Considered by the pianist himself as one of the best concerts he ever played (with good reason), Live in Gothenburg – previously unissued – captures the trio at a pivotal point in their evolution. The year 2001 was when the Esbjörn Svensson Trio became e.s.t., which was more than just a name change since they also became a co-operative, with each member equal participants in the group's destiny. In 1994, the trio had earlier demonstrated their hard-bop-into-post-bop credentials as the rhythm section on Jazz Furniture (Caprice) with a talented frontline of rising Nordic stars in Magnus Broo, Fredrik Ljungkvist and Per ‘Texas’ Johansson. With Live ’95 and Esbjörn Svensson Plays Monk from 1996 (both ACT), while still acknowledging the influence of post-bop, the group were developing a strong collective voice and, by this October 2001 concert, they were defining themselves by their striking original compositions, some of which would become part of their regular repertoire right up until Svensson's untimely death in 2008 – ‘The Rube Thing’, ‘From Gagarin's Point of View’, ‘Good Morning Susie Soho’ and ‘Dodge the Dodo’ are all heard here in early versions. ‘Providence’ has a Bach-like chorale before certain melodic and harmonic allusions emerge from ‘All the Things You Are’, but is handled in a very e.s.t. way. What makes this album special is the extended solo space Svensson allows himself that demonstrates what a formidably accomplished jazz soloist he was – the latter composition and ‘The Rube Thing’ are striking examples of the group delving into swinging 4/4. But, despite his obvious technical accomplishments, he was equally happy to limit his playing in service of the song, patient in the exploration and development of melody, such as on ‘The Second Page’ or ‘The Chapel’. Here he seems to acknowledge that the group's future was not in technical feats of derring-do, but finding a way to the audience's heart. Svensson's brief diversion into pop before forming the trio served his instincts well; he knew much of pop's appeal was through lyrics so he competed with melody, songs without words that could move people and be remembered after the show was over. It's perhaps here we find the key to the group's success, something that continues to endure, as this album demonstrates.