something good.

Now I’m gonna take a shower and then go out and eat with my mother who is in Stockholm for a couple of days. Nice!

Now I’m going to Fasching to listen to Kenny Garret. Hell yeah!

Boardgames are fun! I just got home from an evening spent with some friends and the game Risk, we had a really good time! Unfortunately we didn’t have time to finish the game before the last subway took off, but to be honest that wasn’t a problem (you can imagine how my game was). Great that you, considering all cool video games available these days, still get so excited from a piece of squared cardboard with a printed map on it, together with some small plastic items illustrating armies.

On my way to the game session, taking place in Henrik’s apartment, I ran into police barrages and a great deal of cops. I had to walk around the whole are to get to the subway. Later I found out it was a man with a exposing charge that just got arrested, which meant that I were standing about 50 meters from it. Everything took place on the street next to mine, where I always walk to the subway. Weird! Here’s a Swedish article about it.

It became a really good gig with Cleo, just as I promised. Really groovy, an enthusiastic audience and a very energetic set! The best thing though: We were asked if we could have a bit of an old style look, which gave me the opportunity to finally buy a pair of braces, something I’ve wanted to do for a long time.

The picture illustrates just how happy I am standing next to bass player Love in my brand new pair of braces.

Of course! Have for two years been swearing over the expensive monthly cards of SL (local traffic of Stockholm), and naturally: When I now move from town, then it’s time to start with semester cards for students with 30% discount. Wohoo!

After two days of playing the saxophone I’m feeling that I’m getting back into shape. I had a first jam session with Henrik, Niklas and John last Wednesday and afterwards I rehearsed hip-hop with Cleo. We also rehearsed tonight for an upcoming gig at Stockholm Pride Festival tomorrow. She’s really good and it’s gonna be a nice gig. I think it’s her first time with a live band, so it’s well worth coming and dig it! (5am, Pridehouse 2007, Södra Teatern, Stockholm)

By the way, I were sitting opposite to a notable man in the subway, who binged a whole, really big cinnamon bun in his mouth and then chewed on it with big trouble. His cheeks bulged like an apple, and in the middle of his efforts trying to get it down his belly he started to get hiccups. The whole time he sat with closed eyes and looked to be copiously feasting. It was very odd.

Now I will, in spite of my upside-down turned day, go to bed and try to sleep, have to be at södra teatern for soundcheck tomorrow at 10.