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Swedish jazz star Esbjoern Svensson was killed on the weekend in a scuba diving accident off Stockholm, his manager said Monday. He was 44. The married father of two had been found badly injured on the sea bed and had been transported by helicopter to a Stockholm hospital, where he died shortly before midnight on Saturday.

Svensson, a genre-defying musician who reached audiences far beyond the traditional jazz crowd, was "the most important figure in jazz in this decade," said Burkhard Hopper, manager of the Esbjoern Svensson Trio (e.s.t..).

e.s.t., formed in 1993 by pianist and composer Svensson, drummer Magnus Oestroem and bass player Dan Berglund, have released a dozen records that have enjoyed critical acclaim and commercial success in Europe and the United States.

The group, which has won a string of other Swedish and international awards and was in 2006 the first European jazz band to grace the cover of Down Beat magazine, released its last album "e.s.t. live in hamburg" at the end of 2007.

Visit the e.s.t. website

Please note that the e.s.t. performance at the Toronto Jazz Festival scheduled for June 27 has been cancelled.

Tickets for the e.s.t. concert will be honoured at the John Abercrombie Organ Trio / Mike Stern Trio / John Scofield Trio performance on Friday, June 27th at the Mainstage Concert . Please visit www.torontojazz.com for more information.