mon 02/12/2024

CD: Gard Nilssen Acoustic Unity - To Whom Buys a Record | reviews, news & interviews

CD: Gard Nilssen Acoustic Unity - To Whom Buys a Record

CD: Gard Nilssen Acoustic Unity - To Whom Buys a Record

Energised yet structured reconfiguration of free jazz archetypes

Gard Nilssen Acoustic Unity's 'To Whom Buys a Record': a musical roller-coaster ride

To Whom Buys a Record roams through 12 crisply recorded pieces confirming that jazz which isn’t shy of acknowledging its heritage can still have an edge. Though structured and tight, each composition is defined by an attack positing this as an unmediated music: not so much improvisation, but still free-flowing.

Take “Bøtteknott”. A sax takes off; stabbing, then weaving. The drums are relentless. A double bass dives, runs and skips. During the more subdued “Broken Beauty”, a mournful sax refrain gives way to a tense wash of cymbal and then, on its own, pulses of bass. A storm is coming.

The album’s title references Ornette Coleman’s To Whom Keeps a Record, a 1975 collection of 1959 and 1960 recordings assembled without the saxophonist’s knowledge. The combo’s name nods to the 1965 Albert Ayler album Spiritual Unity. It’s clear where Norway’s Gard Nilssen Acoustic Unity are coming from, an impression strengthened by their titular drummer playing alongside acoustic bassist Petter Eldh and bass clarinet/sax player Andre Roligheten on To Whom Buys a Record – a line-up paralleling that heard on Spiritual Unity.

Obviously the energised To Whom Buys a Record draws inspiration from the late Fifties and Sixties but, with Nilssen, matters are not so cut and dried. He’s also half of the electronica/acoustic duo sPacemoNkey, integral to the jazz-metal outfit Bushman's Revenge and drums for Susanne Sundfør. Nilssen habitually crosses boundaries and makes musical marriages between genres, and his new album arrives in this context. Nonetheless it's an as-such jazz set, showcasing an aspect of this restless musician – so restless that a new Bushman’s Revenge album, the blues/spaghetti western-inflected Et Hån Mot Overklassen, is also issued this month – which isn't always apparent. Hearing Nilssen’s latest makes it clear why Bushman’s Revenge have such unconventional rhythmic foundations. More importantly, To Whom Buys a Record is an exhilarating musical roller-coaster ride.

Add comment

The future of Arts Journalism

 

You can stop theartsdesk.com closing!

We urgently need financing to survive. Our fundraising drive has thus far raised £33,000 but we need to reach £100,000 or we will be forced to close. Please contribute here: https://gofund.me/c3f6033d

And if you can forward this information to anyone who might assist, we’d be grateful.

Subscribe to theartsdesk.com

Thank you for continuing to read our work on theartsdesk.com. For unlimited access to every article in its entirety, including our archive of more than 15,000 pieces, we're asking for £5 per month or £40 per year. We feel it's a very good deal, and hope you do too.

To take a subscription now simply click here.

And if you're looking for that extra gift for a friend or family member, why not treat them to a theartsdesk.com gift subscription?

newsletter

Get a weekly digest of our critical highlights in your inbox each Thursday!

Simply enter your email address in the box below

View previous newsletters