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Atomic: Retrograde
ByFearless and precise in their execution, Atomic has formed a group identity from the troughs of previous American and European traditions, with an eye towards the improvisational unknown. If that sounds rebellious, it is, but when it comes to creativity, that's not a bad place to be. Magnus Broo, Ingebrigt Haker-Flaten, Fredrik Ljungkvist, Paal Nilssen-Love and Håvard Wiik all share in the writing of the compositions, which consistently reflects a compelling and brilliant creative vision. When performed live, their music produces a powerful rhythmic energy that can be both exhilarating and sophisticated, all at the same time. That's a lot to live up to, but Atomic is that good.
We live during a time when those with lesser creative standards are rewarded unjustly, while quality in art is without acceptance and looked upon without meaning. But this group of creative musicians has an inherent intellectual passion along with a unique understanding of the extraordinary complexity that can evolve within music. Each individual brings a fresh reservoir of ideas to the collective, but with indiscriminate integrity in their creative ideas. They remain unpredictable yet accessible, elusive yet captivating, adventurous but with ferocity and precision.
Yet there is another facet that distinguishes the artist from the musician, and it is an important one. For the artist doesn't work from the answers of the past but is more concerned with the questions, in the search itself. And that search includes one of intense conviction and humility in the pursuit of artistic discoveries. We only have to listen.
Liner Notes copyright © 2024 Lloyd N. Peterson Jr..
Retrograde can be purchased here.
Contact Lloyd N. Peterson Jr. at All About Jazz.
Lloyd Peterson is the author of the book "Music and the Creative Spirit"
Track Listing
CD1: Db Gestalt; Retrograde; Invisible Cities; Painbody; Correspondence; Sweet Ebony; King Kolax. CD2: Invisible Cities II; Papa; Don Don; Folkton; Hola Calamares; Swedish Oklahoma (In The Desert Of Love); Koloniestrase. CD3 (Live In Seattle): Crux; Db Gestalt; Painbody; Swedish Oklahoma (In The Desert Of Love); King Kolax; ABC 101b.
Personnel
Atomic
band / ensemble / orchestraFredrik Ljungkvist
saxophone, tenorMagnus Broo
trumpetHåvard Wiik
pianoPaal Nilssen-Love
drumsAlbum information
Title: Retrograde | Year Released: 2008 | Record Label: Jazzland Recordings
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About Atomic
Instrument: Band / ensemble / orchestra
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