Adam Forkelid - Dreams (2025) Hi Res

Stockholm-based pianist and composer Adam Forkelid, a longtime mainstay of the Scandinavian jazz scene, presents a deeply personal solo record born from a single improvised concert that became something extraordinary.

Over the past two decades, Forkelid has established himself as one of Sweden’s most distinctive pianists and composers. From his early breakthrough with the influential trio Lekverk, to collaborations with Maria Schneider, Nils Landgren, Viktoria Tolstoy, and the Norrbotten Big Band, he has consistently pushed the boundaries of Scandinavian jazz, whether in adventurous large-ensemble settings, forward-leaning projects like Soundscape Orchestra, intimate trios such as the Svante Söderqvist Trio, and international collaborations with the likes of Pedro Martins and Gavin Bryers.

On a quiet October night in 2024, Forkelid sat down at his beloved Fazioli F278 grand piano in the intimate 50-seat venue Krematoriet. With no fixed plan beyond a few sketches and original song ideas, he let the atmosphere and familiar faces in the room guide his playing. As the performance unfolded, Forkelid and the audience collectively drifted into a state of reverie – suspended in time in a shared stream of consciousness.

Four of the six album tracks are completely improvised. Another arises from a loose idea retrieved from an old phone recording, and the final piece is a reinterpretation from his 2024 quartet release Turning Point. The result feels imperfect, shifting, curious by nature, a shared musical experience shaped in real time.

Dreams captures the rare alchemy of the pianist’s intuitive relationship with his instrument, the charged yet calming energy of the space, and the transformational power of music made in the moment. It’s a line between dream and reality, and each listener gets to decide what it means for them.