Obituary, Palle Danielsson (1946-2024)

It’s very sad to be writing another obituary in such a short space of time since our last, but it is unfortunately inevitable in this day and age. Palle Danielsson, the Swedish double bassist who helped bridge the gap between American and European jazz styles in the 1970s, has passed away this week at the age of 77.

Born on 15th October, 1946 in Stockholm, Danielsson trod a musical path from an early age. Prior to his principal study, he had already mastered the harmonica and violin over the course of his childhood. In 1962, he entered the Royal College of Music before switching to his main instrument and embarking on a career of performing with some of the greatest jazz artists of his time. Despite already having made a name for himself on the Swedish scene during this time, it was in support of his international collaborators that Danielsson started to gain widespread recognition. After backing Bill Evans in 1965 whilst still a teenager, the young bassist would later perform in different settings with American expats Steve Kuhn and Lee Konitz.

All this and more, before what has undoubtedly gone on to become the crowning achievement in Danielsson’s legacy – his role in Keith Jarrett’s European Quartet, alongside Jan Garbarek and Jon Christensen. With only a handful of recordings made over the course of their existence (and with the several released since), this ensemble rewrote the jazz rulebook during the seventies. By interspersing rich and soulful grooves with spatial elements of European classical and folk music, Jarrett’s Scandi troupe would painlessly navigate the direction in which the genre was headed at the time. The group’s debut album Belonging (1974) proved to be an instant success, with the effortless synchronicity of Danielsson and Christensen's rocksteady beat a match made in heaven. So popular was the record that Donald Fagen of Steely Dan took inspiration from its standout hit, ‘As Long As You Know You’re Living Yours’, when composing his group’s ‘Gaucho’ (1980), in what would lead to an infamous copyright infringement lawsuit between Jarrett and the American rock group.

Apart from the 'Belonging Band', Danielsson went on to form lasting relationships with several other key artists on the ECM roster. Garbarek and Bobo Stenson remained his close partners, whilst other such versatile talents as Charles Lloyd, Edward Vesala, Tomasz Stańko, Colin Walcott and Enrico Rava would also call on his services at one point or another. His unorthodox association with Peter Erskine and John Taylor towards the end of the last century produced a run of exploratory albums, and Contra Post (1994), the debut album Danielsson released as leader around this time, is a further example of his eternally fresh musicality. 

Below are some of our favourite recordings to feature the late Swedish bassist...