Bly DeBlyant: Hindsight Bias

The members of Bly De Blyant are Øyvind Skarbø (dr, perc, voice), Shahzad Ismaily (b, moog, voice, banjo, drum machine, org) and Hilmar Jensson (g, b, p, voice).

Their previous album on Hubro ("ABC" 2013) was creme de la creme, and the new one, "Hindsight Bias" (2014) is even better. They still play all kinds of genres (!), and the album has the feeling of a relaxed jam even if most of the music this time, was written by Skarbø before they started.

Bergen sax man Kjetil Møster visits on one track ("Bunker Hill").

Read more on Soundcloud or on Hubro´s site.

I heard them do a secret pop-up concert in Bergen earlier this week, with Anders Bitustøyl (b) replacing Shahzad Ismaily for the occasion (lousy flash photo here). Funky stuff live!

Losing Our Virginity

Losing Our Virginity (The First Four Years: 1973 - 1977) is a 3xCD release to celebrate the 40th birthday of the Virgin record label in 2013.

Robert Wyatt is represented by "I´m a believer" and "Yesterday Man".

For full track list go here.

Bergen in the Springtime

The Bergen International Festival (21 Mai - 04 June) released the 2014 programme today.
Perhaps most interesting for those of you into classical music, dance and theatre, but I have made some preliminary hooks in the list by the names Steve Reich, The Tiger Lillies and Trio Mediaeval, Arve Henriksen with Bergen Cathedral Choir.

During the same period the Nattjazz jazz festival is also happening (22 - 31 May).
The programme is not complete yet, but it looks promising, with Julia Holter, Fire! Orchestra, Stian Westerhus with Pale Horses, Nils Petter Molvær, etc etc.

The videos: Steve Reich's Clapping Music arranged and performed by Santi Carcasona (YouTube) and Julia Holter: Horns Surrounding Me (Unseen Recordings on YouTube).

Whole Lotta Nilssen-Love

Anyone trying to keep track of Paal Nilssen-Love´s activities live and on records? Puh!

He is out with a duo album called "Scarcely", with Arto Lindsay (DNA, Golden Palominos, Lounge Lizards etc) on his own PNL label. It was recorded live in Rio De Janeiro in July 2013, and sounds like it must have been a really hot noise party!
And please note that side A plays on 33rpm and side B on 45rpm.

Mix master and art director: Lasse Marhaug.

Here is the PNL label discography, but how about PNL019? Does it exist?

Lasse Marhaug & Paal Nilssen-Love: Stalk (PNL 001, 2007)
Nils Henrik Aasheim & Paal Nilssen-Love: Late Play (PNL 002, 2007)
Magnus Broo & Paal Nilssen-Love: Game (PNL 003, 2008)
Sten Sandell Trio: Face of Tokyo (PNL 004, 2009)
Paal Nilssen-Love: 27 Years Later (PNL 005, 2010)
Paal Nilssen-Love & Anders Hana: AM/FM (PNL 006, 2010)
Paal Nilssen-Love: Miró (PNL 007, 2011)
Slugfield (Nilssen-Love, Marhaug, Ratkje): Slime Zone (PNL 008, 2012)
Lasse Marhaug & Paal Nilssen-Love: No Combo LP (PICA 028/PNL 009, 2011)
Anders Hana & Paal Nilssen-Love: Hosanna and Parallel Sevens 10" (PNL 010, 2011)
Fire Room (Nilssen-Love, Marhaug, Vandermark): Wels 2008/11/08 LP (Pica 030/PNL 011, 2011)
Terrie EX & Paal Nilssen-Love: Hurgu! (PNL 012, 2011)
Double Tandem (Nilssen-Love, Vandermark, Baars): Cement (PNL 013, 2012)
Bradford, Gjerstad, Nilssen-Love: Dragon (PNL 014, 2012)
Frode Gjerstad Trio: Hide Out (PNL 015, 2012)
Paal Nilssen-Love, Joe McPhee: Red Sky (PNL 016, 2013)
Jim O'Rourke, Paal Nilssen-Love, Lasse Marhaug: The Love Robots (PNL 017/Pica 031, 2013)
Otomo Yoshihide, Paal Nilssen-Love, Lasse Marhaug: Explosion Course (PNL 018, 2013)

Arto Lindsay, Paal Nilssen-Love: Scarcity (PNL 020, 2014)
Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit: First Blow (PNL 021, 2014)

Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit

Paal Nilssen-Love and his Large Unit are touring Norway these days, and I heard them in Bergen Sunday evening. Damned great music, they dish out everything from noise to moments of marching band music, and me I liked them best of all when they approached rocking sounds.

These fine gentlemen were playing:
Jon Rune Strøm - bass, Andreas Wildhagen - drums, Paal Nilssen-Love - drums, Mats Äleklint - trobone, Christian Meås Svendsen - bass, Klaus Holm - alto, Kasper Værnes - alto, Thomas Johansson - trumpet, Børre Mølstad - tuba, Ketil Gutvik - guitar, Lasse Marhaug - electronics.

I heard their concert at the Moldejazz festival last summer, and parts of that concert may now be listened to again, if you get yourselves Paal Nilssen-Love Large Unit: "First Blow" (PNL 021, 2014).
There is 20 minutes of music. The vinyl edition plays 45 rpm.
I can´t find it on Catalytic Sound yet, but see Subradar or attend some Nilssen-Love concert.

Cover: Lasse Marhaug.

Mats Gustafsson & Paal Nilssen-Love

What a duo! Mats Gustafsson & Paal Nilssen-Love live in Kraków 27 Jan 2014.

¡Entrevista a Robert Wyatt!

Robert Wyatt is interviewed by Julieta Desmarás for Tribulaciones.

I find no publication date, but it´s quite new I guess (the piece has a section on "68" released last year), and all in Spanish.

Google Translate example:

¿Cuál es tu pensamiento acerca de la religión?
Por más de que no haya ninguna evidencia verificable de un dios benigno, muchas culturas tienen religiones. Sin embargo pienso la religión más en relación con el Arte. Ahí es donde está el mundo de los sueños.

What is your thinking about religion?
For more than that there is no verifiable evidence of a benign god, many cultures have religions. But I think more religion in relation to Art. That's where the dream world is.