Janne Schaffer

Born in Stockholm in 1945, Janne Schaffer established himself in the Swedish scene in the 1960s as a studio and live guitarist, before developing a parallel solo career. His playing falls within an instrumental register that blends pop, rock, jazz-fusion, funk, blues, reggae and progressive touches, featuring a clearly readable melodic style and an electric guitar sound often placed at the forefront. Janne Schaffer has contributed to a large number of recordings in Sweden and has played with, among others, ABBA, Ted Gärdestad, Björn Skifs, Cornelis Vreeswijk and Björn J:son Lindh, while also appearing in international contexts. His solo discography begins with Janne Schaffer (1973), followed by titles such as Janne Schaffer’s Andra LP (1974), Katharsis (1976), Earmeal (1978), Presens (1980) and Electric Graffiti (1988). He also co-founded Hörselmat with Björn J:son Lindh in the early 1970s and formed Electric Banana Band in 1980 with Lasse Åberg and Klasse Möllberg, a project more focused on songs and family audiences for which Schaffer composed much of the music. This trajectory—between session work, collective projects, film music and instrumental albums—summarizes well the unique place Janne Schaffer occupies in Swedish music.