The Sounds of Sonore

Mar.31, 2009


Only the Devil has no dreams


No one ever works alone

Ken Vandermark – tenor/baritone sax, b-flat clarinet
Mats Gustafson – tenor/baritone sax
Peter Brötzmann – alto/tenor sax, a-clarinet/tarogato
Releases (click to view)
No One Ever Works Alone
Only the Devil Has No Dreams
Peter Brötzmann, Mats Gustafsson, and Ken Vandermark are three of the leading voices in contemporary improvised music. Together they have formed SONORE, a reed trio organized to investigate the melodic, rhythmic, and textural possibilities of freely improvised music. Working together in the PETER BRÖTZMANN CHICAGO TENTET since 1998, these musicians first performed in a trio formation during the June, 2002 North American tour with the TENTET for a radio broadcast on CKUT in Montreal. It was clear from that first concert that this line-up was musically unique. They worked together again that fall, performing and recording during a festival organized by Gustafsson in Ystad, Sweden. Both of these initial encounters provided a fascinating starting ground for the trio’s instrumental combinations and communication, but it was during their first tour of Europe in October, 2003 that the group’s identity and approach fully developed. Two weeks of concerts that saw the three playing every night in cities ranging from Vienna to Istanbul, Ljubljana to Cologne, travelling by plane, train, and van with their equipment (alto, tenor, baritone saxophones; Eb, A, Bb, and bass clarinets; taragato and flageolet) enabled them to explore an open-ended range of improvisation on a daily basis and accelerated SONORE’s creative growth. Luckily, a number of these concerts were recorded, including the final performance of their tour which took place in Cologne. This document was released as “No One Ever Works Alone,” on Okka Disk in September, 2004 as the group’s first album. The trio organized a North American to coincide with the CD’s release to bring their music to audiences in the U.S. and Canada for the first time.

For more than three decades German multi-instrumentalist Peter Brötzmann has been a central figure for the European improvised music scene. Today he leads two of the most significant ensembles playing this music, the DIE LIKE A DOG TRIO and the CHICAGO TENTET. Mats Gustafsson is one of the most innovative improvisers of his generation, working on a regular basis with musicians like Joe McPhee, Barry Guy, and Thurston Moore, as well as leading the free jazz ensemble, THE THING. Since the mid-Nineties, Chicago has been one of the major international centers for improvised music and Ken Vandermark has been at the cutting edge of its development both as a musician and as a presenter and organizer. SONORE’s music integrates the varied musical backgrounds of these three musicians, blending common ground and building new directions in improvisation.

Unlike the traditional jazz saxophone quartet, this group doesn’t attempt to replicate a classical string ensemble by placing the musicians in hierarchical roles (i.e. the lowest member of the band laying down a foundation through ostinatos, vamps, or other means of support for the higher pitched instruments to be featured over, either through the main melodic content or featured solos). In SONORE, solos, duos, and trios built from various reed combinations shift and develop through spontaneous musical requirements. The group explores sonic textures, melodies, integrated rhythmic statements, or whatever other musical techniques seem to inspire them and the music during their improvised performances. SONORE’s music is intense, beautiful, introspective, cutting-edge, and could be played by no one else.

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Swedish Azz

Mar.31, 2009

SWEDISH AZZ —– JAZZ PÅ SVENSKA
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Mats Gustafsson — saxophones and live-electronics
Per-Åke Holmlander — tuba, cimbasso
Kjell Nordeson — vibraphone
dieb13 — turntables and electronics
Eric Carlsson — drums

New group by Mats Gustafsson and Per Åke Holmlander, consisting of  five European improvisers loving, respecting, and playing the swedish jazz masterpieces from the 50´s and 60´s.
The Golden Age of Swedish Jazz happened in  the mid 50´s, as we were told, and was represented by some very distinct and personal voices that were all taking their main inspiration from the American West Coast Jazz, but transforming it into a swedish colour and language, also including elements of traditional Swedish Folk Music.
Lars Gullin, Jan Johansson, Bernt Rosengren, Georg Riedel, Lars Werner, Berndt Egerbladh and later Per Henrik Wallin were all part of this movement and we just LOVE this music!
Swedish Azz wants to explore the possibities to use these wonderful and strongly lyrical melodies and put them in a contemporary structure and soundscape. We want to find out, or at least try out, what will happen when you put these melodic lines in connection with a.o. live electronics and experimentation in form, using the freedom of improvising freely.

Contact and info: mats@matsgus.com

Biographies

Mats Gustafsson - born 1964 in Västerbotten
Saxophones and live electronics

favourite swedish jazz composer: Per Henrik Wallin
favourite swedish jazz player: Lars Gullin
favourite swedish jazz film: Sven Klangs Kvintett
favourite swedish jazz record: Bengt Nordström ”Natural Music”

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Per-Åke Holmlander – born 1957 in Västerbotten
Tuba and Cimbasso

favourite swedish jazz composer: Georg Riedel
favourite swedish jazz suite: “Arktisk Svit” / Berndt Egerbladh
favourite swedish jazz tune: Theme from – “Sagan Om Karl-Bertil Jonssons
Julafton” / Gunnar Svensson
favourita swedish jazz bassist: Gunnar Johnson

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Kjell Nordeson – born 1964 in Jämtland, in the swedish mountains on the border to Norway
Favourite Swedish jazz musician: Per-Henrik Wallin
Favourite Swedish jazz composer: Lars Färnlöf
Favourite Swedish jazz tune: Att angöra en brygga
Favourite Swedish jazz drummer: Janne “Loffe” Carlsson

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Erik Carlsson born 1976 Lerum in the westcoast of sweden
Drums

favourite swedish jazz player: Bengt Nordström
favorite swedish jazz drummer; Sven Åke johansson
favourite swedish jazzband; Hansson & Karlsson
favourite swedish ”other” band; Träd Gräs och Stenar

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dieb13 – born 1973 as dieter kova?i? south of sweden
turntables and electronics

http://swedishazz.klingt.org/


Danny’s dream


The Thing

Mar.30, 2009

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© Micke Keysendal

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peter brötzmann chicago tentet

Mar.30, 2009

Band Members
•Current

Peter Brötzmann/Germany: reeds
Johannes Bauer/Germany: trombone
Jeb Bishop/USA: trombone
Mats Gustafsson/Sweden: saxophones
Per-Âke Holmlander/Sweden: tuba
Kent Kessler/USA: bass
Fred Lonberg-Holm/USA: cello
Joe McPhee/USA: trumpet
Paal Nilssen-Love/Norway: drums
Ken Vandermark/USA: reeds
Michael Zerang/USA: drums

•Past

Magnus Broo/Sweden: trumpet
Roy Campbell/USA: trumpet
Hamid Drake/USA: drums
Toshinori Kondo/Japan: trumpet/electronics
William Parker/USA: bass
Mike Pearson/UK: voice
Mars Williams/USA: saxophones

Releases (click to view)
SIGNS
IMAGES
Short Visit to Nowhere
Broken English
Stone/Water
The Chicago Octet/Tentet
Be Music, Night
American Landscapes 1
American Landscapes 2
Chicago Tentet at Molde 2007
The Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet

Peter Brötzmann has led a number of internationally renowned, large group improvising ensembles since the late 1960s. The latest, called the “Chicago Tentet,” is one of his best. First organized in that city during January of 1997, the band has toured extensively throughout North America and Europe in the last decade, and has released nine albums containing a huge variety of music. In 2007, the ensemble celebrates its ten years of work together with a tour in Europe during June, a festival performance in Molde, Norway, in July and an engagement (their only North American appearance) in Chicago, at the Museum of Contemporary Art.

The Chicago Tentet is a veritable “Who’s Who” of contemporary improvised music and includes many of the most significant members from that scene’s cutting edge. Since its inception, the group has had a rotating line-up and past versions of the band have included William Parker (bass), Toshinori Kondo (trumpet/electronics), Roy Campbell (trumpet), and Mike Pearson (a renowned actor, who participated in a special project integrating Brötzmann’s music and the texts of Kenneth Patchen for the Chicago Humanities Festival in 2004). All of the musicians connected to the ensemble, past and present, have contributed their distinctive voices to the group, making each concert appearance of the Tentet a truly exceptional experience. For the concert schedule in 2007, the group’s size will be expanded to include both Johannes Bauer and Jeb Bishop on trombone.

Though the Tentet is clearly directed by Brötzmann and guided by his aesthetics, since the band’s outset he has been committed to utilizing the ideas of everyone involved. Initially, this meant allowing the other musicians to contribute their compositions; since 2005, however, the ensemble has been a total improvisation unit, foregoing scores in order to explore their music with complete spontaneity. This shift in approach has allowed the group to explore an outstanding range of material, and the Tentet employs almost every organizational strategy available to an improvising ensemble while developing their music for each concert. The scope of conception, plus the diversity in each individual’s approach to playing, has helped the band to cultivate an extremely multifaceted performance style. As the Tentet improvises from moment to moment, it can explore musical intensities that move from spare introspection to raging walls of sound, using open-ended rhythms or those of a hard-hitting groove.

Since the late 1990’s, the main work of the band has been done in concerts on the road. Though the economics of sustaining a large ensemble are a struggle, the Chicago Tentet has continued to find innovative ways to keep performing their music for audiences around the world. Through this ongoing effort they’ve been able to advance a sound and depth of communication impossible to find in any other contemporary music group, no matter what size or style.

Discography (all available on Okka Disk)
The Chicago Octet/Tentet (1998)
Stone/Water (2000)
Broken English (2002)
Short Visit to Nowhere (2002)
Signs (2004)
Images (2004)
Be Music, Night (2005)
American Landscapes 1 (2007)
American Landscapes 2 (2007)

Tours/Festivals
•1999 Empty Bottle Festival/ Victoriaville Festival/Berlin Jazz Festival
•2000 North American Tour/Vancouver Jazz Festival/Banlieues Bleues Festival
•2001 Mulhouse Free Music Festival/ Saalfelden Jazz Festival
•2002 North American Tour
•2003 European Tour/Northsea Jazz Festival/Nickelsdorf Konfrontationen/ Tapere Jazz Happening
•2004 Tour of Southeast U.S./ACME Festival/Chicago Humanities Festival/Le Mans Europa Jazz Festival
•2005 North American Tour/Victoriaville Festival/Oslo Jazz Festival/Antwerrp Free Music Festival
•2006 European Tour/Zürich Taktlos Festival/Bergen Natt Jazz Festival/ Stirling Le Weekend Festival
•2007 European Tour/Molde Jazz Festival/10th Anniversary Celebration Chicago MCA

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wants and needs

Mar.30, 2009

the following vinyls I NEEEEED!!!!
If you have acess to any of these and wanna trade or sell please contact me immediately(!!!) and/or  if u wanna get the complete wantlist of mats gustafsson for future trades and sales:
mats@matsgus.com

Don Cherry         “La Maison Fille du Soleil”    7” (FR) ???

Shake Keane/ Garrick Quartet    A case of jazz    UK airborne NBP 0002 (UK)    7”

arac        Constellation        Arac sep-123   (SWE )    7″

Steve Lacy        Solo @ Mandara    ALM AL-5   (JAP)
Steve Lacy        Distant Voices        Columbia …. (JAP)
Steve Lacy        Solo at space who    gallery edition , 100 copies (JAP)

Prins Lasha w Don Cherry     It Is revealed        Zounds 71863

Alex von Schlippenbach  Trio    Remembering ´70    IG 025  (GER)

The Phil Musra Group – creator spaces  / intex records

Huseyin Ertunc Trio – Musiki / Intex (USA)

Abdul Hannan – The third World (w.David S.Ware) / Awareness (USA)

Basil Kirchin – Worlds within worlds vol 1.  / Col.SCX 6463 (GB)

Chris MacGregor – the African Sound / Gallojazz NSL 1011 (SA)

Chris MacGregor – Gold Castle Nat. Jazz Fest Moroka / Gallojazz (SA)

Farncois Tusques – Free Jazz w booklet / Disques Moloudji EM 13507S (FRA)

+ of course obscure Musique Concrete & Sound Poetry records and OU editions of any kind…

+ of course obscure PJ Harvey, Cramps, Merzbow and bizarre garagerock 7″, 10″ or 12″

and….. these SUN RA vinyls would be very great to get help with to find… very gooooood trades in return, I promise!!!!:
Sun Ra  12″

jazz by sun ra        transition lp 10 (USA)
Song of the Stargazers    Saturn 487  (USA)
Discipline 99        Saturn 61674  (USA)
Discipline 27-11    Saturn 538 (USA)
Angels And Demons At Play     Saturn 9956 (USA)
Holiday for soul dance    Saturn 508 (USA)
The Nubians of plutonia    Saturn 406 (USA)
Secrets of the Sun    Saturn 9954 (USA)
The futuristic sounds of Sun Ra        Savoy mg 12 169
When the sun comes out    Saturn 2066 (USA)
Universe in blue    Saturn esr 200

The soul vibrations of man    Saturn 771 (USA)

A tonal view of times tomorrow  Saturn 772 (USA)

Some blues, but not the kind that´s blue    saturn 747 (USA)
Disco 3000        Saturn cm 1j78 (USA)
Sun Ra Visits planet earth    Saturn 207 (USA)


SUN RA 7″, EPs :

The Bridge        Saturn 3066 A (USA)
Cosmo Extansions    Saturn 51879  (USA)
Disco 2100
Saturn/Supersonic jazz        Saturn ?
A call for all demons/Demon´s lullaby    Saturn ?
Muck Muck/Hot Skillet Mama        Saturn 4236/4237
Great Balls Of Fire/Hours After             Saturn J08W0245/J08W0246
The perfect man/blank        Saturn 537
Love In Outer Space/Mayan Temple    Saturn 256
Message To Earthman/The Sun One    Saturn 1502
Space loneliness/State Street        Saturn 0114/0115

The Blue Set/Big City Blues        Saturn SA-1001
A blue one/Orbitration in blue        Saturn SRA-999
The Bridge/Rocket#9        Saturn 3066
Love In Outer Space/Mayan Temple    Saturn 256
Journey to Saturn        Saturn es 538

ONE PIECE OF VINYL PER DAY KEEPS THE DOCTOR AWAY!!!!!!


Discography

Mar.30, 2009

Recordings

please visit Peter Stubley´s eminent webpage
http://www.efi.group.shef.ac.uk/
on european improvised music for additional info on each seperate record in my discography or visit Jason Guthartz full discography on the Gustafsson noise in relaesed formats:
http://www.restructures.net/Gustafsson/Mats_disco_home.htm

2008, The Vilnius explosion, No Business Records NBCD1.
2007, At Molde 2007 (10 years 10tet), Okka disk OD12072. The Chicago Tentet.
2006, Tarfala, Maya Recordings MCD0801. Guy/Gustafsson/Strid.
2006, Beirut-Ystad, Olof Bright OBCD 16-17.
2006, American landscapes 2, Okka disk OD12068. The Chicago Tentet.
2006, American landscapes 1, Okka disk OD12067. The Chicago Tentet.
2006, Devil’s last call, Ninth World Music NWM 042. Torden Kvartetten
2006, Only the devil has no dreams Jazzwerkstatt JW013. Sonore.
2006, Free The Jazz Free The Jazz Discs FREE#1. Eric Oscarsson and the Perspectives.
2005, Plingeling/Plingaling, Olof Bright OBCD 12. Olle Bonniér.
2005, Out to lunch, doubtmusic dmf-108. Otomo Yoshihide’s New Jazz Orchestra.
2005, ONJO, doubtmusic dms-102. Otomo Yoshihide’s New Jazz Orchestra
2005, Catapult, doubtmusic dms-103. Baritone sax solo.
2005, Slide, Firework Editions FER 1054. Solo on the slide saxophone.
2004, Critical mass, psi 05.06. Agustí Fernández/Mats Gustafsson.
2004, Oort-Entropy, Intakt CD 101. Barry Guy New Orchestra.
2004, Be music, night, Okka disk OD12059. The Chicago Tentet featuring Mike Pearson. Also issued on Jazzwerkstatt JW 002.
2004, 13 Erindringer fra Hr. Grøns liv, Ninth World Music NWM 035. Torden Kvartetten
2004, Garage, Smalltown Superjazzz STS078CD. The Thing.
2003, Blues, Atavistic ALP163CD. Gustafsson/Stackenäs.
2003, Norrköping, Atavistic ALP161CD. Gush.
2003, Live at Blå, Smalltown Superjazzz STSJ099CD. The Thing.
2003, No one ever works alone, Okka disk OD12053. Sonore.
2002/2003, Signs, Okka disk OD12048. The Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet.
2002/2003, Images, Okka disk OD12047. The Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet.
2002, Off-road, Blue Chopsticks BC11. Duo with David Grubbs.
2002, The Zanzibar excursion, STIM/SAMI. A promotional 32-minute DVD for DJustable.
2002, Friend of the bumblebee, Rönnells/Håll Tjäften TJÄFT 002.
2002, Trees and truths, Olof Bright OBEP 6, 7, 8. Håkan Blomkvist/Mats Gustafsson.
2002, Chicago 2002, Emanem 4082. Paul Rutherford.
2001, The music of Norman Howard, Anagram Records ANA LP 001. School Days and The Thing
2001, I love it when you snore, Smalltown Supersound STS063CD. Duo with Paal Nilssen-Love.
2000/2001, Look at the music, Olof Bright OBCD09. Two track on compilation CD.
2000, Two lightboxes, Locust 53. The Peter Brötzmann Tentet Plus Two + The Come Sunday Ensemble.
2000, Short visit to nowhere, Okka disk OD12044. The Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet Plus Two.
2000, Hidros 3, Smalltown Supersound STS080CD. Mats Gustafsson/Sonic Youth with Friends.
2000, Broken English, Okka disk OD12043. The Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet Plus Two.
2000, Inscape – Tableaux, Intakt CD 066. Barry Guy New Orchestra.
2000, I wonder if I was screaming, Crazy Wisdom 003. AALY Trio with Ken Vandermark.
2000, The Thing, Crazy Wisdom 001. Trio with Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and Paal Nilssen-Love.
1999, Sounds 99, Blue Tower Records BTCD 09/10/11.
1999, Port Huron picnic, Spool SPL 110/LINE 10. Trio with Kurt Newman and Mike Gennaro.
1999, Windows: the music of Steve Lacy, Blue Chopsticks BC4. Solo.
1999, Xylophonen virtuosen, Incus CD38. Duo with Jim O’Rourke
1999, Sticky tongues and kitchen knives, XERIC XER-CD-101. Duo with John Corbett.
1999, Double or nothing, Okka disk OD12035. AALY Trio/DKV Trio.
1999, Stone/Water, Okka disk OD12032. The Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet.
1999, Three rocks and a pine, Ninth World Music NWM 020. With The Wild Mans Band.
1999, Live at the Glenn Miller Café, Wobbly Rail WOB-008. AALY Trio + Ken Vandermark.
1999, They were gentle and pretty pigs, The Beak Doctor BD7. Goodman/Gustafsson/Cremaschi.
1998, Apertura, Blue Chopsticks BC2. Duo with David Grubbs.
1998, * water writes always in * plural, Concepts of doing 004. Vario 34-2.
1998, Background music, hatOLOGY 526. Gregorio/Gustafsson/Nordeson.
1998, 98 Duets, Wobbly Rail WOB004. Two duos with Jeb Bishop.
1998, Stumble, Wobbly Rail WOB-002. AALY Trio + Ken Vandermark.
1997/98, Three concerts per a A.T., Edition Explico 08. Three tracks with Christmann/Lovens.
1997, Hidros one (1997), Caprice 21566.
1997, One to (two)…, Okka Disk ODL 10002. Gustafsson/Christmann duo.
1997, The Chicago Octet/Tentet, Okka disk OD12022. Peter Brötzmann.
1997, Frogging, Maya MCD 9702. Duo with Barry Guy.
1997, Live in Holland ‘97, X-OR FR 5. With Misha Mengelberg and Gert-Jan Prins.
1997, Lennart, Blue Tower Records BTCDS 51. Two slices of acoustic car.
1996, Electric eel, QBICO 30. Gush.
1996, Concert in Berlin 1996, Wobbly Rail WOB007. Georg Gräwe Quintet.
1996, Hidden in the stomach, Silkheart 149. Aaly Trio + Ken Vandermark.
1996, Impropositions, Phono Suecia PSCD 99. Enhanced CD.
1996, Live in Tampere, Dragon DRCD 327. Gush.
1996, Live at Fasching, Dragon DRCD 313. Gush.
1996, Improvisors, Kontrans 143. With Jaap Blonk and Michael Zerang.
1996, Battuto, Random Acoustics RA 023. Gustafsson, Lonberg-Holm, Kapsalis, Corbett.
1996, gryffgryffgryffs, Music & Arts CD-1003. Guy, Gustafsson, Strid, Crispell.
1996, Upgrade and afterlife, Drag City DC90CD. Gastr del sol.
1996, Opus apus, LJCD 5212. Jormin/Gustafsson/Jormin.
1994/96, The spirit of milvus milvus, Rub-a-Dub CD14. Christer Bothen.
1995, Nickelsdorf Konfrontation, Silkheart 143. Joel Futterman-Kidd Jordan Quintet.
1995, The education of Lars Jerry, XERIC XER-CD-100. Solo.
1995, For Don Cherry, Okka Disk ODL 10003. Gustafsson/Hamid Drake duo.
1995, Blow horn, Okka Disk OD 12019. FJF.
1994/1995, You forget to answer, Maya MCD 9601. With Barry Guy and Raymond Strid.
1988/94, Of if – best of Improvised Friday, Blue Tower BTCD 05. Forthcoming.
1994, Gushwachs, Bead CD002. Gush and Phil Wachsmann.
1994, Parrot fish eye, Okka Disk 12006.
1993, Vario-34, Edition Explico exp 05/Blue Tower Records BTCD 06.
1991/1992, Sometimes crosswise, Moers 02094 CD. Günter Christmann.
1992, Mouth eating trees and related activities, Okka Disk OD12010. Gustafsson/Guy/Lovens.
1992, Letter 4, Leo CD LR190. Duo with Sainkho Namchylak.
1991, Dolphins, dolphins, dolphins, Dragon DRCD 215. Per Henrick Wallin.
1990/1991, Nothing to read, Blue Tower BRCD03.
1990, From things to sounds, Dragon DRCD 204. Gush
1990, Try me, Blue Tower BTSHH 50. The Try me ensemble.
1989, The Aerial no. 6, AER 1994/6. Duo with Ricardo Dal Farra.
1989, Sounds: Contemporary Swedish improvised music, Blue Tower records BTLP 01/02. Includes two tracks from ‘Two slices of electric car’.
1989, Tjo och tjim, Dragon DRLP192. Gush and Sven-Åke Johansson.
1988, Saw, Radium 046. The too much too soon orchestra.
1988, Now or never, Bauta Rec BAR 8803. Sten Sandell.


complete discography

Mar.30, 2009

under construction… meanwhile soem new records…. more to come

New CDs:

Torden Kvartetten – devil´s last call
W. Mats Gustafsson, Per Åke holmlander, Peter Ole Jörgensen, Peter Friis Nielsen
Ninth world music 042 CD
www.ninthworldmusic.com
a FULL blast Free Jazz Excursion live in Copenhagen. Leave no prisoners!

Relay Archive 2007 – 2008
Free improvisation concert sries in Seoul, south Korea
w. one track by Choi Joonyong, Mats Gustafsson and Jin Sangtae
other music by a.o. Hankil Ryu, dieb13, Hong Chulki, Taku Sugimoto, Taku Unami
manual cd 02
www.themanual.co.kr
a wonderful insight into the GREAT Korean scene of noise and improvised music! One of the most amazing scenes for this music that there is!!! FanFuckinTastic!!!

Maja Spasova – Maja af Svea
Maja Spasova music and sound pieces and remixes by Andrea Neumann, Per Svensson, Mats Gustafsson, Adriano Theel and hans Appelqvist.
Olof Bright OBCD 20/21
www.olofbright.com
a very unique release with amazing sound pieces of high textural quality and pleasure!
Remixes by a bunch of highly recommended names and profiles.

My Cat is an Alien / Mats Gustafsson
Volume 6
A Silent Place ASP 33
www.asilentplace.it
a split CD ( former a split limited edtion vinyl of 100 copies…  all sold out…) of great italian space brothers and Gustafsson in some electronic territory in the great Cosmic Debris serie that the Opalio brothers are continuosly putting out!

New 7”:

Mats Gustafsson & Lennart Nilsson
SOUNDFOOD
Olof Bright EP 24
www.olofbright.com
a collaboration between the great wine and food conneiseur and festival general Lennart Nilsson and Gustafsson. A beautiful book designed by Karin Almlöf with a 7” vinyl attached.


solo

Mar.30, 2009

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© Micke Keysendal

Soprano, alto, tenor, baritone, contrabass saxophones
Fluteophones
Flutes
Weevil Sax
Amplified saxophone & live-electronics

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the thing

Mar.29, 2009

Mats Gustafsson – alto, tenor, baritone and slide saxophone. Live electronics

Ingebrigt Håker Flaten – bass and live electronics

Paal Nilssen-Love – drums

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contact booking : danielle.oosterop@xs4all.nl

- cell +31 6 2662 0845 – Amsterdam

The Thing was established in the spring of February 2000 when the three musicians met do play several concerts and to record the first CD on Crazy Wisdom, a sub label of Swedish Universal. In 2001, they also recorded another CD on the same label as a quartet with Joe McPhee. Both CD´s are out of print.

The trio was a long wanted constellation where several musical styles meet in a very high energetic outlet. All members are influenced by different traditions of free music derived from Germany, England and America, and these influences are to be felt and not necessary heard.
When the trio started out, the book contained mainly of tunes by Don Cherry, hence the group’s name. Since Joe McPhee`s participation, the group’s reportuar has included other free jazz standards by David Murray, Frank Lowe and Norman Howard. Also, the groups enthusiasm towards rock music, is heard when they play “To Bring You My Love” by PJ Harvey on the second CD. Today the book has expanded to include tunes by The White Stripes, The Sonics and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. This is just an example that explains how close musical styles are today, how similar the energy is and can be, and how much today`s audience is melted together, devoted to creative music. The Thing is now signed on the Norwegian label Smalltown Supersound.

Mats Gustafsson is today Sweden’s and one of Europe’s biggest names on the free music scene. Through groups like Gush, AALY trio and Peter Brötzmann`s Chicago Tentet, he has established himself as a very powerful saxophonist, and has somewhat reinvented the way of playing the saxophone.
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and Paal Nilssen-Love has become known as Norway`s heaviest rhythm-section. Since they`re long time collaboration started in 1992, they have been working in several groups, amongst them are School Days with Ken Vandermark, Scorch trio with Raoul Björkenheim, and the Swedish/Norwegian jazz-group Atomic.

The Thing also performs with Joe McPhee, Ken Vandermark, Otomo Yoshihide, Jim O`Rourke, Thurston Moore and Cato Salsa Experience.

“Tapping into rock’s most primal forces with the fire and fury that’s something to behold” Mojo

“The Thing convert nouveau punk and vintage garage-rock into a roaring scream-up, but the sheer energy and love of the music keep gimmickery at bay” Uncut
“The sheer power they generate from wood, metal, breath and muscle is stunning” BBC

“Absurdly cool” DJ Magazine

The Thing: The Great Scandinavian Power Trio
Only once in a great while does a group of musicians come along with an inherent discipline that dares to question the realm between the known and the unknown. Mats Gustafsson, Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten and Paal Nilssen-Love of the Scandinavian Power Trio, “The Thing,” provide a language so determined in its musical complexity, boundaries literally and figuratively disappear.
This doesn’t mean that these brilliant musicians do not respect what came before them, far from it. What it means is that their personal language is of such a progressive and impassioned approach, “style” cannot identify nor capture their ingenious and daring creative sensibilities. They have an unusual sense of artistic self awareness with a commitment that is a total expression of honesty and truth. It’s a place greater than self, a place without prejudice, and a place of sacrifice where freedom in artistic values is worth fighting for.
Each one of these extraordinary musicians has redefined their own given instrument with an exceptional ability to transform life into art with burning clarity. Their music is one of mystery, yet hides no secrets. There is the suggestion of a “search,” yet there are no questions to answer. In truth, it is a creative universe of intense conviction where sacrifices are made, lives are given but where few understand what this means. Gustafsson, Haker-Flaten and Nilssen-Love have made the decision to give that sacrifice. In my book, there is no creative faith greater than that.
Lloyd Peterson, Seattle april 2009

Discography The Thing:
Gustafsson/Flaten/Nilssen-Love, “The Thing”, Crazy Wisdom/Universal 001/159 073-2.
The Thing with Joe McPhee, “She Knows…” Crazy Wisdom/Universal 006/014756-2
The Thing and School Days, “Plays the music of Norman Howard”, Anagram,  ANA LP 001
The Thing, “Garage”, Smalltown Supersound, STS078CD
The Thing, “Have Love Will Travel/Art Star” Smalltown  Superjazzz, STS071  7″ EP
Cato Salsa Experience and The Thing with Joe McPhee, “Sounds Like A Sandwich” STSJ103CD
The Thing, “Live At Blå”, Smalltown Superjazzz, STSJ099CD
Two Bands And A Legend, “TBAL”, Smalltown Superjazzz, STSJ….
The Thing, “Action Jazz”, Smalltown Superjazzz STSJ123CD
Two Bands And a Legend ” I SEE YOU BABY”, smalltown superjazzz
The Thing + Ken Vandermark ” Immediate Sound”, Smalltown Superjazzz
The Thing “NOW AND FOREVER”, 4 CD BOX, Smalltown Superjazzz
The Thing “BAG IT!”, Smalltown Superjazzz

NEW!!! The Thing w Otomo Yoshihide “Shinjuku Crawl”, Smalltown Superjazz

Coming soon… The Thing “BAG IT! on 2 LP, Smalltown Superjazzz

GARAGE


Art Star


Aluminium

_5a_004217a_0054dpp_39photos: KRZYSZTOF PENARSKI

contact : booking : danielle@oosterop.com

- cell +31 6 2662 0845 – Amsterdam


photos

Mar.29, 2009

Click the picture to download a high rez version

photo:Cato Lein

photo:Cato Lein

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photo: Lisa Nordwall

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for additional photos:

www.smalltownsupersound.com/press

or contact:

mats@matsgus.com