Sulida: Utos

Under the collective moniker Sulida, up-and-coming young Norwegian saxophonist Marthe Lea joins forces with more established countrymen, bassist Jon Rune Strøm and drummer Dag Erik Knedal Andersen, in an exhilarating mix of improv and tunefulness. It is not just the egalitarian name, but the repertoire also. With the exception of one cover and single cuts by Lea and Strøm, all the pieces are credited to the entire threesome (even the unaccompanied outings for bass and drums).

Opening the album, Lea's "Furore," with its joyous Albert Ayler reminiscent line serves notice of one possible wellspring for the outfit. We are straight away in Spirits Rejoice (ESP, 1965) territory, as the reedwoman reiterates the tune, subject to increasing levels of digression, expressive distortion, and split-toned cries, atop a thicket of roiling bass and drums. A folky buoyancy also pervades the attractive "Toros," with Lea this time on flute over a dancing tattoo and throbbing pizzicato.

The embrace of more traditional forms contains an echo of the inclusive approach adopted by Lea's sometime collaborator Andreas Roysum, on releases such as Mysterier (Motvind, 2023), on which she also appears. On "Eldars Pols" Lea lightly sketches Strøm's mournful melody as the emphasis tends more towards conversational interplay between Andersen's supportive clatter and the bassist's emphatic counterpoint.

Elsewhere that give and take between the instruments holds sway even more. On "Lagen," the blurts, murmurs, and tappy punctuations seem to be playing around an unstated theme, while on the title cut, where Lea toys with lyricism, the exchanges remain resolutely textural and abstract. It is not until the reverential closing rendition of Charlie Haden's classic dirge "Song For Che" that they return to the overtly emotive fare that opened proceedings. Here Lea's considered variations topped by yodeling shrieks evoke but do not imitate one of her other inspirations Dewey Redman, part of Ornette Coleman's quartet, on the number's inaugural airing on Crisis (Impulse, 1969).

The trio achieves a wonderful sense of cohesion from a diverse range of inquiry, and in doing so recalls another Scandinavian unit in Martin Kuchen's variously sized Angles ensembles, whose fans might like to cock an ear here also.

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