Frans Sjöström, a Swedish saxophonist who modeled his style on Adrian Rollini, died on August 19th, he was 78 years old. He was one of few bass saxophonists in Sweden and one of the best anywhere. In addition to reeds, he could sometimes be heard on banjo. He had a long career in traditional jazz from playing with Bluncks Lucky Seven in the mid 1960s to more recent appearances at the Whitley Bay Jazz Party. He performed with the Swedish Jazz Kings, Hot Jazz Trio, Cooling’s Traditional Jazzmen, Kabaréorkester, the Werup-Sjöström Group, the Dream Orchestra, and Blue Rhythmakers.
His travels took him to Japan, Australia, Pakistan, Aruba, America, and other locales, as well as being known and respected across Europe. He released albums on the SR and Sonet labels. He also appeared on the Bix: Off The Record album with Andy Schum, an album which may be familiar to Syncopated Times readers. Sjöström was also a composer, creating radio dramas for the Swedish radio service. He also presented a radio program for many years called Stardust.
