NRG Ensemble - Live at The Hideout

I found these steaming videos with NRG Ensemble playing Chicago´s Hideout, on Egil Andersen´s YouTube channel. He usually records all kinds of concerts in Bergen, but seem to have been travelling lately!

The musicians:

Mars Williams - woodwinds
Ken Vandermark - reeds
Fred Lonberg-Holm - cello
Kent Kessler - bass
Brian Sandstrom - bass,guitar, trumpet
Steve Hunt - drums

Ken Vandermark & Paal Nilssen-Love

The great duo of Ken Vandermark & Paal Nilssen-Love playing at De Pletterij, Haarlem (The Netherlands) 10th March I believe (says 8th March on YouTube).

Videos from All Ears 2014

Oslo´s imrov and noise festival, All Ears 2014, is over.

The videos of Ken Vandermark and Kim Myhr & Axel Dörner are from the festival´s first day (January 9th), and you will find more on Håvard Skaset´s YouTube channel.

All Ears 2014

Oslo´s great All Ears festival 2014 is happening 9-12 January.
Unfortunately I´m not able to go, but recommend the festival, both for the music (impro, noise ++) and the atmosphere.

9 January:
Kim Myhr / Axel Dörner
Jooklo Duo
Ken Vandermark

10 January:
Lasse Marhaug in conversation with Thurston Moore
Ståle Liavik Solberg / John Russell
Pär Thörn
Great Waitress
Aspec(t)
Thurston Moore / Pika

11 January:
Rob Young in conversation with John Tilbury and Eddie Prevost
Elisabeth Harnik
Frode Gjerstad / Monkey Plot
Thurston Moore
Kjetil Hanssen / Ronny Wærnes / Pika
Selvhenter / Staer

12 January:
Agnes Hvizdalek
Ken Vandermark / John Tilbury / Eddie Prevost

Peter Brötzmann in Ljubljana

The 54th jazz festival in Ljubljana happened recently, so let´s have a fine interview with Peter Brötzmann from that festival and concert video of Sax and Drums, a new project with Peter Brötzmann, Ken Vandermark, Hamid Drake and Chad Taylor. Sax and drums indeed!

Fire Room live in Bergen

I already mentioned Fire Room´s new album "Second Breath" (Bocian Records 2013), and their recent tour, in this very blog.

I´m glad i got to hear Paal Nilssen-Love (drums), Ken Vandermark (sax, clar) and Lasse Marhaug (electricity and turntable) do a great concert at Bergen Kjøtt 6 June. Only 25 people in the audience (!), and most of us got seated in soft chairs and sofas.

The trio play a really fine mix of jazz, impro and noise, and since you probably didn´t get a chance to see them this time, try to find the new album! The music on "Second Breath" is at least similar to what they played in Bergen, and was recorded at The Vortex in London in 2011 (released on both CD and vinyl).

Fire Room: Second Breath (2013)

Fire Room, that is Ken Vandermark, Paal Nilssen-Love and Lasse Marhaug, have a new album out soon (?), called "Second Breath" (CD and vinyl, on PNL perhaps ?), and a tour coming up.

I stole the cover from Lasse Marhaug, and the tour list below from Paal Nilssen-Love.

Previous releases by Fire Room: "Broken Music" (Atavistic 2008, CD + mp3) and "Wels 2008/11/08" (Pica/PNL 2011, 157 copies - vinyl).

27/05/2013
DOM/Moscow/Russia

29/05/2013
Kulturforum/Villach/Austria/

31/05/2013
21.00@Chelsea/Vienna/Austria

01/06/2013
Magasin 4/Brussels/Belgium

02/06/2013
Stadtgarten/Cologne/Germany

04/06/2013
MIR/Oslo/NO

05/06/2013
Stajazz/Stavanger/NO

06/06/2013
Bergen Kjøtt/Bergen/NO


Added 11 June:

"Second Breath" is on Bocian Records.

Lean Left with guests - Live at Café Oto

Lean Left (The EX guitars meet Nilssen-Love/Vandermark Duo) played at Café Oto two nights in September 2011.
The first night they invited Ab Baars (sax, clar) to join, and both Paal Nilssen-Love and Steve Noble drummed on the second concert.

The second set of both concerts are released on two wonderful LPs on Kollaps. The music is great, and the LPs include booklets of photos by Ken Vandermark (day one) and Andy Moor (day two)!

I´m quite sure they didn´t produce a lot of copies of these ones, and the shop over at Café Oto has none left it seems. I got mine at the The Thing concert in Bergen some days ago.
The Kollaps site is quite modest (!), but they have an e-mail too, if you want to try: kollaps@kollaps-records.de.

Both days they played the first set without audience present (and without the guest musicians). These sets are released by Unsounds, and probably easy to get (review over at Free Jazz).

And let´s not forget the musicians:

Ken Vandermark (sax, clar)
Andy Moor (g)
Terrie Ex (g)
Paal Nilssen-Love (dr)

Ab Baars (sax, clar)
Steve Noble (dr)

At the Stone, NYC - Jan 17 2013

Let´s have a concert today, recorded At The Stone, NYC - Jan 17 2013, and delivered by Don Mount on YouTube.

Joe Morris - guitar
Ken Vandermark - tenor saxophone, clarinet
Nate Wooley - trumpet
Augusti Fernandez - piano
Pascal Niggenkemper - bass
Ben Hall - drums

September Wyattandstuff Festival

- Mats Gustafsson, Peter Evans, Agustí Fernández (Unterfahrt 20/09/2012).

- Peter Brötzmann, Mats Gustafsson, Ken Vandermark (25/09/08 Brötzfest, Tokyo).

- Thurston Moore and Mats Gustafsson (Live @ Strand, Stockholm, 21/09/2012)

- Peter Brötzmann, Paal Nilssen-Love, Michiyo Yagi (25/09/08 Brötzfest, Tokyo).

- Lean Left Rassegna musica extra-ordinaria C/O AREA SISMICA Forlì.
Ken Vandermark, Andy Moor, Terrie Hessels, Paal Nilssen-Love (22/09/2012).

- Paal Nilssen-Love and Ken Vandermark (Inage Candy, Chiba (Japan) 05/09/2012).

- Ken Vandermark and Tamaya Honda (Shinjuku Pit Inn 11/09/2012).

The EX & Brass Unbound - Live a Chiasiellis - 1-06-2012

The Ex are: Terrie Hessels (guitar/baritone guitar) , Andy Moor (guitar/baritone guitar), Katherina Bornefeld (drums/vocals), Arnold de Boer (guitar/voice/laptop)

The Brass Unbound are: Mats Gustafsson (sax), Ken Vandermark (sax), Roy Paci (trumpet), Wolter Wieros (trombone).

Party on!

Concert for Fukushima

Pan Rec and Trost Rec will release a benefit concert film with Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet and guests, from the Music Unlimited Festival (Wels, Austria) 2011.
Proceeds from the concert and film go to the Japanese organization "Save Takata" and to "Project Fukushima!" (launched by among others Yoshihide Otomo).

Musicians: Johannes Bauer, Jeb Bishop, Peter Brötzmann, Mats Gustafsson, Per-Âke Holmlander, Kent Kessler, Toshinori Kondo, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Joe McPhee, Paal Nilssen-Love, Yoshihide Otomo, Akira Sakata, Ken Vandermark, Michiyo Yagi, Michael Zerang.

More info on the film and support projects on YouTube.

PNL 013 - 015

I´m holiday travelling these days, and haven´t hade the time to listen too closely, but so far I am very happy with my three latest from Paal Nilssen-Love´s PNL-company:

Double Tandem - Ab Baars (ts, BB clar, shakuhachi), Pal Nilssen-Love (dr, perc), Ken Vandermark (ts, BB clar): "Cement" (PNL 013, 2012).
Recorded live at Cementen (Stavanger) in September 2011.
Mixmaster:Frode Gjerstad.

Bobby Bradford (cornet), Frode Gjerstad (as, BB clar, bass clar), Paal Nilssen-Love (dr, perc): "Dragon" (PNL 014, 2012).
Recorded live at Klub Dragnon (Poznan, Poland) in November 2010.

Frode Gjerstad Trio: "Hide Out" (PNL 015, 2012).
Jon Rune Strøm (b), Frode Gjerstad (as, BB clar, bass clar), Paal Nilssen-Love (dr, perc).
Recorded live at The Hideout (Chicago, USA) in August 2011.

Cover on all CDs: Lasse Marhaug.

I have already posted the PNL discography, but here we go again, with the new CDs included:

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)

Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet + 1 22/04/2011

Krioet recently uploaded several videos of Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet + 1 at Café Ada in Wuppertal (Germany), from April 2011.

Musicians: Peter Brötzmann, Mats Gustafsson, Ken Vandermark, Joe Mcphee, Johannes Bauer, Jeb Bishop, Per-Åke Holmlander, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Kent Kessler, Michael Zerang, Paal Nilssen-Love.

More videos over here.

Sonore live in Belgrade

Peter Brötzmann, Ken Vandermark and Mats Gustafsson live at the Ring Ring Festival in Belgrade 19 May 2012. The film is not 100% in focus, but the boys are!

They are blowing up a storm, and let me steal this description from YouTube:
"Total faceblasting, razor pissing, ear slaughtering, feelgood mayhem nirvana". Indeed!

Ken Vandermark & Paal Nilssen-Love live in Romania

Ken Vandermark & Paal Nilssen-Love, Oradea, Romania, 26.04.2012. Great duo, or what??

Peaceful Easter to all of you! Logging off for a week.

- Peter Brötzmann, John Edwards, Steve Noble @ Cafe Oto 28.3.12.
- Ken Vandermark & Christof Kurzmann live at Centro Cultural São Paulo 24.3.12.
- Otomo Yoshihide (turntables) Choi Joonyong (opened VCR, objects) Jin Sangtae (carhorn, objects) in Seoul.
- Albatrosh live in Amsterdam, February 2012.
- Cakewalk live in Bergen, March 2012.
- Deaf Center "Plateaux". Various Artists - Lost in the Humming Air (Music inspired by Harold Budd).
- OK Go - "Skyscrapers" (official video).

PNL Records

Paal Nilssen-Love, who must be Norway´s hardest working drummer, has got his own record company too, called PNL Records.
The latest from the company, to arrive in this house, is a duo with Nilssen-Love and and Terrie Ex (guitar), recorded in 2009. Four tracks, ten - fourteen minutes long, containing improv, noise jazz and rock in a fine mix.
Coverdesign as usual by Lasse Marhaug, and painting by Gebrekristos Solomon (Ethiopia).

Most releases on PNL are CDs, but they throw in some vinyl for change (pressed in limited quantities). A couple of the records have been released in cooperation with Pica Disk.
The closer you get to Paal Nilssen-Love, either on earth or in cyberspace, the easier to get the albums.

So far, I believe this is the complete PNL discography (please correct me, if I´m wrong):

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)

(The list was corrected 23 June 2012, and I hope it´s OK now!)

Added 25 July 2012:
Bradford, Gjerstad, Nilssen-Love: Dragon (PNL 014, 2012)
Frode Gjerstad Trio: Hide Out (PNL 015, 2012)

Sonore live

What a trio Sonore is! Ken Vandermark, Peter Brötzmann and Mats Gustafsson, a line up that´s pretty hard to beat!
Here you have almost one hour from SKIF-14 Festival 2010 (St. Petersburg).

A live album from Cafe Oto (April 2011) is just out on Trost, and over at The Liminal you may read about the recorded concert.

Wels 2008/11/08

I got one of the 157 (!) copies made of Fire Room´s LP "Wels 2008/11/08" for Christmas. The release is a cooperation between Pica Disk and PNL, and is numbered PICA030/PNL011 (2011).
Fire Room is Ken Vandermark (sax, clar), Lasse Marhaug (electronics) and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums).

It seems like Tiger in Oslo still has copies for sale! You might have a chance to check out this super sax-drums-electronics trio on vinyl, or see the video below (recorded in Wels, Austria). Make sure you also listen to their previous album "Broken Music" (Atavistic 2008).

Cover probably made by Lasse Marhaug.