Interview: Coco Chatru Quartet's 'Lost Christmas' Part 1 (with leader Håkan Trygger of Trygger Music)

Coco Chatru Quartet's 'Lost Christmas' is our 4th encounter with the group led by Håkan Trygger so we thought it was about time we had a chat about the new album, Ballin' The Jack Orchestra and "raising your jazz spirits with not the obvious seasonal fayre"!

If you're new to the Trygger Music "family', we know that the Coco Chatru Quartet have just released their third album, 'Lost Christmas' (see review HERE) that was preceeded by the album 'Future' (see review HERE) and 'Limbokolia' (see review HERE) but it was only recently we learnt of the Ballin' The Jack Orchestra that's fronted by trumpet player, Thomas Driving (an original member of Gugge Hendrenius Big Blues Band that started in the early 70s) and included trombonist Dicken Hedrenius (son of Gugge) and Ture Trygger (son of Håkan); not forgetting Charlie Malmberg as member of both BTJO and CCQ).

So it seemed a good time to investigate what's going on with modern Swedish jazz and Christmas at a recent reheasal:- 

Gerry Hectic (YATM): Can you tell me something about Coco Chatru Quartet, and the thoughts behind the album 'Lost Christmas'? 

Håkan Trygger: Coco Chatru Quartet is a jazz project that originated as a collaboration between the members of the band and the Swedish artist John Andersson. The plan was to make three albums with covers by Andersson.

Charlie Malmberg (member of Gugge Hendrenius Big Blues Band, BallinTheJackOrchestra, baritone sax and saxophonist in CCQ): 'Future' had to be the first, obviously.

Linus Kåse (alto sax): When I saw John’s artwork »En syn – Tiden« (»A Vision – The Time« I knew instantly that the trilogy had to culminate in a Christmas album.

Daniel Kåse (drums/vibe): When we got deeper into the Coco Chatru project, new things were made clear to us.

HT: Yes, while thinking about Christmas song to record, we found new information about Coco Chatru.

CM: When we heard the rumours that Coco Chatru had starred in a Christmas movie, it was made clear that Linus was right all along. We had to do a Christmas album.

YATM: How did the new record evolve from the previous two albums?

DK: The trilogy of albums fit together musically through the sound, familiar style…

CM: … the way we play. Even though we’ve broadened the palette of sound by adding more instruments on the later records.

LK: Sleighbells!

HT: No Christmas music is possible without sleighbells.

DK: The music on the first two albums evolved when we played them on gigs.

HT:  We also have more music, several recorded songs that did not fit into the albums musically and thematically. So the trilogy is not a finished project.

LK: Rather it is the beginning.

HT: The first trilogy in the Coco Chatru Saga.

DK: Yes. More albums are coming!

CM: … We have also produced music with CCQ for other projects; for example, we have done concerts together with poets and actors.

LK: Yes, we then added synthesizers and electronic devises. Big beats.

YATM:  Ok. What do we need to know about a Swedish Christmas traditions that we don't know about (especially related to the track titles)?

DK: We couldn’t record traditional Christmas music, not with this band. Even if we all like the Christmas Classics, both the jazz Christmas classics and the Swedish traditional music.

LK: There are lots of Swedish traditional Christmas songs.

HT: Several of them are drinking songs, like Hej tomtegubbar slå I glasen (»Hello Tomte Jubbas / Gnome-lads, raise your glasses«).

DK: Or songs that people used to sing and play while they danced around the Christmas Tree. Like Räven raskar över isen (»The Fox rushes over the ice«). Several of these songs are also sung at Midsommar, Midsummer’s Eve, in Sweden.

LK: Yes and we eat the same food at Christmas and at Midsummer parties. The song »Coco raskar över isen« on Lost Christmas is a playful shoutout to Räven raskar, combining folk rythms and melodies with jazz.

HT: And your songs, Linus, »Gästerna kommer« and »Prosten«…

LK: What about them?

HT: I think you said you were inspired by Ingmar Bergman, and his big scenes with dramatic dark undertones?

LK: Did I say that? … yes they have a sinister intent.

DK: Regarding Christmas, the word for Christmas in Swedish is »Jul«. A very old word going back to medieval heathen ages.

HT:  Yes, probably Jul was originally used for heathen midwinter celebrations, »midvinterblotet«, the sacrifice-party of winter.

LK: And also Jultomten – Father Christmas or the Christmas Gnome – has a special form in Sweden. He appears on the 24^th of December, suddenly knocking on the door…

DK: Pounding on the door.

LK: Yes, very loud. And giving presents to the kids.

CM: And before Jultomten, back in the old days, it was Julbocken (the Christmas-Goat) who pounded on the door.

HT: Julbocken!

DK: But Julbocken, I think, did not give presents to the kids. Rather it was some sort of public mischief…

LK: Yes, a Carnival! Julbockens karneval.

YATM: Any future gigs/radio appearances lined up?

DK: We have a series of gigs in the Stockholm area in December.

LK: Promoting 'Lost Christmas'.

CM: And we’re doing a Christmas show on a theatre in Södermalm, Stockholm, called Ö2scenkonst, together with an actor portraying Coco Chatru as the teller of horror stories.

HT: We are presently booking gigs for 2026. We would really love to come and play in England, Gerry!

YATM:  We'll certainly be looking forward to that but is there anything else about the band/you that you want to tell us?

DK: More music is coming. And more albums!

HT: We are also planning for a major film music project in cooperation with a movie theatre in Stockholm. The plan is that we are going to compose and perform music to Frits Lang’s classic Metropolis, during late fall 2026.

LK: We will continue to record new music and perform live, further exploring the adventures of Coco Chatru.

Well, as we thank the band for their time and insight on all things CCQ, (Ed. how exciting to hear news of a soundtrack as music inspired by Fritz Lang's classic futuristic silent film 'Metropolis' from 1927 for a 100 anniversary!)  we definitely going raise a glass to 'Lost Christmas' this month and check out some Swedish traditions (musically at least?)

Part 2: Interview with BallinTheJack (Trygger Music) with comments from Thomas coming soon. 

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER: https://tidal.com

Artist: Coco Chatru Quartet

Title: Lost Christmas

Release date: 29th November, 2025

Label: Trygger Music

Catalog Number : TM4

Format : Vinyl LP / Spotify / Tidal 

Review: Coco Chatru Quartet - Lost Christmas (Trygger Music)

Coco Chatru Quartet's 'Lost Christmas' is here to bring and cheers whilst raising your jazz spirits with not the obvious seasonal fayre!

If you could look into Coco Chatru Quartet's 'Future' (see review HERE) and the follow-up, 'Limbokolia' (see review HERE), I bet that nobody could have foreseen a "Christmas" album.  That said, this is a 'lost' christmas that's not full of cover versions and cliché.  No doubt, due to the a continued the inspiration of Coco Chatru (a legendary Swedish adventurer) who may (or not) journeyed to see Father Christmas.

This 'alternative' seasonal vibe is assisted by some traditional bell jangling and twinkling on a couple of intros like 'Gästerna kommer' (The Guests Are Coming) which has a sense of forebodding/jazz excitement: this is perfect a just when you think the band is going into a Wayne Shorter-est solo, there's this Gregorian Chant that would suit the Xmas Edition of 'Traitors'.

And talking of TV shows, the mournful waltz of 'Mys vid brasan' might sound like a outtake from 'Tales Of The Unexpected' but the warmth ot the baritone sax gives away the translated title of 'Cozy By The Fireplace'.   

'Pulka' is more 'sled' related buisness which again has an angular swing in the Christmas forests as Santa bring us gifts; which is cool, but why is the track so short!  I suppose it links in with the concept tied into the abstract storyline like 'På vinterpromenad' (On a Winter Walk) and 'Ringdans' (Ring Dance).  

Have you noticed the Swedish language seems to have more poetic expressions for winter events?  'En juldröm' is 'A Christmas Dream' and it sounds just like that whilst 'Tomtarnas midnatt' is a little horn battle of a jumpy affair (The Gnomes' Midnight) and 'Coco Raskar över isen' (Coco skates on the ice) is the quirky in the middel of the two.

The longest track on the album 'Prosten' ('the Dean') manages to combine all of the above with the jingles bells to start, leading up to a bit of a blow out as the party starts before they all get lost in a swinging 'Snöyra' (that 'blizzard' to you and me) with Linus showing us the way.

And this why Christmas is "lost" with the band being playful and serious and still proving that a jazz quartet does not necessarily need a piano, as in Linus Kåse (alto saxophone), Charlie Malmberg (baritone saxophone), Håkan Trygger (double bass) and Daniel Kåse (drums/vibraphone).  

And talking of vibes and playful, 'Julnocturne' is the name for a nightime sky in July (Christmas lost?) and 'Slädens framfart' (Ed. Stop sniggering at the back) is the rushing 'The Sled's Progress' as it's racing through the snow to your favourite Xmas jazzdance [Insert here - we're going for 21st December at Shiftless Shuffle Xmas Edition with DJs Perry Louis, Paul Murphy and Colin Parnell at Great Portland Street, London] along with a belting 'NEIPA': oh! yeah!

But before that, and If you're lucky enought to be in Stockholm this month, there's the gig/release party on 29th November at the Record Store Djungel & Jazz (located in the heart of Södermalm, Stockholm).  You'll recall that the previous albums were vinyl only so I'd encourage you to pre-order now (see links below).

Definitely going raise a glass to 'Lost Christmas' this Christmas and it might save yours (musically at least?)

BUY LINK / PRE-ORDER: https://tidal.com

Artist: Coco Chatru Quartet

Title: Lost Christmas

Release date: 29th November, 2025

Label: Trygger Music

Catalog Number : TM4

Format : Vinyl LP / Spotify / Tidal 

Review: Coco Chatru Quartet - Limbokolia (Trygger Music)

Coco Chatru Quartet's 'Future' was a taste of things to come as this summer, the follow-up album 'Limbokolia' is released!

The album, 'Future' (see review HERE), was a vinyl only release last year but the good news now is it's now available on all the usual streaming platforms as is the new album 'Limbokolia' as well as a vinyl LP.  

Not only that there's a continuation of the artwork (by John Anderson), the inspiration of Coco Chatru (a legendary Swedish adventurer), the album and comes with a board game cover insert: the jazz concept album is back!

The Swedish Jazz band consisting of Linus Kåse (alto saxophone), Charlie Malmberg (baritone saxophone), Håkan Trygger (double bass) and Daniel Kåse (drums/vibraphone) are back on form and proof that a jazz quartet does not necessarily need a piano.

That said, 'SPIF'  could be proof that the album does need more of Kåse's sensititve vibes; or is it just the case that Kåse (L) and Kåse (D) know how to play to each other's style along with Charlie and Håkan? 

And I think we can safely say that, "From Goodman to Shorter, some of the best jazz has carried the sign of four" [Mac Randal, Jazz Times]: Benny Goodman, of course, being the clarinet master known as 'The King Of Swing' and notwithstanding what I've said above about piano, the Coco Chatru 4 swing like a piano-less Dave Brubeck Quartet that with the cool alto sax of a Paul Desmond.

The ten tracks do swing like, or just cool, is there West Coast cool in Sweden for 'Ormen med giget' where all four members are on it particularly the saxes interplay followed by some drum and bass interplay with Håkan and Daniel.

"Klätterträd" (translates as "A Tree For Climbing" - remember that there is a board game that comes with this album and Coco was an explorer) has a strange resonance to 'Mystic Brew' (the Ronnie Foster classic) or is it me?  The aforementioned 'SPIF' stands for "Safe Passage Internazionale de Falconetti" and the like the freeform-esque 'Zinkmannenss skafferi' ('The Attic of The Man of Zinc') starts to make sense as it's connected to Coco's trip to Madid and the introduction to "The Man of Zink" [announce out loud in Super Hero voice tones] and finding a map leading to the land of "The Man of Zink", 'Limbokolia' and the journey to find it - Raiders of the Lost Ark and similar.

Surprisingly, no mellow Swedish bossa on the album but you do get a really cool 'Cocos Bolero' (as in 1984 Winner Olympics, Torvill & Dean's 'Bolero' (aka Ravel's Bolero) with a suitable 'climax' ending, 'Waterslide' (perfect for my forthcoming Chilled Cider Festival set this month) and current favourite, 'Trubbel i källaren' (Big Trouble in the Basement).

As I said of 'Future', it would be easy for them to have thrown in a quick/populist cover version, so what do they do?  The only cover version is Duke Ellington's 'Melancholia' which you can hardly call 'Sauna' (sorry, Eurovision fans). That would have have stuck out like the proverbial sore thumb as the Coco Chatru's Jazz Adveturers are way cooler than that (again!)to

Remember, do not 'Go straight to Jail' is this game, follow the arrow and proceed directly to LImbokolia!

Release party for the album next Saturday, June 14th, At the record store Djungel & Jazz in Stockholm.  https://djungelochjazz.se/

https://www.instagram.com/djungelochjazz/

BUY LINK: https://cocochatruquartet.bandcamp.com/album/limbokolia

Artist: Coco Chatru Quartet

Title: Limbokolia

Release date: June, 2025

Label: Trygger Music

Catalog Number : TM2

Format : Vinyl LP / Spotify / Tidal 

Recorded at the Stockholm Concert Hall, November 23-24, 2024 

Recording, mix, master: Linus Kåse 

Review: Coco Chatru Quartet - Future (2025) (Trygger Music)

We've been so lucky recently to have featured new jazz albums from Sweden and here's another that's a revelation and shines a light on Coco Chatru Quartet's 'Future'.

The artwork might be retro (al la Ladybird book covers), Coco Chatru (the Quartets inspiraton, is a legendary Swedish adventurer) and the album was debuted at the Glenn Miller Cafe (this is no Glenn Miller war-time jazz).

So before we look to the 'Future', it's worth a moment to point out that jazz has been in Sweden for nearly 100 years, and whilst it might not be at it's historic peak at the moment, it does seem from this distance that there is a 'revival' similar to the Norwegian Jazzland Recordings or Finland's Ricky-Tick Records 20-25 years ago.  

That's not to say there haven't been some modern Swedish jazz masters like free jazz saxophonist, Mats Gustafsson and more recently, Anna-Maria Nordström band on 'Mod' (see reveiw HERE) and Joel Haag's 'Bistro' (see review HERE).

Back to the 'Future', this eight track album is beautifully recorded and there's some big swingin' tracks like, 'På Flykt (x) Genom Djungeln' and the where all four members are on it: being, Linus Kåse (alto sax), Charlie Malmberg (baritone sax), Håkan Trygger (double bass) and Daniel Kåse (drums).

On a different vibe, Swedish bossa mellows out on 'Paubrazil' and at the othe extreme, the two longest tracks (at just over six minutes), 'Tillbaka Till Hytten' is a tender Ayler-esque blues and 'Ner I Djupet' is a killer, baritone sax led film noire OST big band swing in a Quartet setting. 

And it's interesting how swinging horns are supported by drums and bass on 'Kampsång', 'Plötsligt Händer Det' (the one with Håkan's acoustic bass solo) and 'Dagdroppe'.

All songs are their own compositions and when you're as good a musician as these guys are, it could have been easy to have thrown in a quick populist cover version,  That would have have stuck out like the proverbial sore thumb as the Coco Chatru's Jazz Adveturers are cooler than that.

Just going back to history, I don't suppose I can leave out meniton of the adoption of many U.S. jazz musicians in the sixties in Europe, particularly Albert Ayler, Don Cherry and Ornette Coleman in Scandinavia (and importantly, The Ornette Coleman Trio's album, 'At The "Golden Circle", Stockholm' on Blue Note) and CCQ have taken some of that heritage into their Stockholm free-swing on this great album.

2025 Update, this was only available on vinyl last year (see review HERE) but now available on streaming platforms. 

Artist: Coco Chatru Quartet

Title: Future

Release date: 9th May, 2025

Label: Trygger Music

Catalog Number : TM1

Format :  Spotify / Tidal (Vinyl LP - 28th March, 2024)

Review: Coco Chatru Quartet - Future (Trygger Music)

We've been so lucky recently to have featured new jazz albums from Sweden and here's another that's a revelation and shines a light on Coco Chatru Quartet's 'Future'.

The artwork might be retro (al la Ladybird book covers), Coco Chatru (the Quartets inspiraton, is a legendary Swedish adventurer) and the album was debuted at the Glenn Miller Cafe (this is no Glenn Miller war-time jazz).

So before we look to the 'Future', it's worth a moment to point out that jazz has been in Sweden for nearly 100 years, and whilst it might not be at it's historic peak at the moment, it does seem from this distance that there is a 'revival' similar to the Norwegian Jazzland Recordings or Finland's Ricky-Tick Records 20-25 years ago.  

That's not to say there haven't been some modern Swedish jazz masters like free jazz saxophonist, Mats Gustafsson and more recently, Anna-Maria Nordström band on 'Mod' (see reveiw HERE) and Joel Haag's 'Bistro' (see review HERE).

Back to the 'Future', this eight track album is beautifully recorded and there's some big swingin' tracks like, 'På Flykt (x) Genom Djungeln' and the where all four members are on it: being, Linus Kåse (alto sax), Charlie Malmberg (baritone sax), Håkan Trygger (double bass) and Daniel Kåse (drums).

On a different vibe, Swedish bossa mellows out on 'Paubrazil' and at the othe extreme, the two longest tracks (at just over six minutes), 'Tillbaka Till Hytten' is a tender Ayler-esque blues and 'Ner I Djupet' is a killer, baritone sax led film noire OST big band swing in a Quartet setting. 

And it's interesting how swinging horns are supported by drums and bass on 'Kampsång', 'Plötsligt Händer Det' (the one with Håkan's acoustic bass solo) and 'Dagdroppe'.

All songs are their own compositions and when you're as good a musician as these guys are, it could have been easy to have thrown in a quick populist cover version,  That would have have stuck out like the proverbial sore thumb as the Coco Chatru's Jazz Adveturers are cooler than that.

Just going back to history, I don't suppose I can leave out meniton of the adoption of many U.S. jazz musicians in the sixties in Europe, particularly Albert Ayler, Don Cherry and Ornette Coleman in Scandinavia (and importantly, The Ornette Coleman Trio's album, 'At The "Golden Circle", Stockholm' on Blue Note) and CCQ have taken some of that heritage into their Stockholm free-swing on this great album.

Only available on vinyl at the moment so get you're orders in now!

Artist: Coco Chatru Quartet

Title: Future

Release date: 28th March, 2024

Label : Trygger Music

Catalog Number : TM1

Format :  Vinyl LP