One of the burgeoning Swedish jazz musicians, pianist and composer Mathias Landaeus plays intelligent, hard hitting jazz with a dose of humor. Landaeus was born in Sweden in 1969, and was initially influenced by Bill Evans, Swedish folk music, Weather Report, and the occasional jazz musicians he saw traveling through the area. After moving to New York in 1992, he studied at the Mannes College of Music, graduating in 1995. While in college, Landaeus had the opportunity to play small jazz clubs in the city, building his chops and reputation. He assembled American bassist David Milleand, drummer Sebastian Voegler, and fellow Swede tenor saxophonist Karl-Martin Almqvist for his first album Blabete. Following the disc's release, Landaeus and his band toured Europe before moving back to Sweden and recording his second album, Darling, on the Swedish label Amigo. ~ Al Campbell, Rovi