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Jonathan Bäckström is a double bassist and composer from Kronoby, Finland. He works within the broader spectrum of jazz, free improvisation and contemporary music. Currently based in Stockholm where he is pursuing the master’s program in Jazz at the Royal College of Music.
In 2024 he debuted as a leader on Finnish record label We Jazz Records with his self-titled quartet album. The quartet consists of Bäckström, Adele Sauros, Marcus Wärnheim and Benjamin Nylund, each an active member of the vibrant Nordic scene. The album garnered both national and international acclaim with worldwide radio play and a feature in the Wire Tapper playlist. Eyal Hareuveni (salt-peanuts.eu) said about the debut: “The quartet relies on urgent, spontaneous vibes that introduce experienced and opinionated improvisers who keep pushing their limits, but always keep cohesive structures, whether it erupts with boundless energy, discover subtle lyrical and openly emotional veins or expand its timbral horizons”.
As a collaborator his playing can be heard in many different group, Euro jazz competition finalist Ida Alanen trio, Bäckström/Friman/Jensen, Adi Stoenescu trio, Wärnheim/Bäckström Duo and many more projects. He has in addition to Finland performed in Sweden, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Romania, the Netherlands, Réunion Island, Russia and UK.
He has composed works for his quartet, for solo double bass and for other projects he has been involved with. Blending composition with free improvisation, his works aims to create a microcosm that explores the relationship between performer and composer, fostering an environment for innovation and reflection. His compositional work has been supported by Svenska Kulturfonden, TAIKE and Konstsamfundet. Jyri Ojala, Jazzkerho -76.fi noted: “The compositions made a big impression. There was something irresistibly natural and also a fresh idea in them at the same time. However, fresh is not the opposite of ripe. Something grown up, lingering and wise was found in the whole”.