Palle Danielsson

Swedish jazz bassist and composer Palle Danielsson left his mark on numerous recordings and was a member of Keith Jarrett's quartet from 1974 to 1979. Born in Stockholm, Sweden on October 15, 1946, he began playing the harmonica at an early age, while his older sister Monica took up the piano (she went on to a career as Monica Dominique). At the age of eight, he studied violin for five years, before turning to double bass when his passion for jazz took over. After studying at the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm between 1962 and 1966, Palle Danielsson joined local bands, accompanying Georg Riedel and Karin Krog, before being invited to sessions with international musicians such as Bill Evans, Steve Kuhn, and Lee Konitz. In 1971, he was a member of the Rena Rama group - alongside Bengt Berger, Bobo Stenson, and Lennart Åberg - and he played on the three successive albums influenced by traditional music recorded between 1973 and 1979. He also accompanied Jan Garbarek, Rolf Kühn, Enrico Rava, and Albert Mangelsdorff. During the same period, Palle Danielsson played in Keith Jarrett's quartet, which recorded the albums Belonging (1974) and My Song (1978). After that, he and drummer Jon Christensen formed a sought-after rhythm section on the ECM label. The double bassist continued to record with artists like Tomasz Stańko, Charles Lloyd, Archie Shepp, Michel Petrucciani, Barney Wilen, Zoot Sims, Al Cohn, John Abercrombie, Peter Erskine, Nils Landgren, Anouar Brahem, Richard Galliano, Geri Allen, John Taylor, and other jazz and pop artists including Monica Zetterlund. In 1994, Palle Danielsson recorded Contra Post, his first album as a leader. He continued his activity over the following two decades, where he reunited with the group Rena Rama and Jan Garbarek. In 2012, he recorded the album Togetherness as a duo with his sister. On May 18, 2024, Palle Danielsson died at the age of 77.

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