PNL Records bringt einen Live-Mitschnitt eines Konzertes von Carl Magnus Neumann, Ketil Gutvik, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten und Paal Nilssen-Love heraus, das letzten Sommer im Osloer Victoria Nasjonal Jazzscene aufgeführt wurde. Der Auftritt fand im Rahmen der Release-Party zu einem Boxset der norwegischen Jazz-Formation The Quintett statt, an der das Gros der hier vertretenen Musiker beteiligt war. Für den Auftritt beehrte der seit Jahren wenig aktive Altsaxophonist Neumann seine Fans mit einem Live-Comeback. Smoothe Saxparts, stimmungsvolle Flammenco-Gitarren und groovige Takte und Bässe sorgen für einen verheisungsvollen Auftakt, aus dem sehr schnell etwas Furioses entsteht. Der Tanz, um den es im mit zirkusartigen Trommelwirbeln eröffneten Ttiteltrack “New Dance” geht, muss tatsächlich erst neu erfunden werden. Das Album mit Coverartwork und weiterem Bildbaterial von Lasse Markaug erscheint dieser Tage als CD und Download.
“In 2019 PNL Records released Events 1998-1999 – a retrospective box-set of the short-lived but eventually legendary The Quintet from the late 90s. That box-set documented the meeting of two generation of Norwegian improvised free music – the older generation Calle Neumann and Bjørnar Andresen engaging with the new emerging talents of the time – Paal Nilssen-Love, Ketil Gutvik and Eivind Opsvik. Since that time Andresen had passed away, but for the release party of the box-set Neumann once again got together with Gutvik and Nilssen-Love. No longer the new blood, it was now a completely different meeting of musical minds, built on experience that didn’t exist 20 years ago. But it was also clearly a reunion of kindred spirits, people that share something special catching up through music. Of course this could not just be a one-off to promote a release, this had to become something more.
And one year later the new line-up, now with Ingebrigt Håker Flaten on double bass (you don’t need two bass-players with Ingebrigt in the band), making the original quintet a quartet. The self-titled debut album documents their live debut at Victoria Jazz Club in Oslo, recorded in the midst of the covid-19 pandemic in July 2020. The band recorded before the gig with the intent of a studio album, but the gig itself was such a special event, that it became clear that the album needed to document that performance in full. Listening to the recording the identity of the musicians is clearly defined, but the music is full of surprises – going from extended full-on blasts to passages of subtle beauty, all delivered with a sense of adventure and humour that only musicians who are completely at ease with each other can deliver. New Dance is a new band for a new decade. It’s also worth noticing that this is Neumann’s first new recording in more than a decade, which is cause for celebration in itself.” (PNL Records)
Porträt © Lasse Marhaug