1998 was the year when I started played gigs with my Hammond A100 that I had acquired the year before. The premiere was at Borlänge jazzklubb in december of 1997, where I played with a quartet with John Haglund on drums. At the same time, a young guitar player, Samuel Hällkvist, who grew up nearby was making a name of himself as a rising star. We almost shared the last name, although not being realted in any way (just spelled differently).
I was asked to play on the Swedish national day by the local jazzclub. And I really wanted to play with Samuel so I asked him if he would like to do something. And so we played our first gig together, and that was the start of a still ongoing collaboration.
I have always admired Samuel and still do, and 25 years later, as I’m writing this, I’m proud to say he is a member of the trio in my name and I hope it stays that way.
