Sweden’s favourite writer of children’s books Astrid Lidgren also wrote many songs that were given music by well known Swedish jazz musicians such as Jan Johansson, Georg Riedel and Bengt Hallberg.

Trumpet and flugelhorn player Lasse Lindgren, well known as lead trumpeter in Denmark Radio’s Big Band, has come up with the idea of giving jazz treatments to these songs in the belief that they will be suitable ”both in junior day schools and jazz clubs”. I myself didn’t believe that jazz versions of ”Här kommer Pippi Långstrump”, ”Sjörövar Fabbe”, ”Lille katt”, and ”Jag gör så att blommorna blomma” would make good listening but the fact is that the jazz comes to full bloom in the hands of musicians such as Lindgren, pianist Tommy Kotter, bassist Peter Janson and drummer David Sundby.

I’m sure that dear Astrid, who was so broad minded would have loved the music.

Uno Ohlsson