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Bugge Wesseltoft: Am Are
by John Eyles
Jens Christian Bugge Wesseltoft was born in Porsgrunn, Norway, in February 1964 , the son of Erik, a guitarist. Thankfully, he was soon just known as Bugge and people learned that his first name is pronounced “Boogie" not “Bug" or “Bugga... “ Having flirted with a punk band that he did not enjoy much, Wesseltoft moved towards jazz, in particular to the style identified as “future jazz" or nu jazz.In 1995, Wesseltoft formed his own five-member band, called ...
Continue ReadingGard Nilssen Acoustic Unity: Great Intentions
by John Eyles
Gard Nilssen was born in June 1983 in Skien, Norway, and raised in a musical family consisting of drummers. With a background of marching bands and big bands, it was no surprise that drums became his instruments of choice. He got his musical education on the jazz program at Trondheim Musikkonservatorium. Later on, he became a performer, composer, producer and bandleader and moved to Oslo, becoming one of the most sought-after and active drummers on the European scene. ...
Continue ReadingGard Nilssen, Antonio Borghini, Ehwald/Schultze/Rainey
by Maurice Hogue
Norwegian powerhouse drummer Gard Nilssen marks his move to a new label, Action Jazz, by releasing two live sessions from recent years. ... And It's Yours Forever is with his ultra-dynamic Supersonic Orchestra, while the second is with his Acoustic Unity trio, recorded when they were serving as a back-up band to Norwegian singer Susanne Sundfør.Other new releases from Europe sampled include a brilliant trio recording by Peter Ehwald, Stefan Schultze & Tom Rainey, Italian bassist Antonio Borghini and his ...
Continue ReadingBushman's Revenge: All the Better For Seeing You
by Glenn Astarita
The eleventh album from the celebrated Norwegian trio Bushman's Revenge is an entrancing exploration of avant-garde jazz and rock fusion. Released in September 2023, the album highlights the band's prowess in pushing boundaries while delivering a raw, energetic musical experience.The trio--guitarist Even Helte Hermansen, bassist Rune Nergaard, and drummer Gard Nilssen---demonstrate a remarkable synergy throughout. Their collective improvisational skills create an electrifying atmosphere which engages the listener from start to finish.The album's tracks exhibit a dynamic ...
Continue ReadingAndre Roligheten: Marbles
by Chris May
Tenor saxophonist André Roligheten is best known outside his native Norway, and wider Scandinavia, as a member of drummer Gard Nilssen's Acoustic Unity and as a composer/arranger in the berserker big band, Supersonic Orchestra. Nilssen returns the favour on Marbles, one of Roligheten's infrequent own-name releases. The album has grown out of a band Roligheten put together in spring 2021 for the Trondheim Jazz Festival, which had commissioned a new piece from him. The band was called ...
Continue ReadingGard Nilssen's Supersonic Orchestra: Family
by Mark Corroto
Why can't all music be supersonic? That does not mean supersonic as in a speed exceeding that of sound, but sound that is sonically superlative. Drummer, composer, and bandleader Gard Nilssen's music is seemingly always sonically superb. His 17-piece Supersonic Orchestra was captured in 2022 at the Mondriaan Jazz Festival in Den Haag, Netherlands, for Family, his follow-up to If You Listen Carefully The Music Is Yours (Odin 2020). The Supersonic Orchestra is made up of seven saxophones ...
Continue ReadingGard Nilssen, Damon Locks, Alberto Dipace & HIIT
by Maurice Hogue
Norwegian drummer Gard Nilssen has packed his Supersonic Orchestra with 17 of the top players from Scandinavia and Northern Europe and the result has been acclaimed. If you missed the band's debut “If You Listen Carefully The Music Is Yours," you can hear a track from Nilssen and the ensemble's latest Family. After sitting on a couple of releases by Chicago composer artist Damon Locks for far too long, I'm finally playing music by his Black Monuments Ensemble. Long over ...
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