Henrik and Jonny Wartel, born in the late 1950s, grew up immersed in music. Raised by two classical pianists, both became professional musicians early on, following largely self-directed paths with free jazz at the core of their work. Henrik began performing professionally at 20 with trombonist Eje Thelin and later worked extensively with saxophonist Roland Keijser, blending jazz with Swedish folk and North African influences. Jonny, a self-taught saxophonist, co-founded the quartet Position Alpha, touring widely across Europe and Argentina, while also working across theatre, dance, folk, and global music settings.

Family collaboration has always been central to the Wartels’ musical life. Georgia Wartel Collins first performed with her father and uncle as a teenager, initially on trumpet and electric bass before focusing on double bass. Now based in New York, she is an established upright bassist working across free improvisation, traditional jazz, indie rock, and experimental music. After years living in Norway and the Netherlands – where she completed a master’s degree—she continues to develop her own projects while remaining closely connected to her family’s musical world.

The current quartet came together in 2024, when Henrik, Jonny, and Georgia were joined by pianist Mathias Landæus for a tour in Sweden and Norway. Landæus, a long-standing figure on the Scandinavian jazz scene, shares deep musical ties with the Wartel family dating back to the 1990’s Stockholm jazz scene. The chemistry was immediate, leading to Celebrating Live, recorded live during a concert in Oslo.

Musically, the album is rooted in free improvisation and collective listening rather than fixed structures. The music moves fluidly between raw intensity, open textures, and moments of lyrical clarity, unfolding through trust and shared instinct. Celebrating Live captures a group for whom improvisation is not a strategy but a natural mode of expression.

“It’s striking how naturally the music flows, from the jarred beauty to the abstract soundscape to the intense and rhythmical. I feel honoured to be offered a seat at the family table with these people – whom it feels almost ridiculously natural for me to make spontaneous music with,” says Mathias Landæus.