The name Björn Yttling is synonymous with the Swedish indie golden age of the 2000s. He’s not just the Björn in Peter, Bjorn & John – he also helped shape Lykke Li’s sound and has produced for Robyn, Anna Ternheim and First Aid Kit. But before his pop career took off, he used to take the train to Stockholm every week for private lessons with Esbjörn Svensson.
With Yttling Jazz he returnes to the jazz roots he began exploring in his teens, with Esbjörn as mentor. Now the project is back with an expanded version of the Grammy-nominated album Illegal Hit: five new tracks, including “Strange”, co-written and performed with Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream. The music is cinematic and dynamic, drawing on Jan Johansson, Mingus, Nino Rota and Brian Eno, with Yttling’s fingerprint as songwriter and producer visible throughout.
The show at Slaktkyrkan during Stockholm Jazz Festival 2025 sold out and led Dagens Nyheter to write about “a teaspoon of Morricone, a dash of Mingus, a pinch of Ellington.” “Groovy, grand, cool, funky,” was Lira’s verdict.
