Jan Lundgren - Potsdamer Platz

“Just as the reconstruction of Potsdamer Platz is, in a sense, a symbol of the new Germany,” says Lundgren.

“as the title here it stands for the kind of positive force that I feel should always emanate from music. Music should be on the move, taking us somewhere.” This new album shows how well Lundgren's new quartet has not only fitted together, but has also grown together, and now started to move forward with a clear and strong common purpose.

Pianist Jan Lundgren makes music like a brilliant architect. If he were to build a house, it would – in the words of the song – be a very very very fine house. And it would have all his hallmarks about it. It would show his deep understanding of both tradition and modernism, together with his preternatural instinct for bringing the two together. It would visibly convey his unique way of blending the very best of American design and construction with immaculate European style and taste. To extend the metaphor, Lundgren's building on several floors would be a delight to inhabit, with rooms that have fascinating shapes, cosy corners, clear lines, rooms that would contain artefacts and objets trouvés which would allow nostalgia to well up in the visitor's mind. There would also be a spacious loft with the room to play, to improvise and to wander. Ever since the early days of his career, Lundgren’s artistry has been defined by change and renewal, and yet he never loses sight of the past. His album “Potsdamer Platz” is a statement that is personal, a faithful portrayal of the unique perspective from which he experiences and performs jazz.

line up

Jan Lundgren / piano

Jukka Perko / alto & soprano sax

Dan Berglund / bass

Morten Lund / drums

Recording Information All compositions by Jan Lundgren,
except 11 by Per Ödberg

Recorded by Arne Schumann at Hansa Studio Berlin, May 3 & 4, 2015
Mixed and Mastered by Arne Schumann

Produced by Siggi Loch

Cover art by Wiebke Siem, Untitled, 1986 - 1988,
by courtesy of the artist & Esther Schipper, Berlin