Ellas Kapell | Ember | February 27, 2026

With Ember, their fourth album, Swedish quartet Ellas Kapell strike a bold new match in the world of modern vocal jazz. Known for their emotionally charged interpretations of standards, the band now steps confidently into a wider sonic landscape – self-produced, self-defined, and more assured than ever. The result is music that feels intimate yet expansive, rooted in jazz tradition while glowing with fresh creative heat.

Ember is set for release on February 27th, 2026 via Naxos Prophone.

Since forming in 2016, Ellas Kapell have carved out a distinct space on the Scandinavian scene – winning the Orkesterjournalen readers’ poll, earning Vocal Jazz of the Year from Lira Musikmagasin, and amassing more than 7 million streams. But Ember marks a turning point: the moment the band take full ownership of their sound.

Recorded, produced, and mixed entirely by the quartet, Ember represents a new level of artistic control. The group abandoned the traditional studio sprint in favour of a slower, more sculpted creative process, allowing each track to evolve with intention. The addition of synthesizers, electric bass, saxophone, and pedal steel further expands the palette, blending acoustic and electronic colours in a way that feels natural, exploratory, and unmistakably theirs.

At its core, Ember remains anchored in the band’s deep respect for the jazz canon. Standards including “Very Early,” “All the Things You Are,” “I Cover the Waterfront,” and “I Fall In Love Too Easily” are reimagined with the group’s characteristic warmth: strong arrangements, a Nordic harmonic sensibility, ensemble interplay, and the unmistakable presence of vocalist Lovisa Jennervall, supported by Manne Skafvenstedt (piano, synths), August Eriksson (double and electric bass), and Edvin Glänte (drums, percussion).

But these interpretations are anything but nostalgic. The sonic world is broader, riskier – where atmospheric electronics meet lyrical intimacy, and where production itself becomes an expressive tool. In doing so, Ellas Kapell open their music to listeners beyond the jazz sphere, inviting new audiences into a sound that balances familiarity with reinvention.

Line up

Lovisa Jennervall | Vocals
Manne Skafvenstedt | Piano, Synthesizers
August Eriksson | Double Bass, Electric Bass, Violin
Edvin Glänte | Drums, Percussion

Featuring
Johan Christoffersson | Alto Sax Tobias Wiklund | Cornet
Gustav Alte | Pedal Steel

Track Listing

Very Early
I Didn’t Know What Time It Was
All the Things You Are
I Cover the Waterfront
How Deep Is the Ocean
The Very Thought of You
Don’t Explain
I Fall In Love Too Easily

PR Quotes

Jazzthetik Magazine (DE)
“★★★★ – Confident. Distinctive.”

Paris-move (FR)
“Ember will quickly move from a discovery to an addiction on your turntable, a magnificent work that demands to be played on a loop until the seasons change”

Jazz.sk (SK)
“a sonically coherent, modern-sounding and moodily consistent album, whose atmosphere perfectly captures the effort to transfer classic jazz compositions into the third decade of the current millennium”

La Habitacion del Jazz (ES)
“they maintain their deep respect for standards, but at the same time they reinvent them, applying very elaborate, almost cinematic arrangements, which at first glance might seem simple, but nothing could be further from the truth.”

Esensja (PL)
“The Swedes have gone to great lengths to break away from the retro style and give their compositions a contemporary feel.”

Hilary Sebarook (UK)
“a collection of tunes performed brilliantly with a Scandinavian jazz touch that is perfect to warm the cold winter evenings, wherever you are in the world.”

JazzNu (NL)
“a surprisingly enjoyable musical document that leaves you wanting more“

Jazz Journal (UK)
“The consistent atmosphere created by Ellas Kapell shows a great maturity and sense of collaboration”

Jazz.in (JP)
“Through inventive arrangements, the quartet conveys the charm of jazz to a younger audience, while maintaining a clear artistic concept”

All About Jazz (US)
“Their blend of acoustic and electronic textures has enabled their reimagining of these songs to hit new heights with a wider gamut of sound.”

Jazz-fun (DE)
“Ember presents the band as an ensemble that knows its roots and at the same time possesses the courage to translate them into a contemporary sound language”

Making a Scene (US)
“They re-mold these jazz songs into unforgettable statues of brilliance. This is an album I will play over and over again”

Jazz Views (UK)
“the quartet have picked a selection of well-known standards to present in their ever more individual and inimitable style”

Maxazine (NL)
“The interpretations are original, with surprising arrangements that, on the one hand, sound very thoughtful, yet also free and playfully unrestrained“