As a sideman, bassist Stefan Lievestro (1964) had had a career of almost twenty years, before his breakthrough as a composer and bandleader. Winning the prestigious Deloitte Jazz Award in 2005 was the turning point in his career. After his graduation with distinction from the Hilversum Conservatory, for a long time he had been a much talked-about accompanying musician for international masters like Freddie Hubbard, Pat Metheny, Nat Adderley, and Dutch stars like Michiel Borstlap and Harmen Fraanje. After winning the Deloitte Jazz Award he began composing, started a band and a record label and surprised the jazz world in 2006 with the brilliant debut album Breakfast in Walhalla. It was followed in 2007 by Picknick at Bikini, an album he released under the group name Mona Lisa Overdrive with sextet members Hans van Oosterhout (drums) and Jesse van Ruller (guitar), completed with Arno Krijger (Hammond B3). The band sounds like the albums guitarist John Scofield used to make with the organ trio Medeski, Martin & Wood and has at least the same quality.
