Gard Nilssen's Supersonic Orchestra - Family

September 18, 2023

Label: We Jazz Records, 2023

Personnel - André Roligheten: tenor sax, bass saxophone, bass clarinet; Per ”Texas” Johansson: tenor sax, contrabass clarinet, Bb clarinet; Kjetil Møster: tenor sax, baritone saxophone, Bb clarinet; Mette Rasmussen: alto sax; Maciej Obara: alto sax; Signe Emmeluth: alto sax; Eirik Hegdal: sopranino sax, C-melody sax, Bb clarinet; Thomas Johansson: trumpet; Goran Kajfes: trumpet; Erik Johannessen: trombone; Guro Kvåle: trombone; Petter Eldh: double bass; Ole Morten Vågan: double bass; Ingebrigt Håker Flaten: double bass; Håkon Mjåset Johansen: drums; Hans Hulbækmo: drums; Gard Nilssen: drums, composition.

Known for his remarkable tonalities and explosive charts, Norwegian drummer and composer Gard Nilssen is a prominent figure in the creative jazz sphere. The new material, comprised of eight tracks co-written with saxophonist Andre Roligheten (a colleague in his trio Acoustic Unity) and recorded live in the Netherlands in 2022, is excellent. This marks his second outing with the chord-less Supersonic Orchestra, composed of 11 horn players, three bassists and three drummers. Inspired by the Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band, the work consists of firmly played expressionistic textures topped by dazzling improvisations from a number of top-class creatives.

The program begins with “The Space Dance Experiment”, which, bursting as a fanfare-ish parade, sets an asymmetric groove that is perfect for trumpeter Goran Kafjes’ enthusiastic blows. There’s a change of pace and ambience in the boisterous angular designs of saxophonist Mette Rasmussen, a flame-thrower whose sound takes us to Albert Ayler and Frank Lowe. At some point, her statement meets powerful and motivic orchestral elements that give place to Nilssen’s boiling drum solo, which segues into “Spending Time With Ludde”. Channeling Charles Mingus and Ornette Coleman, the drummer wrote this one for his son with a fine crossing between melodious spiritual folk and swinging avant-jazz in mind. Saxophonists Per ‘Texas’ Johansson and Signe Emmeluth are spotlighted here.

The elated “Boogie Stop Tøffel” will force you to move your feet to the contagious rhythm. Following Roligheten’s discourse, the band finds room for an extended bass prowl by Swedish bassist Petter Eldh. “Supersonic” is where things catch fire with a rambunctiously cacophonous collective explosion followed by massive unisons, a pungent rhythm, a two-way trombone conversation, and a fragmented if sinuous alto solo by Polish saxophonist Maciej Obara.

The ensemble probes surprising paths in “The Healing Force of the Trojan Horse” and “Dolphin Disco”. Whereas the former piece offers a sustained Brazilian samba rhythm and innocuous flute rambles, the latter, more composed, infuses modern classical elements at the outset before veering into amiable disco with a defiant tempo that would make the Bee Gees a little bemused.

Closing out the album, “SP68” feels like a Sun Ra epic space voyage enlivened by Kjetil Møster’s free-wheeling tenor blows over a tapestry of percussion and a bass saxophone groove provided by Roligheten.
With rapid-fire interlocked passages and deliciously unhinged improvisations, Nilssen’s Supersonic Orchestra keeps generating vanguard sounds that travel through the air with aerodynamic agility.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - The Space Dance Experiment ► 02 - Spending Time With Ludde ► 08 - SP68

Gard Nilssen Acoustic Unity - Elastic Wave

July 14, 2022

Label: ECM Records, 2022

Personnel - André Roligheten: tenor, soprano and bass saxophones, clarinet; Petter Eldh: acoustic bass; Gard Nilssen: drums.

The fourth album of Norwegian drummer Gard Nilssen’s Acoustic Unity, the first on the ECM Records, doesn’t low the bar set on previous recordings, displaying a well-oiled trio with as much lyricism as rhythmic inventiveness. As habitually happens, multi-reedist André Roligheten and bassist Petter Eldh are in tune with Nilssen’s vision, and the eleven compositions on Elastic Wave succeed one another with tapestries littered with dizzying propulsion and soulfully intoned melodies.

With the opening track, “Altaret”, the trio transpires devotional lyricism, falling into a calm, sweet mode that resonates emphatically with the listener. Before its close, there’s a brushed folk-infused vamp enhancing beautiful brights. Following a similar pathway, “Spending Time with Ludvig”, intertwines folk and avant-garde jazz, recalling the spirituals of Albert Ayler, Pharaoh Sanders, and Archie Shepp. The tune, written for Nilssen’s young son, shapes up and builds momentum through genuine saxophone expressions, dancing basslines, and a highly articulated drum flow.

Another piece rooted in the vernacular of folk and straddling traditions is “The Room Next to Her”, where the deep aphorisms pronounced by the bass saxophone mix with the impeccable tom-tom rumbles and cymbal crashes of the bandleader. This earthly feel contrasts with the ethereal spirituality found on “Lokket til Jon, og skjerfet Paul”, a ballad that honors drummers Jon Christensen and Paul Motian, mentioning their cymbal and scarf, respectively, in the title.

If Eldh’s “Dreignau” enables us to feel the silkiness of the clarinet, a nonuple meter that shifts along the way, and an impeccable ground layer that defines its pulse, then “The Other Village” features Roligheten’s two-horn signature blowing, meaning he plays the tenor and soprano saxes simultaneously. It’s hard not to succumb to accented-themed avant-garde thrusters such as “Influx Delight”, with its tireless bass and drums flow; “Acoustic Dance Music”, which bounds into an energetic hard-swinging motion; and “Boogie”, an upbeat, staccato-delivered romp with a singable melody, and where Eldh and Nilssen keep the groove alive.

Daringly outlined and yet expansive and open, this new collection of compositions shows the ability of three highly articulated speakers to create with equal parts inspiration, responsiveness, and artistry.

Favorite Tracks:
02 - Spending Time with Ludvig ► 03 - Dreignau ► 07 - Boogie

Gard Nilssen's Supersonic Orchestra - If You Listen Carefully This Music Is Yours

May 15, 2020

Label: Odin Records, 2020

André Roligheten: saxophones, bass clarinet, percussion; Kjetil Møster: saxophones, percussion; Maciej Obara: alto saxophone, percussion; Per “Texas” Johanson: tenor saxophone, clarinets, percussion; Hanna Paulsberg: tenor saxophone, percussion; Mette Rasmussen: alto saxophone, percussion; Eirik Hegdal: saxophones, clarinet, percussion; Thomas Johanson: trumpet, percussion; Goran Kajfes: trumpet, percussion; Erik Johannesen: trombone, percussion; Petter Eldh: double bass, percussion; Ingebrigt Flaten: double bass, percussion; Ole Morten Vågan: double bass, percussion; Hans Hulbækmo: drums, percussion; Håkon Mjåset Johansen: drums, percussion; Gard Nilssen: drums, percussion.

A record that will definitely conquer the praise of avant-gardists, free jazzers, and modern orchestral surfers is Gard Nilssen’s If You Listen Carefully the Music is Yours. In this sonically lush venture, the ingenious Norwegian drummer leads the 16-piece Supersonic Orchestra with cutting-edge fashion, and the results are incredibly revealing. All six compositions and respective arrangements (distinguished by the presence of three core drummers and three bassists) had the precious contribution of saxophonist Andre Roligheten, Nilssen's co-worker in the Acoustic Unity project.

Dynamism is immediately manifest on the opening piece, “Premium Processing Fee”, in which an impelling rhythmic drive is bolstered by pungent accentuations. The solos - from altoist Maiej Obara and trumpeter Thomas Johansson - take place under a groovier, Sun Ra-esque atmosphere often populated by horn juxtapositions and interjectional fills. This fantastic, resolute, and brilliantly controlled turbulence is appeased on the next track, “Botteknott/Elastic Circle”, a triumphant mashup marked by clear melody and tangible form. While immersed in its symphonic developments, I thought of a progressive western film score suffused with compelling, inflamed discourses and a Latin-inspired groove that precedes the floating lightness of a finale with clarinet and saxophone at the center.

The effortless range of motion and varicolored moods traverse many territories, and “Teppen-Dance” offers a groovy, spiritual, and magnetic modal practice introduced by a more-than-four-minute bass intro suffused with incisive percussive plucks. And Mingus big band recordings came to mind…

With Roligheten in the foreground, “Jack” combines euphoria and imagination to generate a danceable get-up-and-go, while both “The City of Roses” and “Bytta Bort Kua Fykk” emanate beautifully textured timbres by virtue of the drummer’s solo introductory sections. Whereas the former includes horn-driven unisons, a bass solo and a progressive compactness in the orchestration, the latter - a hardcore blast of enthusiastic African percussion - boasts efficient rhythmic transitions, a fine trumpet solo and an unaccompanied trombone expedition propitious to timbral exploration.

The sophistication and freedom provided by Nilssen’s music, make him a key figure in the modern creative sphere of jazz. If you listen carefully… you’ll find it thoroughly worth experiencing.

Favorite Tracks:
01 - Premium Processing Fee ► 02 - Botteknott/Elastic Circle ► 04 - Teppen Dance