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Thomas Backman
About
“Crime Jazz”, “Jazz for a new generation” & “slow-burn yearning widescreen chamber pop” . There are many ways trying to describe the unique sound of reedplayer Thomas Backmans band.
Backman, one of Swedens most reputable reedplayers for 15 years, formed a band of his own in 2016. The special blend of styles and dynamic arrangements made the debutalbum “Did You Have a Good Day, David?” (2018) a critically acclaimed success. The band followed up the release with concerts at important venues such as Pizza Express in London and Rochester Jazz Festival & Nublu in the US.
August 6 2021 the sequel was released: “When light is put away”.
Since created in the time of 2 ongoing crises; the pandemic and the climate crisis the album turned both dark and thoughtful. The album received the prestigious Manifestaward for
Best Jazz Album of 2021.
With the feature of shoegaze, hiphop, orchestral pop and free jazz as well as the words of Emily Dickinson the essence of Backmans music is recognizable but developed.
An “outside the box” voice in the jazzscene today.
upcoming
april 23 2026
visby, se
roxy
june 28 2026
arboga, se
medåker (trioconcert)
more dates tba!
previous
Aug 3 2016
Trosa, SE
Trosa Stads kyrka
August 30 2018
Stockholm, sE
scalateatern
Official release show!
june 27 2019
New York city, ny, US
Scandinavia house
October 20 2022
Eskilstuna, Se
Biografbaren
dec 6 2023
trondheim, no
antikvariatet
Okt 12 2016
Stockholm, Se
Stockholm Jazz
Festival
Apr 20 2017
Upplands Väsby, SE
Picchus Cafe
October 15 2018
Stockholm, sE
glenn miller cafe
stockholm jazz festival
june 28 2019
New York city, ny, US
nublu 151
October 18 2018
Vänersborg, sE
Vänersborg musikförening
August 14 2019
Trosa, Se
Trosa Stads Kyrka
October 22 2022
Stockholm, Se
Södra Latin
Södra Latin Jazzfestival
November 19 2022
Sundsvall, Se
Pipeline
Jan 18 2024
Vänersborg, Se
Vänersborg Folkets Hus
Jan 19 2024
Hallsberg, Se
Hallsbergs Jazzklubb
Apr 21 2017
Alvesta, Se
Alvesta Jazz & Blues
November 23 2018
London, Uk
Pizza Express soho
London jazz festival
October 2 2019
Sandviken, SE
Björksätra kyrka
January 26 2023
Stockholm, Se
Fasching
April 6 2024
Tallinn, EE
TallinN music week
Fotografiska
Apr 22 2017
Kristianstad, Se
Blue Bird jazz
January 31 2019
Mariehamn, AX
Alandica Auditorie
February 1 2020
Strängnäs, Se
Åkers Kyrka
January 31 2023
Halmstad, Se
Halmstad Jazzclub
March 26 2025
Sandviken, SE
Sandviken Jazzclub
May 4 2017
Umeå, Se
Umeå Jazzstudio
March 8 2019
Malmö, se
Jazz i Malmö
August 5 2020
trosa,se
trosa stads kyrka
Oct 9 2023
Karlskrona, SE
konserthuset
march 29 2025
upplands väsby, se
messingen
October 10
stockholm, se
kulturhuset stadsteatern
stockholm jazz festival
Oct 10 2023
Kristianstad, se
blue bird jazz
Oct 12 2023
Örebro, Se
Örebro Teater
January 25 2023
Musikhuset
Gävle, Se
May 11 2017
Svalöv, se
Fridhems fhsk
March 9 2019
Helsingborg, SE
Tivoli
Sep 17 2020
Umeå, sweden
studion
July 14 2017
Söderhamn, se
Världsarvsjazzen
april 16 2019
bollnäs, se
bollnäs jazzclub
August 19 2021
Stockholm, Se
official releaseshow
Scalateatern
June 22 2019
Washington, Dc US
Nordic jazz festival
August 21 2021
Västerås, Se
Jazzfesten konserthuset
September 1 2021
Nordic House
Reykjavik, Iceland
July 26 2017
Trosa, se
Trosa stads kyrka
July 27 2017
Sandviken, se
musik i bruksmiljö
may 16 2019
gothenburg, se
nefertiti
july 30 2025
stockholm, se
third place art cafe
July 31 2025
Triigi, EE
triigi filharmoonia
August 2 2025
Augsburg, DE
Augsburger jazzsommer
october 17
stockholm, se
hotel hellsten
stockholm jazz festival
(trioconcert)
Nov 11 2023
Älmhult, se
älmhult music & arts
Nov 22 2023
bollnäs, se
bollnäs kyrka
nov 23 2023
sandviken, se
kanalgården
Nov 24 2023
Upplands Väsby, SE
Picchus Cafe
June 24 2019
Baltimore, md US
An die Musik Live
July 28 2017
Stockholm, se
Glenn miller cafe
October 21 2021
Stockholm, se
Stockholm Jazz Festival
Aliasteatern
Mar 7 2018
Malmö, se
bullret, inkonst
June 30 2018
Sandviken, SE
Jazzfestival Bangen
August 16 2018
Trosa, SE
Trosa Stads Kyrka
June 25 2019
Cleveland, oh, US
bop stop at the
music settlement
June 26 2019
Rochester, ny, US
rochester jazz festival
November 13 2021
Mölndal, SE
katakomberna
April 22 2022
Gothenburg, Se
Klubb Impuls
Fängelset Härlanda
Sep 27 2017
Gävle, se
Gävle jazzclub
oktober 24 2025
Umeå, se
umeå jazzfestival
Calendar
Music Video
Did You Have A Good Day, David?
It´s a, let me say it directly, very good debut. Varied, resourceful, personal and serious" -Dan Backman Orkesterjournalen
Rated 4/5
"A personal music that breaks the Imagination of traditional improvisation without templates or copying something else...."Jazz for a new generation"
-Göran Olson Gefle Dagblad
"We think of Kamasi Washington. But this swings a lot more than Washington....Throughout the whole album we are served musical experiences, extremely varied and nice --Jan Granlie, Salt Peanuts
""If you’ve been searching for the missing link between rap, sprechsang, muscular European free jazz and Nancy Sinatra singing You Only Live Twice congratulations, you’ve found it”
-Bebop Spoken Here
"All the music on the album is done with care, precision and warmth" -Jan Gradvall Dagens Industri
”They played their proverbial asses off, generating an intensity that suggested that playing this music represented an essential cathartic process”
-Ian Mann, The Jazz Mann
“Each player was a creative mastermind, maximizing their possible range and output. Whether teetering into techno, bursting into bombast, or coasting quietly on a beautiful melody, the quartet had the audience rapt for the full hour.”-Eli Stein, NYS Music
"The Swedish quartet’s mixture of slow-burn yearning widescreen chamber pop with elements of jazz and electronica deserves wider attention-------Sparkling synths and haunting hocketing vocals with beautiful lyrics in Swedish and English charting icy topographies reminiscent at times of Björk"
-AJ Dehany London Jazz News
Rated 5/5
"Simply an unique universe"
SKJazz
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