Claes Crona

Swedish Jazz Pianist and Composer

Swedish jazz pianist, born March 11, 1940 in Stockholm. He is known from a large number of recordings with various musicians. In the 60's he had his own trio with Jan Allan and Lars Gullin, based at Nalen in Stockholm, who among other things toured with Benny Bailey. After a couple of years in South Africa from 1965, it resulted in fifteen EPs and a tour with Petula Clark, while the 70's stay in New York City led to contacts with Lee Konitz and Red Mitchell. The collaboration with Putte Wickman from 1977 resulted in many record releases, including from their Carnegie Hall debut in 2000. Around 1980, he toured Europe with Benny Goodman, the Danes Mads Vinding and Svend Asmussen and the Belgian Philip Catherine. In 1984 he appeared on Zoot Sims' last album "It had to be you". Then he lived in Marbella from 1986 to 1997, where in 1996 he played with Webe Karlsen (born 1953) at the jazz festival in Málaga. Since 1999, he has released several records with his own trio, from 2007 on his own record company Crown Jewels. In 2013, Crona toured with his trio as backing band to the project "Jazz Vocal Unit", the vocal quartet with Viktoria Tolstoy, Svante Thuresson, Vivian Buczek and Peter Asplund.