Urban Hansson

Swedish reedplayer

URBAN HANSSON, born June 6, 1943. Saxophone and flute. He studied saxophone in the USA with Booker Ervin. Hansson was a member of he Swedish group the Gimmicks. Between 1969-73 he travelled all over the world doing radio, television and recording work with them. He used to have a program on the Swedish radio called "Jazzbetonat", which translates rather aptly "Emphasis On Jazz".

Emphasis On Jazz" was the name of the group he formed together with piano player Berndt Egerbladh in 1976. The group´s first LP (simply called "Emphasis On Jazz") was released in 1977. It was the object of considerable international acclaim and was released in Japan under the title of "Sengakuji", which was an allusion to a famous Tokyo temple. During the summer in 1980 the group´s second LP "Tabaruzaka" was released. It was a reaffirmation of the group´s interest in Japanese music and culture: an adaption of Japanese folksongs. In 1984 Emphasis On Jazz wanted to make its European features stand out on the group´s third LP "A Joy That´s Shared".

In the middle of the 80´s, Urban Hansson began to emphasize his flute playing, cooperating with the guitar player Jonny Johansson and the bass player Dan Berglund. Their trio CD "Swedish Woodwind" was released on the Biba Records label in 1999. In May 2004 GillboLaget Records released a compilation CD of "Emphasis On Jazz" with a new edition in August 2014. In June 2007 Urban Hansson´s latest album "Flute Fascination" was released on the label GillboLaget Records.