Originating from Sweden, Stefan Karlsson grew up surrounded by music in a family where his father worked as a professional pianist and kindled his son’s passion for both the instrument and jazz. At thirteen he started taking church organ lessons, which he pursued through his university years. After finishing high school he moved to the United States on a scholarship to attend the University of North Texas, completing both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree there while spending three years in the celebrated One O’Clock Lab Band; during that time he toured with the group across the United States and abroad and appeared on five of its recordings. His first appearance on record came in 1985 when he returned briefly to Sweden and joined Rich Matteson and Red Mitchell on the Four Leaf Clover album Life’s a Take. In 1990 he made his debut as a leader on the Justice label, issuing two further well-received sessions for the company and also contributing to three Justice dates led by drummer Sebastian Whittaker. A live recording for Vartran Jazz placed him alongside bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Eliot Zigmund, the rhythm section formerly associated with Bill Evans. After several years working in Denver and Las Vegas, he returned to his alma mater to join the jazz studies faculty. His compositions have been featured in the films Sugar Hill and Twenty Bucks as well as the television series Melrose Place, Party of Five, Wings, and Homicide: Life on the Streets. Karlsson has continued to balance performance and teaching, serving as professor and clinician while maintaining an active role in Eddie Gomez’s ensembles. Among the many musicians with whom he has performed or recorded are Herb Ellis, Jim Ferguson, Carl Fontana, Tim Hagans, Marc Johnson, Dick Oatts, Rich Perry, Chris Potter, Rufus Reid, Marvin Smitty Smith, Ed Soph, Marvin Stamm, Harvie S, and Jiggs Wigham. In the mid-’90s he signed with the Troppe Note/Cambria label and recorded several albums for the company, including the critically praised Music Is Forever: The Music of Pianist Russ Freeman.
