Arne Domnérus

Arne Domnérus – born Sven Arne Domnérus in Stockholm, Sweden on December 20, 1924 – was an alto saxophonist, clarinetist, composer, and conductor and is considered one of the most important and influential jazz musicians in Sweden. At the age of eleven, he learned to play the clarinet before moving on to the saxophone. He eventually abandoned his schooling to become a professional musician After playing in Paris, France at the International Jazz Festival in 1949, his reputation began to spread throughout the international jazz community. When Charlie Parker toured Sweden in 1950, he personally requested Arne Domnérus join his band for that live trek. He also spent time playing with other jazz greats such as James Moody, Clifford Brown, Quincy Jones, and Art Farmer. As a member of the Swedish All Stars (1950-1985) and the Swedish National Radio Orchestra (1956-1965), he composed music for movies and television while also collaborating with Rolf Ericson, George Riedel, Lars Gullin, Harry Arnold, Rune Gustafsson, and many others. He also released a series of albums as a leader including Come Listen with Me (1960), Songs of Simon (1972), Jazz at the Pawnshop (1977), Dukes Melody (1981), Heartfelt (1994), Jazz at the Pawnshop 2 (1997), and Jazz Under the Stars (2004). Arne Domnérus died on September 2, 2008.