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Fire! Orchestra: Exit!

By John Kelman
March 12, 2013
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Sometimes it's best not to predict. If the idea of expanding Fire!'s core trio of saxophonist/electric pianist

Mats Gustafsson

woodwinds
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Mats Gustafsson, bassist Johan Berthling and drummer Andreas Werlin into Fire! Orchestra's massive, 28-piece behemoth was based on the trio's extant discography— You Liked Me Five Minutes Ago (Rune Grammofon, 2009), Unreleased (Rune Grammofon, 2011), and In the Mouth of a Hand Rune Grammofon, 2012)—then a relentless album of high energy and high volume density would be expected. Which makes Exit! a complete and utter surprise, and in the best possible way.

That's not to say there isn't plenty of cacophonous chaos amidst Exit!'s two-part, multi-episodic, continuous 44-minute suite; when there is, beyond its six reeds and five brass, a total of three keyboardists, four bassists and four drummers means plenty of potential for some seriously joyous noise, and given Fire!'s predisposition for unfettered and unrelenting improvisation, it's no surprise that, at times, the music builds to wave after wave of climactic peaks. And even when the dynamics drop, there's plenty of angularity clearly not meant for the faint-of-heart.

Still, Exit!'s biggest surprise—though, following Gustafsson's career in particular, perhaps this should not be a surprise—is that it is a more dynamic piece that, if not exactly beautiful, does break down into quieter passages of greater clarity that allow for Arnold de Boers' text to be delivered—from near-lyricism to ululating freak-outs—by three singers including Sofia Jernberg, whose 2012 Trondheim Jazz Festival performance with The New Song made her an inevitable participant here.

There's still plenty of freedom, and room for extremes like screaming, whammy bar-driven electric guitars and electronics from a number of sources including Gustafsson, whose occasional unmistakable solo—here, on tenor saxophone rather than the baritone more commonly associated with Fire! (leaving that to fellow Swede,

Atomic

band / ensemble / orchestra

" data-original-title="" title="">Atomic saxophonist

Fredrik Ljungkvist

saxophone, tenor
b.1969

" data-original-title="" title="">Fredrik Ljungkvist)—is of the visceral, cathartic nature that's become a personal signature. But with its broader dynamic range and Gustafson's conducting, Exit! is somehow more eminently accessible than Fire!'s usual work, the inevitable consequence of past large ensembles like bassist

Charlie Haden

bass, acoustic
1937 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Charlie Haden's Liberation Music Orchestra and keyboardist

Sun Ra

piano
1914 - 1993

" data-original-title="" title="">Sun Ra's Arkesta. Still, neither of these precedents had Berthling and Weliin's joined-at-the-hip grooves, which drive most of the proceedings. Further bolstered with additional players including drummer

Raymond Strid

drums
b.1956

" data-original-title="" title="">Raymond Strid and ex-

Esbjorn Svensson

piano
1964 - 2008

" data-original-title="" title="">Esbjorn Svensson bassist

Dan Berglund

bass
b.1963

" data-original-title="" title="">Dan Berglund, they're even more potent as the group shuffles through a variety of meters ranging from the ? ostinato that drives the opening of "Exit! Part One" and the slower, greasier groove in its second half, to the fiery 5/4 rhythm that emerges from the freer opening of "Part Two."

Exit! ultimately ends with a cluttered free-for-all the builds from sparer, more defined components to an ending more in keeping with Fire!'s usual modus operandi, as more and more of the musicians enter the fray, leading to five minutes of truly joyful abandon. It's a fitting ending to this expanded version of Fire! that's unequivocally its greatest accomplishment to date. Broader instrumentation and a stronger sense of construction make Exit! both an exhilarating first experience and one to return to time and again, as its multiplicity of rewards unfold with each and every listen.

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Track Listing

Exit! Part One; Exit! Part Two.

Personnel

Mats Gustafsson

woodwinds

Marian Wallentin: voice; Emil Svan?ngen: voice, guitar; Sofia Jernberg: voice; Niklas Barn?: trumpet; Magnus Broo: trumpet; Emil Stransberg: trumpet; Mats ?leklint: trombone; Mer ?ke Holmlander: tuba; Anna H?gberg: alto saxophone; Mats Gustafsson: ten saxophone, live electronics; Fredrik Ljungkvist: baritone saxophone, clarinet; Christer Bothe?n: bass clarinet, guimbri; Jonas Kullhammar: bass saxophone; Andreas S?derstr?m: guitar; S?ren Runolf: guitar; David Stacken?s: guitar; Sten Sandell: piano, electronics; Joachim Nordwall: electronics; Thomas Halonsten: organ; Johan Berthling: electric bass; Joel Grip: bass; Joe Williamson: bass; Dan Berglund: bass; Andreas Werliin: drums; Thomas Mera Gartz: drums; Joyan Holmegard: drums; Raymond Strid: drums.

Album information

Title: Exit! | Year Released: 2013 | Record Label: Rune Grammofon

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