Opulens May 27 2024
CAROLINE LEANDER
Hem utan adress (Timbre Tone Music)
Caroline Leander, singer, pianist and composer,
repeatedly visited a women’s shelter in the spring of 2022 to work with music – and text writing.
Thoughts about the work have now become words and music
in the form of the EP “Home without an address”.
The basis and the platform are found in different stories,
from the residents, staff and Caroline Leander herself.
In a state of exposure and vulnerability, an old life is relived,
in memories and fragments; at the same time, many are on their way to something else.
The gaze looks beyond, it is possible to feel fresh winds and be on the way to something new,
in new journeys.
It is not harmless, no, venturing into unknown waters is fraught with risk.
Hovering between hope and despair, in a landscape where you have few contact points,
no one may know where you are.
Caroline Leander is responsible for all lyrics and music,
and she surrounds herself with exceptionally skilled musicians
such as Jens and Petter Lindgård and Rasmus Svensson.
It must be pointed out that the graphic design is genius, created by Tintin Blackwell.
The fragile intense and the painful are captured in words and mournful cries,
in the emotional barrage of loss, grief and pain.
The songs sound of presence and participation,
and the eternal search for answers to the questions that are asked here, and must be reflected on.
Everything feels so urgent, insistent and important!
Bo Bjelvehammar
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LEANDER & SMITH
Du Eller Aldrig (Timbre Tone Music/Gateway)
October 12 2019 Album review in Danish Side 33.
LEANDER & SMITH
Du Eller Aldrig (Timbre Tone Music/Gateway)
October 11 2019 Album review in Danish Capac.
LEANDER & SMITH
Video on second single “The Gap”
September 6 2019 Article in Danish BT.
CONCERT
Caroline Leander Colours in Motion
Ystad Jazz Festival Biografteatern Scala August 3 2014
…at the same venue, fellow-Swede, modern mainstream trumpeter (and occasional vocalist) Björn Ingelstam and his part-Danish quartet also impressed. So too did Swedish pianist and vocalist Caroline Leander and her Colours in Motion quartet, with some ringing, funky lines from electric guitarist Magnus Lindeberg helping get the final Sunday programme off to an energising 10.30 am start.
Jazz Journal UK August 2014
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CONCERT * * * *
Jazz Under the Stars
Caroline Leander Colours in Motion
Brantevik July 3, 2013
Leander was in very good shape both vocal and keyboard-wise. Her expressive voice shows in the lower part tonal kinship with renowned singers like Annie Lennox, while the higher part has a frangible airiness, all kept together with an energetic stability.
Especially noticable was Peter Tegnérs eager guitar playing and Bo Håkanson’s forthright drumming. All this had its most alert expression in tumbling “Unpredictable” and with summer lazy climax in “Ants and Laughs”
Fredrik Fischer/ Ystads Allehanda
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OJ nr 5 2012
Caroline Leander
Melting into happiness (Timbre Tone Music / Music Help)
I saw Caroline Leander live back in the 80’s on several occasions and I really liked her singing and music. With this album Leander’s romantically beautiful harmonies and well-written texts continue to flow. With expressive, emotional voice and skilled as a pianist, she is surrounded with various brilliant musicians, giving the music a kaleidoscopic touch.
Looking for a touch is a colorful song and Leander is not sparing her voice. In Every second Filip Jers’ harmonica adds a lovely spice. Jens and Petter Lindgård with trombone and trumpet, paint carefully where needed. The strings in One of a thousand makes it highly suitable as film music. The sound is very good.
Lasse Seger
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LIRA music magazine 4-2012
Caroline Leander
Melting into happiness (Timbre Tone Music / Music Help)
SYNESTESIPOP. There is no real order in Caroline Leander. It’s pop and jazz, enthusiasm, colour and shape, full speed and restraint. It could have been an album without any structure or red thread – but there is something that keeps the music together and making Melting into happiness leave a strong musical impression.
The positive disorder excists in the music as in the lyrics. Certainly the texts consist of verse and chorus – but they are kept together narratively in a peculiar and very refreshing way. It is, on the whole wonderful with a singer / musician / artist who dares to do her thing without being afraid of not fitting in, or bend down in front of demands and expectations. You can feel into your true soul that Caroline is doing exactly what she wants, in her own way without compromising to fit into any genre or style.
Maria Lagergréen/ LIRA
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Skånska Dagbladet October 10, 2012
Caroline Leander
Melting into happiness (Timbre Tone Music / Music Help)
Jazz / pop. The ultra-talented Caroline Leander’s last album “Under My Heart”, was a joy to listen to. The latest, “Melting Into Happiness”, is even more easy to take to your heart. The intelligent texts are brighter, at least most of them, and some part of Caroline’s beautiful melodies are of a kind that it would be malpractice not to play them at least once a day on the radio.
On this new album, Caroline is accompanied by her usual playmates, guitarist Peter Tegnér, bassist Anders Lorentzi and drummer Bo Håkanson. On a few tracks she has among others invited Vindla String Quartet, harmonica virtuoso Filip Jers and hornplaying brothers Jens and Petter Lindgård from Timbuktu’s “Damn!”. Of course, Caroline herself is by the piano and the microphone. And of course, she has written and arranged all the songs.
Jan Olsson
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Ystad Allehanda September 26, 2012
Caroline Leander
Melting into happiness (Timbre Tone Music / Music Help)
Jazz pop
Caroline Leander’s new album is better in everything (compared to the last one): more varied songs (all by herself), better arrangements and enlarged accompaniment (herself on vocals and piano, plus her own band with guitar, bass and drums, Vindla String Quartet, harmonica player Filip Jers and a pair of horn players from Timbuktu / Damn). The melodies, both calmer and sometimes slightly funky, are mixed with pop and soul. The comping is more towards jazz with strings that pull towards contemporary music.
Caroline Leander has a good portion of gospel in her voice. I like when she dives into the song so strongly that her voice breaks. She becomes one with the lyrics, not with great despair but not that cheerful either.
An extra plus for Peter Tegner virtuoso jazz guitar picking. The sad and beautiful “Painfully Glad” with the mentioned Jers at atmospheric harmonica is one of my favorites, along with the final, just as sad, as beautiful “Silent Storm” with Caroline alone singing to her piano.
Bengt Eriksson
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Göteborgsposten September 26, 2012
Caroline Leander
Melting into happiness (Timbre Tone Music / Music Help)
There are swarms of beautiful chord changes in the music of singer, composer and pianist Caroline Leander. It is a bit arty and colourful and ambitiously arranged (strings, horns). There are both classic singer-songwriter music and a more theatrical side that leans towards musicals (Looking for a touch). She has a personal voice, and it’s nice when she skews on the high notes. Still, in my ears the voice is not Leander’s strongest part.
It’s rather the musical craftsmanship, orchestration, piano playing, wilfulness, the originality.
Good enough.
Ulf Johansson
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UNT September 18, 2012
Caroline Leander
Melting into happiness (Timbre Tone Music / Music Help)
The pianist and singer Caroline Leander – playing on Katalin Wednesday, September 19 – stand out a little extra from all the hopeful young artists who want to be recognized in the genre. This is her fifth solo album and her personal blend of singer / songwriter and jazz is becoming increasingly obvious. She also sings with a personal and unmistakable voice and knows how to back up with sensitive piano playing. Her songwriting has also evolved along the way. This, together with a sharp band makes it really good, even if it takes a while to figure out her character.
Björn Stenberg G
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Caroline Leander
Melting into happiness (Timbre Tone Music / Music Help)
Singer songwriter. With her last album “Under My Heart” from 2010, basically a voice-and-piano-album, it was as if Caroline Leander found her home as a performer, songwriter and singer.
Here, the production and arrangements are bigger. The Malmo artist Leander’ special closeness and warmth are still there, as well as the tranquillity and the beautiful melodies, but now the harmony and security are clearly dominating in the singer-songwriter tracks, spiced with jazz and pop. On “Under My Heart” the intense interplay between happiness and life problems, was one of the great qualities.
So the restrained anger in “Looking for a Touch” and “Ordinary Day”, with its separation pain under the everyday surface, comes as welcome grains of salt in the middle of “Melting Into Happiness”.
Best track: Ordinary Day
Alexander Agrell / Sydsvenska Dagbladet September 12, 2012
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CONCERT
Caroline Leander & band
Simrishamnsröken March 9 2011
… “Leander’s piano-driven, positive music – where the jazzy touch has a relatively hidden place – is ideal for restaurants and pubs. The quartet arrangements for keyboard, guitar, bass and drums sounded frequently, especially thanks to Bo Håkanson’s industrious and high-quality percussive work, musically perfect. Leander’s characteristically incisive, yet gentle, vocal style suites her judicious and often intricate compositions, in everything from the painful lullaby “I did’nt not” to the for the evening being more funky “Lonely With You”. Peter Tegner’s guitar playing was striking with triumphs of the 70’s in the faster songs, and offered ethereal support in the ballads.
…. “There were no fewer than four new songs this evening all of which point out a new direction in Leander’s composing. It is slightly harder, structurally audacious and with a desire to grow in size. Let her soon get the support to make it!
Fredrik Fischer/ Ystads Allehanda
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CONCERT * * * *
Jazz Under the Stars
Caroline Leander and Viktoria Tolstoy
Brantevik July 14, 2010
”The Wednesday’s Jazz Under the Stars represented, when it comes to the jazz context, something as unusual as balance. On the whole, I have seldom attended any jazz- or other concert, so attuned and well played together.
Caroline Leander was first, a composer, pianist and singer, who has mixed her passionate jazz devotion with different theatrical tasks since the 80’s. Leanders characteristic style, a hybrid of a sardonic singer-songwriter à la Oscar Danielson and the melodic genius of Burt Bacharach, in spite of the often minor key lyrics, fits very well in this open-air concert.
Leander impresses especially as a composer and instrumentalist with a cool and controlled appearence, that makes her music surprising, unpredictable and fascinating.”
Fredrik Fischer/ Ystads Allehanda 16th July 2010
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CONCERT
Jazz Under the Stars
Caroline Leander and Viktoria Tolstoy
Brantevik July 14, 2010
”Letting two quartets, both lead by a female singer, performing at the same night is maybe not a very original move. But that idea wasn’t bad at all. On the contrary actually. Especially since Caroline Leander and Viktoria Tolstoy are their opposites in many ways, and create their music on completely different basis.
Caroline Leander was first. Sitting by the piano and backed by the brilliant guitarist Peter Tegnér, the bassist Anders Lorentzi and the drummer Bo Håkanson, she performed her own songs with a natural and relaxed attitude during her almost hour-long set. It was beautiful, melodic and sophisticated. We could recognize some of the repertoire from the latest album ”Under my heart”. But listening to some of Carolines delicate and personal melodies and lyrics live, gave them a special lustre. This autumn Caroline and her band will be playing at the stronghold of jazz in Sweden, Fasching Jazz Club in Stockholm. It should be a hit.”
Jan Olsson/ Skånska Dagbladet 16th July 2010
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OJ 3 – 2010
Caroline Leander
Under my heart (dB/Naxos)
The pianist and singer songwriter Caroline Leander composed all songs on this album.
Over the years she has developed a musical profile that belongs to the same sphere as Carole King and Norah Jones – at least this is my private opinion. Leander has a frail, slightly husky voice with her own particular vibrato.
Her compositions are mostly ballads with poetic, romantic and peculiar, bitter-sweet lyrics talking about loss, broken hearts, intense love, accompanied by a soft, flexible and yet distinct piano style. Sometimes it develops more swing, like the light-rock Troubles on my mind and in the nicely swaying half-shuffle Gravity, that should have every chance to win the Eurovision Song Contest – at least if I was on the jury…
The accompaniment is discrete and at a certain distance without being obscured – there is a good balance between the voice and the instrumental parts. Caroline & co have crafted a product which is nicely packed and well-made, recommended to all lovers of expressive and slightly romantic and swinging music.
Per Wikén
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*LIRA LIKES*
LIRA Musikmagasin 2 – 2010
Caroline Leander
Under my heart (dB/Naxos)
Even if Caroline Leander already has released three albums of her own during the 1990’s, is this the first time I get to know her – and I do it with an exceptional pleasure.
Under my heart is an extremely genuine production containing twelve songs all by Leander. The material has a wonderful range and variation, the melodic craftmanship is especially delightful – only a couple of tracks are not to my taste –and the biggest strength with this record is that the character of each song is so evident.
Musically the songs travel in a borderland between pop and jazz; above all it is Leanders fine and particular pianoplaying that gives the jazzy touch. Closest to my heart are several lovely and subtle ballads (From now on and Enemy of love). But even when the tempo is winded up with a touch of rock and gospel (Troubles on my mind and Gravity) I am full of admiration.
The arrangements are exquisite. The centre is the trio completed by Anders Lorentzi, bass and Bo Håkanson drums, but on a couple of tracks a cello and a flugelhorn create delightful colours and moods. Caroline’s own backing vocals are also very tasteful.
Caroline Leander offers without any doubt that little extra that makes a record and an artist special – personality. I beleive that it has its origin in maturity and confidence – the courage of being rather than imitating.
When I finally establish the fact that my copy will be played many times even after these lines are written, I’m full of praise for this album.
Rolf Bernskiöld
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Sydsvenska Dagbladet February 17, 2010
Caroline Leander
Under my heart (dB/Naxos)
No doubt, this album has had its time to mature. Nothing wrong about Caroline Leanders three cds from the ‘90s, but this one is on a dfferent level. The songwriting, the lyrics and the voice – products from a person who has a greater deal of experience – are of higher quality and everything on ”Under My Heart” acts together and points in the same direction. At the same time there is an ingenius and natural atmosphere in the songs.
We find ourselves in singer-songwriter-pop with jazz gloves on, built around Caroline Leanders pianoplaying, which is tasteful and often restrained, but capable of bursting out and really sparkle. The basist Anders Lorentzi and percussionist Bo Håkansson play in the same spirit as the main caracter. The ballads carry the album, but a couple of tracks wind up the tempo: the soul-jazzy ”Troubles on My Mind”, the standardlike and smart ”Unpredictable” and then the gospel- and choire-spiced ”Gravity”, the most hit-like song of the cd.
Caroline Leander uses and doesn’t need a tremendous voice to express what she wants. In her lyrics she turns relations, love affairs, and above all break ups inside out, but even in the dark depth a positiv tone is shining, thanks to the major-colour of the songs and to the singers own attitude. The content of the well worked-out lyrics is of a kind that everyone above 25 can relate to, but Caroline Leander is a sharp observer that finds the delicate breakpoints. And anyhow the originality is secured by many strong and funny expressions: ”trying/…/to keep my prince awake”, ”they say love is blind and so is hate”, “lonely with you – are you lonely too?”
Alexander Agrell
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Kristianstadsbladet February 3, 2010
Caroline Leander
Under my heart (dB/Naxos)
Sometimes a cd is like resting in someones warm arms. There is a disarming charmful address, maturity, balance and beauty.
Caroline Leanders voice has a peculiar ability to fascinate every time from the very first touch. She keeps the grip of the listener in every moment.
Her suite of songs unite wisdom to accessibility, similarity between elaboration and well worked-out variation. The timbre of the pianotrio is completed by cello, flugelhorn och background vocals. Every track feels right in a natural way. For that matter, they could gladly become radiohits, the whole bunch.
The lyrics are high class, the finesses are many. The regretful ”Enemy of love” moves deeply – in ”Gravity” the soul is shining. Here and there you find pregnant, mature lyrics: ”Forgiveness is a fragile flower/still determined to grow”.
To sum up, Caroline Leander writes better songs, sings better and plays the piano better than many similar artists with world reputation.
Sven Bjerstedt
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Skånska Dagbladet February 3, 2010
Caroline Leander
Under my heart (dB/Naxos)
After spending the last years playing french music with Ann-Marie Teinturier in the duo “Prunes”, Caroline Leander is now back again in the field of jazz. Maybe the word jazzpop is a better name, if you necessarily need one. She has put together 12 songs, most of them self-exposed(?) with deceit, shaky relationships, broken dreams and other miseries as common denominator. Only in a pair of moments the sun comes shining through. Like in the wonderful and extraordinarily personal title track and in the concluding ”Forgiveness”. But everything is extremely talented and well-made and the melodies, often ballads, are beautiful and concrete. And Carolines particular pianoplaying is as usual a relief and comfort. Why spend your money on a lightweight like Norah Jones? Caroline is much better! Besides, it’s with-it to buy local products.
Jan Olsson
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Ljusnan March 3, 2010
Caroline Leander
Under my heart (dB/Naxos)
Caroline Leander offers her listeners a delicate, melodic and beautiful voice to her own piano accompaniment, Anders Lorentzi, bass and Bo Håkanson, drums and percussions.
Twelve songs written and arranged by Caroline. Most of it is intimately lyrical and beautiful with a little sad touch. Deep feeling and nerv in the very slow Enemy of love and in the title track Under my heart. Lonely with you has delicate intensity, then letting the voice bloom in the funky Troubles on my mind. From now on, joined by Petter Lindgård, flügelhorn and Mattias Rodrick, cello, has also nice rhythm. Attractive jazz singing in the subtle style of Norah Jones.
Thord Ehnberg
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Smålandsposten March 31, 2010
Caroline Leander
Under my heart (dB/Naxos)
“This is beautiful, sad, sincerely, honestly and deeply meant. Then add well sung, well arranged and well played, and you cover the most of what Caroline Leander has to offer”…
Magnus Nilsson
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Voices about earlier recordings and concerts:
”Caroline Leander is like a female Michael Franks. Just like the supercool American, she succedes in balancing her intelligent songs in a way that they become neither jazz nor pop, but something very interesting in between.” …”Caroline Leanders music can warm up the most frozen soul.”
(Dan Backman/Svenska Dagbladet)
”The songs are created in a classical, Californian singer/songwriter-spirit… Musically Caroline Leander is completely developed.”
(Kjell Häglund/POP)
”The composer Caroline Leander… is with no doubt one of the most personal and gifted jazzwomen we have seen in Sweden for a very long time.” ”Carolines voice is personal, unpretentious, rhythmically vital, as well as her tasteful and particular pianoplaying”.
(Jan Olsson/Arbetet)
“Caroline´s trump card is that she has both modern pop feeling, and the quality of songwriting that created the classic ballads of jazz”.
(Alexander Agrell SDS)
”Lucky Dreams is on the whole a very strong debut album, shimmering of the sensual and och intimate jazz that is the musical mark of Caroline Leander.”
(Christer Borg/Kvällsposten)
“Caroline Leanders pianoplaying is brilliant. Her instrumental excursions sometimes turn out to be separate little pieces.”
“There´s something amazing about Leander´s pianoplaying, same adventure every time.
As if she´s been together with the piano for ever”.
( Kjell A Johansson/ Kristianstadsbladet)
“Her strong personality – both as a musician, singer and composer – gives evidence of a firm determination”.
(Göran Olsson/Gefle Dagblad)
”Prunes is on the verge of a perfect duo.” ”…Caroline Leander is adding her personal and expressive voice, a little lighter and airier, and above that she is an heroine of striking backing vocals. Her pianoplaying is melodical, jazzy and peculiar…”
(Alexander Agrell /Sydsvenskan)