The Sound of Sweden Pia Fridhill’s new album „My Swedish Songbook“ conveys the lightness of Nordic summer days and the blue melancholy of late evenings – highlighted by the melodic qualities of the Swedish language. Swedish Jazz-, Blues and Pop singer Pia Fridhill gave up a promising engineering career in Sweden and emigrated to Germany in 2000. In a fit of homesickness she went through her old songbooks and chose the tunes that had touched her the most when she grew up. Her journey through the musical landscapes of Sweden is a tribute and a (vocal) sequel to Jan Johansson’s global success „Jazz på svenska“ from the 60s, an album which to this date influences the Scandinavian jazz scene. Jazz in Swedish „My Swedish Songbook“ includes 13 songs from three centuries that pretty much picture the Swedish culture. The newest song on the album is a Bossa composed by herself and her husband. Pia’s versatile, warm voice tells the stories while accompanied by some of the best in their field: Stefan Michalke (grand piano), David Andres (double bass), Steffen Thormählen (drums & percussion), Johannes Flamm (clarinets, saxophones) and Johannes Zink (guitars, lute). The album was recorded at Grammy Award winning Hansahaus Studios in Bonn by the brilliant Klaus Genuit. Sweden’s musical treasures live The delicate acoustic tapestry of this album perfectly echoes the melancholy of the North. In this Swedish-German encounter Pia Fridhill’s nostalgia subtly triggers the musical ‘wanderlust’ of her fellow German musicians. The band communicates so intimately with her singing that Music translates the stories into pure Feeling, making it hardly necessary to understand the Swedish language. Tillsammans – together – Pia Fridhill and her musicians address all facets of the Scandinavian way of life. During concerts Pia comments on the culture and mentality of her fellow countrymen and -women in a charming, amusing, at times also thought-provoking way – a live experience in which some of Sweden’s secrets and mysteries are unveiled.