Arbete Och Fritid

Arbete och fritid (Arbete & fritid / Arbeteåfritid, meaning Work And Leisure) was a 1970s Swedish Folk, Jazz, Prog and Rock group that emanated from Jazz Quartet artist in 1969. They were an extremely influential and seminal band; a meeting point for musicians from many other bands before and after, especially as a link between artist and artist. Early recordings cross-bred traditional Swedish folk themes with systemic and contemporary styles, with vaguely rock rhythms and jazz instruments, as well as a good portion of humour. They were never easy to classify, running through many styles, encompassing melody, fury and dissonance, through to almost straight folk, and all other bases.

They also recorded albums with other musicians, sometimes in collaboration or just as the backing band, played at folk, jazz and rock festivals. Their final album Håll Andan ("Hold Your Breath") from 1979 was a no-holds-barred exploration in innovation, pushing the envolope in a manner similar to Faust. In 1981 they called it quits, but all the musicians in Arbete och fritid have gone on to other projects, and many are still active 30+ years on.