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Gard Nilssen: Live In Europe

By Mark Corroto
November 28, 2017
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Clocking in at just a minute over two-hours of music, the three CDs (or LPs, if you'd like) that make up Live in Europe provide an audacious excursion into creative music. The drummer, known for his work in multiple groups such as the quartets Cortex and Starlite Motel, Bushman's Revenge, Zanussi Five, and the Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, previously released Firehouse (Clean Feed, 2015) with his

Gard Nilssen

drums
b.1983

" data-original-title="" title="">Gard Nilssen's Acoustic Unity trio. Where the previous title was a studio effort with saxophonist Andr�� Roligheten (Friends & Neighbors) and bassist Petter Eldh (

Django Bates

piano
b.1960

" data-original-title="" title="">Django Bates Belov��d), these three discs are live and feature (on two discs) an expanded lineup.

The first disc was recorded at the 2016 North Sea Jazz Festival with Roligheten and Eldh. The trio mine a couple of compositions from Firehouse, taking them in different directions. All the music here is open to improvisatory flights, yet each piece is also tightly choreographed. The same can be said for the expanded lineups of discs 2 and 3. The original trio is augmented at the Ljubljana Jazz Festival by Fredrik Ljungqvist of Atomic and at the Oslo Jazz Festival the trio becomes a quintet with Kristoffer Berre Alberts (Cortex) and J?rgen Mathisen.

Each of the three performances include a version of "Hymne-Roundtrip." All open with Nilssen's roiling drums that summon the spirit of

Tony Williams

drums
1945 - 1997

" data-original-title="" title="">Tony Williams' athletic artistry. Alone at North Sea Jazz Festival, Roligheten carries the weight of the piece exhibiting an arsenal technique and even quoting from Coltrane's "A Love Supreme" before yielding to Eldh's introspective bass solo. Add Ljungkvist's saxophone and the sound becomes

Ornette Coleman

saxophone, alto
1930 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">Ornette Coleman's Love Call (Blue Note, 1971), except both saxophonists play the

Dewey Redman

saxophone, tenor
b.1931

" data-original-title="" title="">Dewey Redman role and Eldh's solo is much more two-fisted. By the time we get to the three-horn lineup of Roligheten, Ljungkvist and Mathisen at the Oslo Jazz Festival the music has become a muscular gun show. This piece acts as a point of reference between the three performances, none of which is more accomplished than the others. Credit for that is given to the force majeure that is Gard Nilssen.

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Track Listing

(CD 1) When Pigs Fly; Hymne; Roundtrip; Mormor; Rushen; Gammal Rottegift; Jack; Zig Zag; (CD2) Summer Ale; Rushen; Gammal Rottegift; Hymne; Roundtrip; Zig Zag; Salad Days; (CD 3) Hymne; Roundtrip; Mormor; When Pigs Fly; Utleiemegleren; Zig Zag; Adam's Ale.

Personnel

Gard Nilssen

drums

Gard Nilssen: drums; Petter Eldh: double bass; Andr�� Roligheten: tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone; Fredrik Ljungkvist: tenor saxophone, clarinet (CD 2); Kristoffer Berre Alberts: alto saxophone, tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone (CD 3); J?rgen Mathisen: tenor saxophone, clarinet (CD 3).

Album information

Title: Live In Europe | Year Released: 2017 | Record Label: Clean Feed Records

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