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AALY TRIO: Sustain

By Mark Corroto
December 19, 2024
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The previous recording by the AALY Trio, comprised of saxophonist (and flutist)

Mats Gustafsson

woodwinds
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Mats Gustafsson, double bassist

Peter Janson

guitar
b.1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Peter Janson and drummer

" data-original-title="" title="">Kjell Nordeson, was recorded 25 years prior (Double Or Nothing, Okka Disk, 2002). The reunion of this Swedish outfit is cause for celebration.

If we rewind the clock a bit, Gustafsson and Janson began playing together in the early 1980s. They formed this trio in 1986 and named it after an Art Ensemble Of Chicago composition, "Lebert Aaly: Dedication To

Albert Ayler

saxophone, tenor
1936 - 1970

" data-original-title="" title="">Albert Ayler." Gustafsson was heavy into the music of

Roscoe Mitchell

saxophone
b.1940

" data-original-title="" title="">Roscoe Mitchell, Ayler, and Swedish free jazz legend

Bengt Nordstrom

saxophone

" data-original-title="" title="">Bengt Nordstrom. After utilizing several bassists, they settled on Janson. The trio released five previous albums, all with the edition of Chicago saxophonist

Ken Vandermark

saxophone
b.1964

" data-original-title="" title="">Ken Vandermark. The transatlantic connections were made, and so were the careers of many a Nordic and American musician.

The artists have aged, but have lost none of the intensity of those early recordings. The disc opens and closes with a cover of Mitchell's aptly titled "Rock Out." With Janson's funk-heavy pulse, Gustafsson duels Nordeson over groove assault. This trio knows its free jazz history with covers of compositions by

Frank Wright

saxophone, tenor
1935 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Frank Wright,

Norman Howard

" data-original-title="" title="">Norman Howard and the lesser-known American bassist David Wertman. They also cover Vandermark's "Why I Don't Go Back," which can also be heard on their releases Hidden In The Stomach (Silkheart, 1997) and Stumble (Wobbly Rail, 1998). Returning to this piece sans Vandermark, we hear a corpulent, lumbering baritone saxophonist squeezing every drop of screaming emotion from his lungs.

Of the eleven tracks, four were improvised by the trio. Each of those could easily be transcribed and presented as compositions, as the trio is adept at instant composing. "Dustdiver Kneeling" sounds as if it is constantly falling forward, that is, without falling apart, and "Deepfreeze Pretend" stutters with Gustafsson's baritone saxophone vocalizing an array of chirps and pops. To quote

Thelonious Monk

piano
1917 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Thelonious Monk, "You've got to dig it to dig it, you dig?"

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Rock Out; W2; Your Prayer; Why I Don't Go Back; Cover Yourself; Soul Brother Genius; Deepfreeze Pretend; Egypt Rock; Dustdiver Kneeling; Albumblatt. Sustained; Rock Out.

Personnel

AALY Trio

band / ensemble / orchestra

Mats Gustafsson

woodwinds

Peter Janson

guitar

Kjell Nordeson

drums

Additional Instrumentation

Mats Gustafsson: tenor saxophone, baritone sax, flute, harmonica.

Album information

Title: Sustain | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Silkheart Records

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