We caught up with JPATTERSSON in a rare moment of quietude between wrapping up his SouthAmerica tour and releasing his next album.

What inspired you to do what you're doing?

Rhythms, beats, dancing and going to concerts, at clubs, parties and festivals. I like non-commercial festivals which are not following the mainstream and which are oriented towards creating something with and for a community instead of getting big profits from it. Their universe of individual arts, music and creative people have always been a big inspiration to me. Traveling and getting in touch with other cultures and sounds is a huge source of inspiration to me as well.

Do you think you'll ever change direction?
I'm trying to go new paths with every new project or song I start to work on. But of course, there will always be my individual taste and preference according to sounds, rhythms or harmonic movements. However, people do recognize my sound—not just because of the trumpet. This is good because authenticity is one of the most important things.

What advice would you give your younger self today?
Don't be so damn self-critical and don't let perfectionism disturb your creativity. Edges and dents are beautiful, but take care of your trumpet and don't drop it so much.

Do you consider your work a luxury or a necessity?
Since I was a kid I felt a necessity to express myself musically. I wouldn't describe myself as a stage hog, but playing music in front of people gives me satisfaction and makes me happy. Being able to travel and play my music in foreign countries—like I did the last two years—is a luxurious privilege which I'm aware of and very thankful for. Bringing something positive like music to people is a great task and I'm trying to build bridges to people also besides shows and concerts.

Who/what was the last thing that made a significant impact on your thought processes/creative processes?
Working together with other musicians and artists always has an impact on my work. To get in touch with different workflows and creative approaches is always interesting. Above all, it's a great way to learn from each other when you spend some lifetime together and work with someone you like.

What do you do when you're not "working"?
I like fishing. Being out in nature and enjoying the little things in life provides great pleasure to me.

What do you want people to take from your work?
A warm smile, good memories and melodies in their heads.

What are you currently listening to, reading, or watching?
I'm listening to Billy Caso’s “Billy’sBarefoot Adventures”, a beautiful and exotic selection of music and records from different countries he's been to. I'm reading a novel by Juli Zeh, the German writer with a very blunt and refreshing style of writing. To be honest most of the time it's not more than a few pages in the night before my eyes shut. The last very touching movie I watched was the French drama “Portrait de la jeune fille en feu". 

Situation specific:

What do you think something like a global pandemic does to collective/individual creativity?

This pandemic lockdown situation is fucked up, restrictive and limiting many people in so many ways. It makes a lot of beautiful things impossible. The big wheel stopped almost completely and we all got a lot of time to process and think about everything. I hope that loads of beautiful ideas and new creative approaches will emerge from this crisis. But even more important is the experience from this exceptional situation of how relevant that respectful and considerate social interaction is. We have to take care of each other.

Does the isolation influence your creative process?

Yes, it's a motivation killer. In the beginning, I was very optimistic and I thought it's great to have so much studio time. But now I realize that touring, traveling and playing live in front of people is an important source of inspiration and motivation to work in the studio. I'm very happy having mySouth America tour almost finished before the lockdown kicked in, so I could draw from the impressions of these good times, and then I finished my new album “Mood” which will be released on 3rd July on 3000Grad Records.

Name three records or tracks that help you through crisis times.
Siriusmo’s “Comic”, Ezechiel Pailhes’ “J'aimerais tant” and “La resa dei conti” by Ennio Morricone.

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