Andreas Hellkvist

Expressive, virtouoso and playful – words commonly used to describe the artistry of Swedish Hammond organ player Andreas Hellkvist. Rooted in the soul jazz tradition he has developed a unique style of his own. With his two hands on the manuals and stops and a rarely seen left foot groove on the pedals he utlilizes the full potential of the Hammond B3.

Andreas discovered the Hammond organ in his late teens during the organ jazz revival of the 90s. There and then, he decided to focus entirely on this instrument, to learn all the ins and outs and how to use it in its entierty. The soul jazz originating from the organ scene of the 60s were his first inspiration and still remains the core of his playing, but his current style reflects a significantly wider spectrum of influences. For the last 20 years, he has been touring mostly as a sideman with some of the finest acts in Sweden, spanning a variety of styles but mostly jazz and blues oriented.

2016 marked the release of his first solo album ”Finally!”, which clearly shows where the journey of developing his own style and discovering the instrument has taken him. The album comprises mostly (all but one) his own songs, and spans a stylistic range of hard swingng shuffle, groovy beats, gospel and even some elements of nordic folk melancholy. The roots of his music are quite obvious, but with added elements unique to his style.

His 2019 release Becoming is an obvious continuation of the path that he is on with his own music, exploring the sound, style and potential of the organ trio format and the Hammond B3.

However, he has gotten most international attention from the youtube clips where he is featured. Many of them, in which he is often playing solo, are constantly being watched, enjoyed and shared around the world which has given him a fan base that stretches far outside Sweden. He is, as the only Swede, listed as a B3 artist at Hammond Organ USA.

Over the years, Andreas has earned a reputation as an organist always in the moment, playfully performing his music with an outstanding technique and relentless groove. At live concerts and internet videos, the audience is simply amazed by the pure skill and devotion to the music.

The visual element of Andreas sitting at the organ clearly plays to his favor and few that have seen him in action leaves untouched. His pedal playing is unique, showing off a coordination and precision out of the ordinary. It is as if he and the organ are one, a unit from which music just flows effortlessly, uninhibited and freely.

Pictures

Hans Bollandsås & Andreas Hellkvist in Concert @ Café 3b, Trondheim on September 8, 2023 9:00 pm
Hans Bollandsås & Andreas Hellkvist in Concert @ Café 3b, Trondheim on September 8, 2023 9:00 pm
Claes Janson & Andreas Hellkvist @ Katalin, Uppsala on July 6, 2023 7:00 pm
Hunky Dory @ Bruna Dörren, Ljugarn on June 28, 2023 9:00 pm
Trinity @ Nicolai kulturhus, Arboga
Trinity @ Kalmar jazzklubb
Kiralina Salandy & Andreas Hellkvist @ Folkets park, Åkersberga on February 6, 2023 2:00 pm
Claes Janson @ Kulturverkstan, Tingsryd
Trinity @ Bergs kyrka
Trinity @ Bergs kyrka, Hallstahammar

Projects

Records

Videos

Past gigs

  • August 25, 2023, 3:00 pm

    Funeral for Mats Åkerlund
    Helga trefaldighets kyrka, Uppsala
    Mats Åkerlund was a remarkable human being in many ways. I met him quite a few years back when he…
  • October 7, 2022, 4:00 pm

    Andreas Hellkvist solo
    Stadsbiblioteket, Uppsala
    The city library in Uppsala had a day of staff education and such activities and it ended with a sort…
  • July 30, 2013, 11:00 am

    Andreas Hellkvist solo
    Hagbacksgården, Borlänge
    In her retirement, my mother would sometimes help out at a home for elderly. She would especially attend to an…
  • April 20, 2023, 7:30 pm

    Claes Janson & Arnesen Bluesband
    Nya Föreningsgården, Lidingö
    Never played this jazz club before. Always nice to see new places and meet new people! As usual, the Hammond…
  • April 2, 2023, 6:00 pm

    Bill going strong 80
    Fasching, Stockholm
    Bill Öhrström is somewhat of an institution in Swedish music. He has been involved both as an artist and producer…
  • March 25, 2023, 3:00 pm

    Releasekonsert Ett omaka par
    Omnikvariatet, Uppsala
    In the summer of 2022 I was approached by singer Sune Bohlin to make a record with some of his…

Andreas Hellkvist

Links
Upcoming gigs with Andreas

October 5, 2023, 7:00 pm
Arnesen Bluesband
Piren, Norrtälje

October 14, 2023, 8:00 pm

Twang, Stockholm

October 19, 2023, 7:00 pm
Andreas Hellkvist Trio
Musikhuset, Gävle

October 21, 2023, 8:00 pm
Andreas Hellkvist Trio
Katalin, Uppsala

November 14, 2023, 7:00 pm
Trinity
Ktvå, Uppsala

November 15, 2023, 8:30 pm
Trinity
Scalateatern, Stockholm

November 16, 2023, 7:00 pm
Claes Janson & Andreas Hellkvist
Musikhuset, Gävle

November 22, 2023, 7:30 pm
Monica Dominique & Andreas Hellkvist
Fjällstugan, Jönköping

November 23, 2023, 7:00 pm
Monica Dominique & Andreas Hellkvist
Missionskyrkan, Vetlanda