In the beginning of March 2001, one day our telephone rang. It was Mrs. Akiko Suehiro from Kobe, Japan. She said: We have many of your recordings and like your playing so much that we want you to come to our Jazz Festival KOBE JAZZ STREET in the beginning of October this year. But first we would like to come with a delegation to your hometown, to listen to you live, so we know that it is true! I organized a concert with my quartet LARS ERSTRAND FOUR on May 28th. They came with six people, Mr. Mitsuo Suehiro the founder of KOBE JAZZ STREET and his wife Akiko, that I spoke to on the telephone. Number One clarinetplayer in Japan Mr. Eiji Hanaoka and his wife, also Number One altosaxplayer Mr. Akitoshi Igarashi and his wife. After some songs we invited Mr. Hanaoka to come up

and play with us and later on also Mr. Igarashi. That evening really proved that jazz music is an international language. When the concert was finished, Mr. Suehiro immediately asked me: Will you and your wife come to Kobe in October? – No question that the answer was YES ! The summer went on and flighttickets were booked and payed for. In the middle of September I was suddenly called for an operation at the hospital of my hometown. When I told the doctor about my tour to Japan, he said to me that there was no better medicine available for my recovery, than going to that festival. I’m sure you will undestand that, especially when listening to track No.9 Star Dust…

(Lars Erstrand)