Per Sjödin was born in 1971 in Växjö in the south of Sweden, where he also grew up and went to school. Per picked up the guitar at the age of 12 and soon he was playing in a rock band with friends. At 15 he attended musiklinjen på gymnasiet (Upper Secondary School Music Program) in Växjö. That´s where he first came into contact with jazz music through his classmates and teachers. After buying a record by Charlie Parker he was totally absorbed and fell in love with jazz.

Per continued his formal musical education attending Fridhems folkhögskola (adult college) in the south of Sweden, where he studied for two years (1989-91). After doing his military service and a couple of years of temporary daytime jobs he enrolled at Malmö College Of Music/Jazz Department in 1994. He studied there on and off until 2001, finally graduating with two different degrees - Bachelor of fine arts in music and Fine arts in music education. While studying he played a lot with friends and also hung out at local jam sessions etc. In 1997 he formed his first band as a leader- SwingThing - playing hard swingin´organ jazz in the Jack McDuff and Jimmy Smith style. The band has been operating successfully ever since, playing at jazz clubs, festivals and more (they´re still available). For the last few years Per has been very active on the local jazz scene in Malmö and playing gigs all over Sweden, fronting his own groups as well as being a sideman in various settings. Besides playing Per also teaches music.

In 2002 Per met the Danish organ player Kjeld Lauritsen on a gig, with whom Per formed a trio also containing the young Swedish drum wizard Zoltan Csörsz. Since then, the group has played several gigs in Sweden and Denmark. The trio is featured on Pers debut CD- Gentle Thoughts, showcasing a number of his own compositions and containing a couple of standard tunes as well. To this recording he also invited two young Swedish jazz musicians of the highest international caliber, Mårten Lundgren on trumpet and Magnus Lindgren on tenor saxophone. This CD will be released in Februari 2005 on the Swedish jazz record company Lovestreet Records.

Among his musical influences and musicians who have had a great impact on his playing, Per would mention musicians such as Wes Montgomery, Charlie Parker, Kenny Burrell, Jim Hall, Sonny Rollins, Bill Evans, Horace Silver, George Benson and John Coltrane