John Fordham writes a nice appreciation here of the Esbjorn Svensson Trio (EST):
"When you listen to Brad Mehldau, or Keith Jarrett, and maybe a little bit to us too, it's more like another kind of chamber music - the effect you might get from a good string quartet. The audience can see and hear the communication within the group, more so than happens in a symphony orchestra or a big band where everybody's supposed to be doing their part. And melody, melodies you could sing if you wanted to - that seems central to what we do. Playing in this band has been a fantastic experience for me, and it still is. Of course it has its ups and downs, like a marriage." He [Svensson] laughs at the thought. "And we all know how easy that is."