Jazz Articles

Nods Off: In the Space Between

by Glenn Astarita
November 21, 2005

Think of early-'70s King Crimson delving into avant-garde rock territory, as this Swedish quartet lets it all hang out in a rowdy sort of way. However, the band's free-flowing habit does not signify a retrofitting of the past.

Electric guitarist Daniel Carlsson's sustained notes and blistering progressions act as a symbiotic foil for reedman Stefan Wistrand. And while the musicians generally soar skyward, they tone matters down in spots. Structured upon quirky movements, smothered with angst and staggered ...

Two Sounds Ensemble: Inversions I - VI

by Dan McClenaghan
August 12, 2004

There's something to be said for restraint in the arena of freely improvised music. Much of the free jazz out there flirts a little too heavily with the chaotic and discordant, with dissonant noise. For these sets the word “daunting" and the phrase “not for the faint of heart" are often used.Sweden's TSE--Two Sounds Ensemble--reigns in its free jazz vision with laudable restraint, with a lovely wandering progression in its instantly composed music that stays appealingly within earshot ...