Johannes Zetterberg was born November 17th, 1985, in Stockholm, Sweden. Born to musical parents, he was exposed to a lot of music at an early age.
"Well, being that my father's a countertenor with a soft spot for Oscar Peterson, I guess I quickly learned to appreciate classical music & jazz. On the other hand, there were groups & artists like Stevie Wonder, Earth,
Wind & Fire, Michael Jackson, Toto, Chicago & lots of others, whom I found on my mother's mixtapes. It was like discovering a gold mine with all kinds of cool music, ranging from the hits of the 60's to the boy bands of the 90's! So yeah, it got pretty diverse right from the get-go."
He started playing the bass at twelve, and fell in love with the instrument right away. Around the same time he got introduced to Metallica & Yngwie Malmsteen by a friend, and that would turn out to widen his already eclectic taste in music, adding to the mix groups like
Testament, Slayer, At the Gates, Opeth & The Haunted.
Johannes later attended Södra Latins Gymnasium, where he studied with bass teachers Höddi Björnson & Robert Sundin. It was during this time that his interest for the fusion genre grew increasingly stronger & began to take up more & more of his time.
Says Johannes, "I really connected with it in a way that I hadn't with any of the previous genres. Although I had heard the music of Chick Corea, Return to Forever, Weather Report & Marcus Miller before, and enjoyed it, I was completely blown away when I discovered Dave Weckl, Allan Holdsworth, The Brecker Brothers, Yellowjackets, Pat Metheny Group, and all that stuff."
Based on a mutual love for fusion & instrumental music overall, Johannes and fellow classmates Aron Mellergårdh, Erik Linder, Arvid Svenungsson (who all appear on his 2009 debut, "Luna Nueva") & Jonah Nilsson started the group Magnolia.
"Yeah, we wrote some songs, but only managed to complete & record one really. It was titled "Seven Peaces" - and yes, it was misspelled intentionally! -, but that track was actually influenced more by Emerson, Lake & Palmer & other progressive rock groups that we were listening to at the time, rather than fusion."
This project would later evolve into the Westcoast/AOR-inspired group Split Vision, with the addition of Leonard Malm on vocals. A group that still exists, however, they're on a hiatus at the moment.
Since graduating from Södra Latin in 2005, Johannes has spent his time teaching the art of bassplaying to students in the Stockholm area & backed up former Swedish Idol & Fame Factory contestants, as well as doing some occasional gigs with Good News (a gospel choir from the Åland Islands).
2009 sees the release of his debut solo CD "Luna Nueva", a project that's been in the making since 2006. Joining him, apart from a list of talented musicians from Sweden, are four very special guests, namely: Jay Oliver (Dave Weckl/Dave Weckl Band), Jason Rebello (Sting, Jeff Beck), Otmaro Ruiz (Frank Gambale, Gino Vannelli, John McLaughlin) & Eric Marienthal (Chick Corea Elektric Band).
Says Johannes, "Oh man, yeah, having some of my absolute heroes on this CD has been nothing less than a dream come true. If someone had told me 8 years ago that the saxophonist of Chick Corea's freakin' Elektric Band would play on a solo CD of mine... well, let's just say I would've seriously doubted it!! These cats are all super professional & such nice guys, it was a real joy & honor having them on the CD, and I thank them immensely for their contributions. Hopefully we get to work together again soon!"
Inspired by the likes of Dave Weckl, Yellowjackets, Karizma, Spyro Gyra and others, "Luna Nueva" is made up of 10 original tracks that surely will appeal to all the fusion aficionados out there.
"Actually, my favorite albums have always been either the ones that take a while to get into, and that sort of grows for every listen, or the ones that really captivate you from the first note to the last. I mean, I can still recall that intense "WOW!"-feeling & sense of awe that I had upon hearing Dave Weckl's "Master Plan" for the first time! The common denominator is that these albums never get tedious, you know? So if someone feels the same way when listening to "Luna Nueva", I'll die a happy man for sure! But my main hope is that whoever listens to this CD - regardless if it's an avid fusion fan, or someone that isn't familiar with the genre at all - can appreciate, if not all of it, then at least some of it, and get something positive out of the experience."
Wow how amazing, such great fantastic music. This is the style of music I was born to listen to. Like my favorites Spiral Gyra, The Rippingtons, and The Yellowjackets I am now a fan of yours. Thanks for the add, take me to school Proffessor...
Hi ! How are you doing ? I hope to interest you for the following:
Imagine:
You are an North-African immigrant to Spain or a South-American trying to get into US who has not much more than a few suitcases, his ability to work hard, willing to pay with slavery and to do dirty work - that no inhabitant of the country you want to go to would even think of considering.
You already travelled a far way and left many good friends behind that you maybe never will see again.
You stumble out of the nearly falling apart bus or the smuggler boat, where you had to pay your income of a half year to that grim looking people with hearts of stone - just to take you aboard.
You are sighing gladly that you survived the travel and now take your first steps in your new home country.
And you are soon aware:
You are disrespected, treated badly, your woman is seen as a kind of cheap prostitute, other people's children don't want to play with your children.
You are thinking of your former homecountry with feelings of sentimentality and you know there is no hope: you cannot go back...
The track is called "Spanish Immigrant". A spanish/orchestral/funky/trumpet track
Online Now!
