Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Frode Gjerstad & Paal Nilssen-Love: Side by Side

30

Frode Gjerstad & Paal Nilssen-Love: Side by Side

By

Sign in to view read count
Frode Gjerstad & Paal Nilssen-Love: Side by Side
Prominent Norwegian improvisers Frode Gjerstad (alto saxophone, clarinets) and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums) toured North America in 2008 sans a bassist, and recorded this album at a studio in upstate New York, accentuating their synergy via a largely rough and tumble implementation. Gjerstad shows a fondness for the upper-register and produces a myriad of microtonal and edgy sound-sculpting statements atop Nilssen-Love's bustling polyrhythms, infused with perpetual motion and resonating counter-maneuvers.

Gjerstad's scathing tonal swashes and darting lines embody a whirlwind approach. And Nilssen-Love's buoyant underpinnings offer a relentless pulse and broad foundation, where sparks seemingly bounce off the walls in concert with torrential downpours of high-strung dialogues. However, the duo lowers the pitch in spots but often execute within a multidimensional framework, topped off by Gjerstad's plaintive cries.

The duo moves with the force of a barreling freight train on "Casa," where Gjerstad's upper-register clarinet notes float above an asymmetrical, rock-like groove. The musicians exude a good deal of contrast, as they surge forward with linear progressions or tighten matters up by performing on the same plane. "Beachland" is steeped in boisterous breakouts and spiraling movements, with alternating sub-themes comprised of angst pr euphoric enthusiasm.

Raw, tumultuous, and deliberated with dissimilar timbres, the artists' passionately exercised high-octane mode of improvisation targets the neural network. It's a challenging engagement that is most definitely not for the faint of heart.

Track Listing

Downtown; Metropolis; Redwood; Casa; Rough Idea; Bohemian Home; Beachland.

Personnel

Frode Gjerstad
saxophone, alto

Frode Gjerstad: alto saxophone, clarinet, bass clarinet; Paal Nilssen-Love: drums.

Album information

Title: Side By Side | Year Released: 2012 | Record Label: CIMP Records

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Love Is Passing Thru
Roberto Magris
Candid
Sunny Five
Inside Colours Live
Julie Sassoon

Popular

Eagle's Point
Chris Potter
Light Streams
John Donegan - The Irish Sextet

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.