PNL Records
An idependent label founded by Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love, a leading figure in free jazz and avant-garde improvisation. Launched in 2012, the label focuses on documenting raw, high-energy projects—spanning free jazz, experimental music, and noise—through live recordings and international collaborations. With a bold visual aesthetic and a commitment to unfiltered creativity, PNL Records reflects Nilssen-Love’s relentless innovation, serving as a vital platform for cutting-edge improvised music.
What Just Happened?
What Just Happened?
“What Just Happened?” is an album collecting four pieces by Paal Nilssen-Love, composed for smaller constellations of his Large Unit ensemble. The pieces are for specific instruments: according, snare drum, saxophone, and tuba – from three to six performers. This act of stripping down the ensemble to single instruments does not mean sparse minimalism, rather the opposite, as Paal explores the possibilities – and limits – of the singular instruments. Adding to the quality of the music is the incredible level of musicianship of the performers, and their willingness to go into new areas.
The album was recorded in the church of Tøyen, in Oslo, June 2025, by Large Unit regular sound engineer Christian Brynildsen Obermayer, and produced by Paal himself. In the growing catalogue of Large Unit recordings “What Just Happened?” is perhaps most closely related to 2018’s “More Fun Please” album, with the extended Extra Large Unit, which also showcased Paal’s abilities not just as a musician and bandleader, but also his interest in contemporary composition and the exploration of new sounds. Or as Joe McPhee would say it: “fuck free jazz”
Asked what the title means, Paal states that was his desired response when he set up the three-day festival of Large Unit projects in Oslo in 2022 – that both the audience and the performers would walk out afterwards and wonder “what just happened?” – and most of all himself.
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All music composed by Paal Nilssen-Love (TONO)
Recorded at Tøyen Kirke, 3rd June 2025
All recording, mix and mastering by Christian Brynildsen Obermayer
Produced by Paal Nilssen-Love
Cover by Lasse Marhaug
This album was supported by Fund for Performing Artist and Norsk Komponistforening.
credits
releases May 1, 2026
5 X 10
Composition for 5 drummers
Performers: Ole Mofjell, Andreas Wildhagen, Jennifer Torrence, Dag Erik Knedal Andersen, Paal Nilssen-Love
Spread Rain
Composition for 6 saxophones
Performers: Eivind Leifsen – soprano saxophone, Signe Emmeluth – alto saxophone, Marthe Lea – tenor saxophone, Aksel Ø. Røed – tenor saxophone, Hanne de Backer – baritone saxophone, Andreas Røysum – bass clarinet
Dragespel
Composition for 3 accordions
Performers: Maren Sofie Nyland Johansen, Mykola Sheremeta, Kalle Moberg
Zlang!
Composition for 3 tubas
Performers: Per Åke Holmlander, Børre Mølstad, Sondre Ross Folkestad
Turn Thy Loose
Turn Thy Loose
Paal Nilssen-Love Circus ́s second album sees the band in a total clash with the three guitars of Dutch band The Ex. What a treat this is!
The band ́s debut album, “Pairs of Three” received outstanding reviews for their mix of rhythms and melodies from Northeast part of Brazil, original compositions that juxtaposed jazz and free improvisation.After several live concerts with pre-arranged sets, Nilssen-Love wanted to shake up the concert form. The rule is simple: anyone can play any part of any song at any time. As free as possible but with written material. The music moves all over the place, and the musicians never have a grasp of what awaits around the next corner. The guitarists of The Ex fit perfectly into this mix, and it really becomes a clash of sounds, melodies and rhythms which takes the listener on an exciting and unexpected journey. Some old songs, some new and another melody from Nazare da Mata. Not to forget a cover version of The Stretchheads “I should be so Lucky” which might just be their interpretation of Kylie Minogue’s song with the same title. Also, be sure to crank up the volume on the band ́s new mosh pit dance piece, “Calls: Let They Free!”The day before this live concert, the band also recorded in a studio, and was followed up by another session in a studio in Oslo in June. This will be released on vinyl and CD some time in the fall of 2025. In the meantime, enjoy this live recording from Bimhuis in Amsterdam, February 2024.
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Juliana Venter: voice
Thomas Johansson: trumpet
Signe Emmeluth: alto saxophone
Kalle Moberg: accordion
Christian Meaas Svendsen: electric and acoustic bass
Paal Nilssen-Love: drums, percussion, Paiste cymbals and gongs
Terrie Hessels: electric guitar
Andy Moor: electric guitar
Arnold de Boer: electric guitar plus additional vocals on “I should be so Lucky”
Recorded live in concert at Bimhuis, Amsterdam, Netherlands on February 28th 2024 by Ron Ruiten and Jens Loeven
Mixed and mastered by Joe Talia
Produced by Paal Nilssen-Love.
Cover by Lasse Marhaug
Time Sound Shape
Time Sound Shape
At first glance this new CD on PNL looks like familiar territory – a trio recording with two known collaborators of Nilssen-Love: Accordionist Kalle Moberg have become a steady and important voice of the Large Unit sound over the last ten years, and Frode Gjerstad truly needs no introduction – him and Nilssen-Love have played together for 30+ years. And while this trio is a new constellation, a combination that is good news in itself, “Time Sound Shape” offers another, bigger surprise: this is the first album where Nilssen-Love does not play any drums. The set-up instead is seven gongs – which are prepared and played with a selection of objects, like Styrofoam, Ping-Pong balls, and sheets of paper. Gjerstad also adds the alto flute to his more commonly used Bb clarinet and alto saxophone. The album was recorded in Gamle Aker Kirke in Oslo, a 900-year-old church from the Middle Ages that has a very distinct acoustic character. This location, in combination with the instrumentation, and the fact that the three musicians were getting together after a year of not playing because of the lockdown, creates a very unusual album in the PNL catalogue. The music is often slow moving and transparent, with explosive and bombastic passages, held together with a subtle and intense undercurrent that drives everything forward throughout its 49 minutes.
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Frode Gjerstad – alto saxophone, alto flute, Bb clarinet
Kalle Moberg – accordion
Paal Nilssen-Love – Paiste gongs
All music by Gjerstad, Moberg, Nilssen-Love (TONO)
Recorded at Gamle Aker Kirke, Oslo on May 10th 2021
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Frode Gjerstad
Produced by Gjerstad, Moberg, Nilssen-Love
Photo by Paal Nilssen-Love
Cover by Lasse Marhaug
Thanks to Ferdinand Bergstrøm.
The Cliff Of Time
The Cliff Of Time
“The music here is a rollercoaster of emotions, played by excellent musicians who seem to have great fun. And the sound is transparent and crispy too.” -Martin Schray, Free Jazz Blog
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Akira Sakta: Alto Saxophone & Bb Clarinet
Fred Longberg-Holm: Cello & Electronics
Ketil Gutvik: Electric Guitar
Paal Nilssen-Love: Drums & Percussion
Recorded on August 12th 2013 at Hammersborggata Studio, Oslo, Norway
Recorded and mixed by Thomas Oxem
Mastered by Lasse Marhaug
Produced by Ketil Gutvik Paal Nilssen-Love and Lasse Marhaug
Cover by Lasse Marhaug
Steam Waterfall
Steam Waterfall
“Steam Waterfall” is the second album of an extended version of Paal Nilssen-Love’s Large Unit. But this is not the same Extra Large Unit as heard of 2018’s “More Fun Please”. This is a live recording from Oslo Jazz festival in 2022 with key members of Large Unit and a host of younger musicians which Paal had met through workshops and teaching in the two years prior to the concert. The number of musicians heard is 25, the largest Unit yet, but during the performance four dancers was also part of the performance – one Norwegian contemporary and three traditional Columbian dancers.
The piece clocks in at 75 minutes, and is quite a journey – from the opening, when we hear the audience entering the room, to the end (spoiler alert) when 100 ping pong balls are thrown around on stage by all musicians, bouncing on the floor and instruments and even knocking down a glass or two. In between there’s a whole world of different events – as Paal has set up the piece as a juxtaposition of techniques, combining written passages with conceptual sections, graphic scores, as well as solos and sectioned group improvisations. It’s an ambitious piece, but listening to the recording it never feels forced and overly conceptual – it’s still all about the music and the collective experience of both listening and playing.
The CD comes with extensive liner notes by Paal, detailing the thoughts and inspirations that shaped the project. This passage gets to the core of it:
“Steam Waterfall” is a result of my attempt to question what a concert is, when it begins and when it ends. The composition is also an attempt to question what a piece of music is. Do I define the course of the music, and/or how much can I rely on the performers to move the music forward? What is a concert? When does a concert start? Is it when you walk into the concert venue, or when the band takes the stage? When the musicians first produce sounds on their instruments? Or has it already started when you have just read about the concert and decided to go? When does it end? When the last sound is over? When the audience starts applauding? When they leave the room? Or does it go on resonating forever?
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Miriam Aasland – flute and piccolo flute
Heidi Sævland – alto saxophone
Jesse Schilderink, tenor saxophone
Kristoffer Alberts – tenor and baritone saxophone
Eivind Leifsen – Bb clarinet and baritone saxophone
Klaus Ellerhusen Holm – Eb clarinet and baritone saxophone
Lotte Krüger, – harp
Lina Knörr – voice and flute
Tuva Victoria Lundberg Olsson – trumpet
Guro Kvåle: trombone
Emil Bø – trombone
Magnus Breivik Løvseth – tuba
Sondre Ross Folkestad – tuba
Per Åke Holmlander – tuba
Børge Brustad – viola
Kristian Enkerud Lien – acoustic guitar
Ketil Gutvik – acoustic guitar
Andrine D. Erdal – cello
Christian Meaas Svendsen – double bass
Maren Sofie Nyland Johansen – accordion
Kalle Moberg – accordion
Patrycja Wybranczyk – drums, percussion, Paiste gongs
Michael Lee Sørenmo – Korean traditional drums and gongs, hi-hat, Paiste gongs
Andreas Wildhagen – drums, percussion, Paiste gongs
Paal Nilssen-Love – drums, percussion, Paiste gongs
Alexander Aarø – dance
Lida Albarracin Søreide – dance
Ana Barragan Lid – dance
Lina Duque – dance
Recorded live in Marmorsalen at Sentralen, Oslo Jazzfestival, 18th August 2022.
Live sound, recording, mixing and mastering by Christian Obermayer.
Cover by Lasse Marhaug.
All music by Paal Nilssen-Love
Steam In The Casa
Steam In The Casa
Double Bass – Jon Rune Strøm
Drums, Percussion – Paal Nilssen-Love
Alto Saxophone, Clarinet [Bb] – Frode GjerstadRecorded live in concert at Case Del Popolo, Montreal, Canada on the 27th of November 2015.Mixed, Mastered – Frode Gjerstad
Cover – Lasse Marhaug
Photography – Petra Cvelbar
Producer – Frode Gjerstad Trio
Recorded – Mathieu Bélanger
Stalk
Stalk
“This release was recorded, mixed and mastered by Hild Sofie Tafjord from the all-women, electro-improv outfits Spunk and Fe-mail, who also added her own contributions to Marhaug/Nilssen-Love’s original sound sources. Tafjord uses Nilssen-Love’s drum kit (especially his unique take on cymbals) together with Marhaug’s lap-top as sound feeds for a grander vision, rather than the finished story. She creates six, free-form, drone-based textures that shift and mutate almost organically, while she carefully cuts and pastes, overdubs and samples the original sounds.” -Eyal Hareuveni, All About Jazz
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Lasse Marhaug: Electronics
Paal Nilssen-Love: Percussion and Drums
Recorded at Spunk Studio, Oslo August 31st and September 1st 2004.
This release is supported by Fond For Utøvende Kunstnere.
Spring Snow
Spring Snow
Masahiko Satoh: Piano
Paal Nilssen-Love: Drums & PercussionRecorded Live in Concert at Shinjuku Pit Inn, Tokyo, Japan March 22nd 2013Recorded by Masahiko Satoh
Mixed and mastered by Thomas Hukkelberg at Desibel, Norway
Produced by Masahiko Satoh and Paal Nilssen-Love
Cover by Lasse Marhaug
Thanks to Mark Rappaport (Idiolect), Kanji Suzuki (Pit Inn Music) and the staff at Pit Inn.
Soul Stream
Soul Stream
Drums, Percussion – Paal Nilssen-Love
Electronics, Objects – Lasse Marhaug
Koto [Electric 21-String And 17-String Bass] – Michiyo Yagi
Trumpet [Pocket], Tenor Saxophone, Alto Saxophone – Joe McPheeRecorded at GOK Sound, Tokyo on January 21, 2013 by Yoshiaki Kondo.Mixed, Producer, Cover – Lasse Marhaug
Co-producer – Mark E. Rappaport
Song For The Big Chief
Song For The Big Chief
The duo of Paal Nilssen-Love and Joe McPhee has been an on-going adventure in sound for the last 15 years. The two started playing together when McPhee joined The Thing on tour in 2002, and that was the start of numerous collaboration and constellations over the years. Out of those projects the two started performing as a duo, exploring ideas and the kind of immediate dialogue only the duo format allows.
The previous release by the duo was the “Candy” 7xCD box-set in 2015, which documented their developement from 2007 to 2014. Such a massive document perhaps signaled that it was a last statement, and there has not been any releases from the duo since then, but lack of releases does not equal lack of activity – and with “Song for the Big Chief” they finally return.
“Song for the Big Chief” has a special back story to it: On December 9th 2017 the duo was scheduled to play Cafe Oto in London. They day before the concert news came that legendary drummer Sunny Murray had passed away. Murray’s importance in the world of music can not be overrated, and for both McPhee and Nilssen-Love Murray had been a huge influence and inspiration, and in the introduction to the concert McPhee made the announcement that tonight’s performance would be in honour to the memory of one the great giants of free music. True to Murray’s spirit this didn’t meaning playing a night of cover tunes, but creating new sounds and pushing the music into the future.
Music fans will recognize the title and visual references on the cover to Sunny Murray’s classic 1969 album “Big Chief”.
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Joe McPhee: tenor saxophone and pocket trumpet.
Paal Nilssen-Love: drums & percussion.
“Old Man River by” by Kern/Hammerstein (Universal Polygram Int Pub Inc). “Knox” by Joe Mcphee (Tuhtah Pub Suisa.)
“A Fantasy for Lester” by Joe McPhee (JOMAC Publishing) and Paal Nilssen-Love (TONO).
Recorded live in concert by
Shaun Crook at Cafe Oto, London, England on the 9th of December 2017. Mixed and mastered by Lasse Marhaug.
Slime Zone
Slime Zone
Recorded live on the 18th of August 2010 at Café Mono during Oslo Jazz Festival.
Paal Nilssen-Love: Drums, Percussion
Lasse Marhaug: Electronics, Turntables
Maja S. K. Ratkje: Vocals, Electronics
Selected Tracks
Selected Tracks
After four years of extensive touring and five albums, of which one was a photo book with two CDs, it’s time to look back, but also forward. SELECTED TRACKS 2013-2017 gives the listener a chance to hear the band’s continuous development in retrospect. The disc starts off with two tracks from the forthcoming album FLUKU, which will be released in September 2017. First, a kind of game piece where every soloist has to decide on the spot who to accompany them on various given material. Second, a ballad which brings out a new side to Nilssen-Love’s writing. “ANA” features an extended version of the band, including two Brazilian percussionists, and shows Nilssen-Love’s passion for Brazilian rhythms. “Fendika” was recorded at the band’s last concert during their 15 gig tour of North America in 2015 and there’s no doubt what those two weeks did to the band. “Fortar Hardar” was recorded at the band’s “debut” in Europe, at the famous Moers festival in Germany. An audience of 2000 were thrilled to pieces by the bands energy and strength. “Culius” was recorded at the band’s very first concert at Molde Jazzfestival in 2013, after two days of rehearsal out in the woods. Nilssen-Love’s immediate conclusion was that this a band and not a project. About 60 concerts later, and following a slight change in the line-up, there’s no doubt this will go on!
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Thomas Johansson – trumpet
Mats Äleklint – trombone
Per Åke Holmlander – tuba (all except Culius, Fortar Hardar)
Børre Mølstad – tuba (Culius, Fortar Hardar, Ana)
Julie Kjær – alto saxophone, flute (all except Culius, Fortar Hardar)
Kasper Værnes – alto saxophone (Culius, Fortar Hardar)
Klaus Ellerhusen Holm – Bb clarinet, alto and baritone saxophone
Kristoffer Berre Alberts – alto and tenor saxophone (Happy Slappy, Springsummer)
Ketil Gutvik – guitar
Tommi Keränen – electronics (all except Culius, Fortar Hardar)
Lasse Marhaug – electronics and turntable (Culius, Fortar Hardar)
Jon Rune Strøm – electric and double bass
Christian Meaas Svendsen – electric and double bass
Andreas Wildhagen – drums and percussion
Paal Nilssen-Love – drums and percussion
Paulinho Bicolor – cuica (Ana)
Célio De Carvalho – pandeiro (Ana)
Christian Obermayer – live soundTracks 1 and 2 recorded 8th April 2016 at Victoria, Nasjonal Jazzscene, Oslo – mixed and mastered by Christian Obermayer.
Track 3 recorded 15th of August 2015 at Rainbow Studio, Oslo – mixed and mastered by Christian Obermayer.
Track 4 recorded live in concert 28th June 2015, Seatte, USA by Klaus Ellerhusen Holm on zoom microphone – mixed and mastered by Lasse Marhaug.
Track 5 recorded live in concert 7th June 2014 at Moers Jazzfestival, Moers, Germany – recorded and mixed by Simeon Klein and Michael Hohnstock – mastered by Bob Weston.
Track 6 recorded live in concert 18th July 2013 at Molde Jazzfestival, Molde – recorded by Håkon Dalen – mixed and mastered by Lasse Marhaug.
All tracks remastered for this CD by Christian Obermayer.
All music by Paal Nilssen-Love (TONO-Cien Fuegos).
Cover design by Lasse Marhaug.
Photo (label) by Petra Cvelbar.
Photo (inner) by Peter Gannushkin
Screen Off
Screen Off
The high impact duo of Paal Nilssen-Love (drums) and Ken Vandermark (reeds) has been working together at an accelerated rate since 2002, and they have put out seven albums of exceptional and wide ranging improvised music since then. Though they have both worked in many critically acclaimed groups- from the Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet, Lean Left (with Terrie Hessels and Andy Moor of The Ex) to Double Tandem (with Dutch saxophonist, Ab Baars)- they have continued to return to their duo for more than a dozen years because it remains crucial to their creative output.
Now the duo releases “Screen Off” on PNL Records. This is their tenth album, and this time the duo have decided to look backwards at the last ten years of their career, although in a very unusual way. In collaboration with producer Lasse Marhaug they have gone through the numerous clips of live performances that exist on YouTube, unofficial documentation recorded and uploaded by members of the audience without the duo’s involvement. None of these clips were full concerts, neither were they recorded on professional gear, often containing artifacts that compresses and distorts the audio. The idea was to embrace the limitations of the format and to make a collage out of the material, but using only the audio and not the video from the recordings. By drawing inspiration from experimental cinema – especially the Structural film movement of directors like Michael Snow, Hollis Frampton and Tony Conrad – Marhaug set a rule of only 60 seconds from each clip should be used, and since the duo does not play short pieces the cuts would often be disruptive, cutting the music off in the middle of movements. The cuts were then assembled together not in a chronological manner, but rather what made sense musically, often jumping back and forth years in the process. The results was that this stylization doesn’t distance the listener from the music, but rather creates a viable document of activity, much in the same manner a film would – just with the screen off.
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Ken Vandermark: reeds.
Paal Nilssen-Love: drums & percussion.
Produced by Ken Vandermark, Paal Nilssen-Love and Lasse Marhaug.
Live recordings from various YouTube-clips 2008—2018.
Edited and mastered by Lasse Marhaug.
All music by Vandermark and Nilssen-Love.
Scarcity
Scarcity
“The duo proceeded to rip through a couple extended jams that featured Lindsay at his most skronky and frenetic, bringing to mind all the art-damaged beauty and angular aggression of his early work, but in a long-form freakout style which gave his playing more time to evolve and stretch out than it could in one of DNA’s tightly-compacted jams. Paal Nilssen-Love matched Lindsay every step of the way, pushing the sonic assault forward with an air-tight combination of spattering jazzy explosions and rock-solid grooves.” -John Bittrich, Boston Hassle
“The gig was amazing and we were both drenched in sweat and we agreed that we have to do more.” -PNL
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Drums, Percussion – Paal Nilssen-Love
Electric Guitar, Vocals – Arto Lindsay
Engineer – Daniel Lages
Engineer [Recording Engineer] – Pedro Azevedo, Renato Godoy
Mixed & mastered by Lasse Marhaug
Photography by André Lavaquial
Produced by Arto Lindsay & Paal Nilssen-Love
Design by Lasse Marhaug
Recorded live in concert at Audio Rebel’s Quintavant, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, July 2nd 2013
Rio Fun
Rio Fun
Limited Edition CD and EP available exclusively on the Large Unit US Tour and through Catalytic-Sound.
Recorded May 7th, 2015 live at Bimhuis, Amsterdam.
Recorded by: Jurre Wieman for Bimhuis Radio
Mixed and Masterd by: Christian Obermayer
Cover by: Lasse Marhaug
Thanks to Huub Van Riel, Alexandra Mientjes.
Thomas Johansson – cornet and flugelhorn
Mats Äleklint – trombone
Julie Kjaer – alto saxophone
Klaus Holm – alto and baritone saxophone
Per Ake Holmlander – tuba
Ketil Gutvik – electric guitar
Tommi KerÄnen – electronics
Jon Rune Strøm – double and electric bass
Christian Meaas Svendsen – double and electric bass
Andreas Wildhagen – drums & percussion
Paal Nilssen-Love – drums & percussion
Pairs of Three
Pairs of Three
“Pairs of Three” is the debut album of Paal Nilssen-Love’s new band: Circus. Of course, in the area of music that Nilssen-Love (freely) moves in having a new act isn’t always big news (however good the music is), and at first glance this new act could look like a smaller scale off-shot from the now well established Large Unit flagship – perhaps a spontaneous side-project to explore some ideas discovered within the mothership – it certainly wouldn’t be wrong to assume this, as the majority of the members in Circus have served or currently serve time within the ranks of Large Unit. And that would have been a totally welcome and enjoyable addition to the ever-expanding world of Large Unit.
But, no. Circus is its own beast. This is Nilssen-Love fully immersing himself in his love for the music of Brazil. This comes as no surprise, as there have been several links in the past, like the “New Brazilian Funk” album, a high-octane live recordings with Brazilian musicians made at the Roskilde festival in 2018. But the line-up of Circus is a Scandinavian-based one, and clearly the musicians Nilssen-Love’s has picked shares his passion for this music, as this is music driven by a BAND.
The biggest surprise in the line-up is probably South-African vocalist Juliana Venter, adding a refreshing element to a discography that is in large instrumental based. Venter has her own style, but it wouldn’t be off to say that her energy and intense focus evokes that of Elza Soares. Throughout the album she displayes a wide range and is crucial in making everything come together.
“Pairs of Three” really takes the listener for a ride to the world of Brazilian music – from Mestre André’s samba school drums and the north-eastern baião by Luiz Gonzaga, to Jackson do Pandeiro and Hermeto Paschoal, with links to the melodies of Edu Lobo and Milton Nascimento, via the horns and drums of the Maracatu sambada.
Of course this is no record-collector appropriation pastiche, Circus takes the music they love and do the right thing: acknowledging the influence and origins, but making their completely own take on the ideas. There are many elements on the album that is clearly coming from Nilssen-Love’s diverse palette of expression and exploration. And this ability to mixing things up is why a new project from him is always good news. “Pairs of Three” is a complex, moving and intense debut album. In November of 2022 you could do much worse than joining this Circus.
New Map
New Map
In the autumn of 2021 a 15-piece strong Large Unit reunited at Studio Paradiso in Oslo to record two new albums: “New Map” and “Clusterfuck”. These two albums can be seen as twin releases, recorded and released in conjunction with each other, yet they are also different to each other. Both albums follow the previous “More Fun Please” album from 2018, with Nilssen-Love working within the field of new music composition, taking inspiration from composers like John Cage, Morton Feldman and Cornelius Cardew. For “New Map” Nilssen-Love provided the band with open-form “cells” of concrete ideas/notes/directions that the musicians had to respond to. On “Clusterfuck” the approach was graphic notations. Both approaches gave the musicians more responsibility on how to shape the music. The compositional guidelines are balanced with blocks of improvisation, with the band veering from subtle passages to bursts of explosive blowouts. Two exciting new additions to the Large Unit catalogue at the end of 2022, which sets the tone for the band’s ten- year anniversary in 2023.
New Japanese Noise
New Japanese Noise
For the 2018 edition of the Roskilde festival in Denmark Paal Nilssen-Love was asked to put together two special projects. Nilssen-Love chose to put together two groups: The first was a Brazil-based band. The second was a Japan-oriented band, bringing together three giants of Japanese free jazz and noise music for the first time: Saxophone player Akira Sakata is the biggest legend of them all — since the 60s Sakata has left a permanent mark on Japanese music. With more than 200 recording credits to his name Sakata first made his mark with the Yosuke Yamashita Trio, and then over the years has gone on to numerous projects. Noise artist Kohei Gomi is best known for his Pain Jerk project, which since its foundation in the early 1990s perfectly encapsulates the classic Japanese noise sound, but also exhibiting a clearly personal style that has evolved over the years. Toshiji Mikawa has as the leader of his Incapacitants project since the early 80s shown an absolutely uncompromising dedicating the craft of pure noise music. Paralell to this he has been a member of the equally seminal Hijokaidan band. Very few artists in the field of noise music enjoys the kind of respect Mikawa does. To make a link to the other Roskilde project Nilssen-Love also added Brazilian guitarist Kiko Dinucci to the line-up, which of course shows the connection between the two bands, but also is a clear proofs of Nilssen-Love’s method of combining expressions and crossing musicial borders to kick the music forward. And with musicians from three continents it also shows that noise music is a global language. Play loud.
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Akira Sakata: alto saxophone, Bb clarinet, voice
Kiko Dinucci:electric guitar
Kohei Gomi: electronics
Paal Nilssen-Love: drums
Toshiji Mikawa: electronics
Produced by Paal Nilssen-Love and Lasse Marhaug
Recorded live in concert at Roskilde festival 2018, Roskilde, Denmark, July 4th 2018 by Christian Brynildsen Obermayer.
Mixed and mastered by Lasse marhaug.
Photo stills from video by Mathias Nielsen.
Cover by Lasse Marhaug.
Thanks to Soundforce Backline and all staff and crew at Roskilde festival. Special thanks to Peter Hvalkof at Roskilde Festival and Christian Brynildsen Obermayer for all help.
New Dance
New Dance
“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
All music by Neumann, Gutvik, Håker Flaten, Nilssen-Love (TONO)
Carl Magnus Neumann – alto saxophone
Ketil Gutvik – acoustic and electric guitars
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten – double bass
Paal Nilssen-Love – drums & percussion
Live in concert at Victoria Nasjonal Jazzscene, Oslo, Norway, July 9th 2020
Live sound and recording by Louise Lavoll
Pre-mix by Jens Borge at Hjelp vi er i Studio, Stavanger, Norway
Final mix and mastering by Lasse Marhaug
Produced by Paal Nilssen-Love
Photos and Cover by Lasse Marhaug
Paal Nilssen-Love plays Paiste cymbals and gongs
Special thanks to Johan Hauknes, Filip Roshauw and not least, Jan Ole Otnæs, Line Juul and the staff at Nasjonal Jazzscene. Also Thanks to Thomas Oxem and Elisabeth Lohne-Knudsen
New Brazilian Funk
New Brazilian Funk
For the 2018 edition of the Roskilde festival in Denmark Paal Nilssen-Love was asked to put together two special projects. Nilssen-Love chose to put together two groups: one Japanese- and one Brazilian-based band. Nilssen-Love has for a long time been influenced and inspired by a wide range of Brazilian music, and has in the last ten years also made the connection by collaborating with Brazilian musicians and bringing his own projects to Brazil. For the Roskilde project (now to become a steady band) he put together a Norwegian/Brazilian combination that proved to be especially potent: Bass-player Felipe Zenicola is a new figure on the scene of improvised music and is mostly known for his work with Chinese Cookie Poets. Guitarist Kiko Dinucci has been active the last years as a leader and songwriter of the group Metá Metá and has received noticeable recognition in Brazil and Europe. Then there’s percussionist Paulinho Bicolor, a rare figure in the Brazilian music scene, who adds a special ingredient to the stew: the Cuíca – which is actually a friction drum, but mastered by Bicolor in a completely idiosyncratic way. Paulinho is also a frequent guest with Nilssen-Love’s 15-piece band, Large Unit. Rounding off the line-up Nilssen-Love included what is his longest musical parter: Norwegian saxophone player Frode Gjerstad, a legend of Norwegian free improvised music who asked Nilssen-Love to play with him at the age of 16, a collaboration that now has lasted 28 years. The pair usually works in duo and trio constellations, so it’s a rare treat to hear such a solid musical pair as the gravitational center of this project. The “New Brazilian Funk” title can almost be read as tongue-in-cheek, as this really is not just free jazz on top of tropical grooves – this is the sound of five dedicated musicians coming together to make a completely new type of music. The Roskilde gig went down so well that not only is it being released on CD, it also became the birth of a regular group.
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Felipe Zenicola: electric bass
Frode Gjerstad: alto saxophone
Kiko Dinucci: electric guitar
Paal Nilssen-Love: drums & percussion
Paulinho Bicolor: cuica
Produced by Paal Nilssen-Love and Lasse Marhaug
Recorded live in concert at Roskilde festival 2018, Roskilde, Denmark, July 5th 2018 by Christian Brynildsen Obermayer.
Mixed and mastered by Lasse Marhaug.
Photo stills from video by Mathias Nielsen. Cover by Lasse Marhaug.
Thanks to Soundforce Backline and all staff and crew at Roskilde festival. Special thanks to Peter Hvalkof at Roskilde Festival and Christian Brynildsen Obermayer for all help.
Nearby Faraway
Nearby Faraway
All music by Frode Gjerstad (TONO) and Paal Nilssen-Love (TONO-Cien Fuegos)
Frode Gjerstad: alto and bass saxophone, Bb and contrabass clarinet.
Paal Nilssen-Love: Asba drums.
Recorded at Gandsveien Studio, Stavanger, Norway on September 12th 2016 and mixed December 2016 by Frode Gjerstad.
This recording was supprted by Fond for lyd og bilde.
Photos by Nina Jo Melbø (back) and Iztok Zupan (inner).
Cover by Lasse Marhaug.
We recorded this music as a tribute to Eivin One Pedersen (1956-2012). We miss him deeply.
More Fun, Please
More Fun, Please
With a cast of 27 members, Paal Nilssen-Love’s ‘More Fun Please’ more than doubles the Large Unit ensemble in size. This piece was commissioned for the Only Connect festival in Oslo and marks PNL records 40th release.
Klaus Holm: Alto Saxophone: Bb Clarinet
Mats Äleklint: Trombone
Per Åke Holmlander: Tuba
Jon Rune Strøm: Acoustic Bass
Christian Meaas Svendsen: Acoustic Bass
Tommi Keránen: Electronics: Conduction
Andreas Wildhagen: Drums
Paal Nilssen-Love: Drums: Conduction
Julie Helgeland Davidsen: Flute, Picolo Flute
Reindert Spanhove: Tenor Saxophone
Markus Dvergastein: Guitar
Tor nn Hofstad: Violin
Maria Quevedo Meloni: Cello
Rebekka Eikefet: Cello
Torstein Johansen: Acoustic Bass
Håkon Bjørgo: Acoustic Bass
Tatia Chikovani: Piano
Joao Grilo: Piano
Shayila Mahestuti: Piano
Ásta Sof a Thorrgeirsdóttir: Accordion
Mykola Sheremeta: Accordion
Kalle Moberg: Accordion
Richard Köster: Trumpet, Conduction
Edo Hayek: French Horn
Eirik Sanner: Euphonium
Mats Hägerlind: Trombone
Magnus Breivik Løvseth: Tuba
Torgrim Halse: Percussion.
All music by Paal Nilssen-Love (tono/cien fuegos).
Recorded live in concert at Sentralen, Oslo Norway on the 20th of May 2017, as a commissoned piece by Ny Musikk for the Only Connect festival, with support from Arts Council Norway. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Christian Brynildsen Obermayer. Produced by Paal Nilssen-Love.
Miró
Miró
Recorded live on the 24th of July 2008 at Foundació Joan Miró, Barcelona Spain, during the annual concert series “Nits De Musica”.
Paal Nilssen-Love: Drums, Percussion
Design [Cover] – Lasse Marhaug
Mixed and Mastered – Thomas Hukkelberg
Recorded by Jordi Mas
Medemer
Medemer
“Paal Nilssen-Love on drums, Ken Vandermark on reeds and Terrie Ex and Andy Moor on guitars: which is to say that you have to hear this.” – Kevin Press, The Moderns
Lean Left is a four-piece band of Paal Nilssen-Love (drums), Ken Vandermark (reeds), Terrie Ex and Andy Moor (guitars). Andy and Terrie have been playing together in legendary Dutch group The Ex since 1990, a band that came out of the punk scene in the late 70s, but who were determined to explore much larger fields of expression, and is why they are one of the few rock-based bands that feel relevant after 40 years. Following similar paths, but with a slightly different starting point, Ken and Paal both came out of jazz and improvised music, and began playing together in 2000. The four came together in February 2007 on a split bill in Amsterdam with the two duos. Through a myriad of different projects, bands, guest features, one-offs and the like, the quartet line-up of Lean Left soon became the utility pole of their shared activities. In short: these are four musicians with a long history of playing together. Their new album “Medemer”, recorded on tour in 2018, clearly displays a musical camaraderie that can only be reached through playing together – a lot. But there’s also another factor: storytelling. While most live albums for good reason are edited to a digestible form, “Medemer” presents the entire 72-minute concert in full. Listening to the album it becomes clear why it is like this – conscious or not the four musicians of Lean Left are not just good at playing together, they know how to make the whole performance come together as a whole, without any compositions or preconceived movements every section is followed by something that takes the music in a new direction. Like a well made film noir you know what kind of trip you’re in for, but you’ll be surprised where it takes you.
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Terrie Ex: left guitar
Ken Vandermark: tenor saxophone and Bb clarinet
Paal Nilssen-Love: drums
Andy Moor: right guitar
All music by Terrie Hessels (buma), Andrew Moor (prs), Paal Nilssen-Love (tono), Ken Vandermark (twenty first mobile Music/ascap-cien fuegos)
Produced by paal nilssen-love
Co-produced by Lasse Marhaug
Recorded live in concert on september 10th 2018 at Pardon To Tu, Warsaw, Poland
Live recording by Bartosz Szkielkowski of Soundbay
Mixed and mastered by Lasse Marhaug
Photos by Petra Cvelbar
Cover design by Lasse Marhaug
Special thanks to Magda and Daniel at Pardon To Tu
Thanks also to Marta and Sergio of Arco Y Flecha
Late Play
Late Play
“Late Play is a duet with organist Nils Henrik Asheim but there’s nothing remotely greasy about it. It’s an austere, stark, ominous work, with Asheim creating a dark, hovering atmosphere of doom—almost with an ambient electronic veneer, but much heavier. The drummer focuses on complementary textures–lots of high-frequency scraping, tactile rubbing, and concentrated clatter.” (Chicago reader)
“…For this fine disc, Paal has teamed up with an organist, not your obvious choice for a partner. As Nils makes those spooky organ sounds, Paal provides equally suspense-filled and ritualistic-sounding percussion. Paal does a great job of evoking strange spirits by rubbing his cymbals and drums in his own way. Most of these pieces begin with Paal’s distinctive percussion sounds, which are most expressive, but not consistently rhythm-based. The entire CD is feels like a dream-like journey through a graveyard and other disturbing places that angels fear to tread.” Downtown Music Gallery
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Paal Nilssen-Love, drums
Nils Henrik Asheim, organ
Recorded in Oslo Cathedral, 2006.
Jikan
Jikan
“On the albums third track, the trio demonstrates how tight they are. Their collaborative effort and responsiveness inside a vehicle running at full speed is very impressive.” -Gustav Lindqvist, Free Jazz Blog
—The trio of Scandinavian rhythm section Paal Nilssen-Love (drums) and Johan Berthling (double bass) hooking up with Japanese free jazz legend Akira Sakata (saxophone/clarinet) started in 2013 at the Molde Jazz Festival in Norway. The trio took their name from the legendary 1977 collaborative album by Yosuke Yamashita Trio and dance group Dairakudakan – an album that Sakata was a central part of, that even 40 years later stand solid as a radical and bold musical statement. And this piece of history gives us a clue to where the trio of Nilssen-Love, Berthling and Sakata is aiming for, not by looking back and rethreading what has been done before, but adopting its attitude of kicking the often stale sax/drums/bass-format forward with such force that it feels completely fresh.
After its start in 2013 Arashi has been a steady group, doing numerous tours in Europe and Japan, and PNL Records is pleased to release the trio’s third album, “Jikan”, a live recording from the Pit Inn club in Tokyo in September 2017. “Jikan” captures the trio at full force – with Sakata doing almost as much vocals as playing the reeds.
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Akira Sakata: alto saxophone, Bb clarinet and vocals
Johan Berthling: double bass
Paal Nilssen-Love: drums & percussion
Produced by Arashi.
Track 1, 2 and 3 by Sakata (JASRAC), Berthling (STIM) and Nilssen-Love (TONO).
Track 4 by Sakata (JASRAC).
Recorded live in concert at Pit Inn, Tokyo, Japan, September 11th 2017.
Recorded and mixed live by Takahiko Watanabe.
Mastered by Lasse Marhaug.
Photos by Frank Schindelbeck.
Cover by Lasse Marhaug.
Special thanks to Kanji Suzuki.
Japan 2019
Japan 2019
I Love Noise
I Love Noise
Paal Nilssen-Love and Joe McPhee started playing together when Paal was 25. Now he’s 50, so this musical dialogue has been going on for the quarter of a century. It has taken many forms, first with The Thing, then The Thing/Cato Salsa Experience big-band, on to the Peter Brötzmann Chicago Tentet, with several one-off collaborations on the way (some previously released on PNL) – but throughout the years the duo format has been the best way to hear these two voices. It’s also the place where the music is the most free and pushed forward. You could say that this is the meeting of two generations, but after working together for this long, that point hardly seems relevant. This is simply Joe and Paal, two friends who like to make noise together, and are damn good at it.
There have been multiple releases by the duo (several single albums, and even a seven-disc box-set). Listened to in chronological order, the recordings of the duo tell a story. Now there’s time for another chapter, and for the first time it’s on vinyl.
“I Love Noise” was recorded at the Catalythic Sound Festival at Elastic Arts in Chicago in 2022. If either of the two could claim a home away from home, it would be Chicago, given all their connections to the city’s musicians, artists and clubs. And with their friends Ken Vandermark and Dave Rempis organizing the festival, in the post-Covid debris of a music scene doing its best to reassemble, it would be safe to say that this special performance was one in the company of friends.
“I Love Noise” starts with Joe reading his poetry. His words are like his playing – poignant, clear, well-timed, rhythmic, surprising, often funny as hell (try hearing his “Fuck Free Jazz” piece without smiling), and with the kind of experience and weight only 80 years of life as a creative artist can bring. Paal respectfully stays out at the beginning, listening as much as the audience, then enters, adding colour and shapes to the words, slowly building up a perfect balance of percussion and voice. After 20 minutes Joe leaves the words behind and starts playing the tenor, and the duo goes on a musical rampage that makes it clear that the title of the album, however joyful, is no joke. Joe and Paal love noise. And the audience at Elastic Arts love their noise. And now everyone can enjoy this beautiful, loud, life-affirming NOISE.
Joe McPhee: voice and tenor saxophone
Paal Nilssen-Love: drums and percussion
All music by McPhee and Nilssen-Love
Recorded live in concert by Bill Harris, December 3rd 2022 during the Catalytic Sound Festival at Elastic Arts in Chicago, USA
Produced by Joe McPhee and Paal Nilssen-Love
Mixed and mastered by Joe Talia.
Cover design by Lasse Marhaug
Photo by Matt Laferty.
Hurgu!
Hurgu!
“The manner in which these men conjure sounds from their instruments is a huge part of the experience. They tickle, pound, caress, and wrestle all manner of tones from woods and metals while finishing each other’s thoughts with un-macho aggression and a sixth sense musicality.” -Matt Schultz, Squid Ear
PNL012
Paal Nilssen-Love – drums & percussion
Terrie Ex – electric guitar
Recorded on the 29th of November 2009 at Jottem Studio, Wormerveer, The Netherlands by Maarten Tap.
Mixed and mastered by James Plotkin.
All music composed by Terrie Ex (STEMRA) and Paal Nilssen-Love (TONO).
Painting by Gebrekristos Solomon, Addis Abeba, Ethiopia.
Cover design by Lasse Marhaug
Hohai Bushi
Hohai Bushi
“Hohai-Bushi” is the meeting of Paal Nilssen-Love and his Large Unit ensemble, here in a 13 people strong line-up, and legendary Japanese musician Akira Sakata. Since the 1960s Sakata has been one of the leading saxophone players in the field of free jazz and improvisation, from his start in Yamashita Trio, on to his own ensembles, to a latter-day cross-over to younger musicians from different genres, including noise and experimental music. Akira Sakata is a living legend of the last 50 years of radical new music, and is still active and pushing the frontiers of the artform to this day. In 2013 he formed the trio Arashi with Paal and Johan Berthling, with extensive touring and five albums to show for, so this collaboration with Large Unit shouldn’t come as a great surprise. That said, the music will surprise – and delight – even the most experienced listeners. The CD release of “Hohai-Bushi” is presented as a single 55 minute recording, and is a musical journey that has to be heard from beginning to end.
Like many of his Large Unit pieces, “Hohai-Bushi” started with Paal’s interest in world music. Having been curious about the music of Tsugaru-Shamisen from Aomori in Japan, during the pandemic Paal started to study it more in depth during the pandemic, and he discovered a traditional song from Aomori, “Hohai-Bushi”, sung by Unchiku Narita. Before Large Unit’s ten-year anniversary festival in 2023, Paal transcribed the song together with Akira Sakata. This was then combined with a new composition for Large Unit, which was to feature Sakata. The performance was one of the (many) highlights of the festival, so two years later, in June 2025, Sakara was invited back to Norway in order to record the piece in the church of Tøyen in downtown Oslo. The natural reverb of the church gave the recording an extra dimension, making Sakata’s vocal and solo passages even more gripping and intense.
The record shows the whole spectrum of Large Unit. Sakata also performs the poem “What the Dead Man Left Behind” by Shuntaro Tanikawa. This poem was written during the Vietnam war and remains as relevant now as then. Sakata also ends the set with a solo, an “Atakombo” by Kosaku Yamada.
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Akira Sakata – alto saxophone, Bb-clarinet, voice
Signe Emmeluth – alto saxophone, flute
Marthe Lea – tenor saxophone, flute
Hanne de Backer – baritone saxophone
Andreas Røysum – bass clarinet, flute
Niklas Barnö – trumpet
Mats Äleklint – trombone
Per Åke Holmlander – tuba
Kalle Moberg – accordion
Ketil Gutvik – electric guitar
Jon Rune Strøm – contrabass
Christian Meaas Svendsen – contrabass, shakuhachi
Celio de Carvalho – percussion, Paiste gong
Andreas Wildhagen – drums, percussion, Paiste gong
Paal Nilssen-Love – drums, percussion, Paiste gong
Composed by Paal Nilssen-Love (TONO) but based on a traditional melody from Tsugaru, Aomori, Japan
Poem “What the Dead Man Left Behind” by Shuntaro Tanikawa. Translated to the English by Yuki Takeshita. Read by Akira Sakata
Solo by Akira Sakata: Akatombo, by Kosaku Yamada
Recorded at Tøyen Kirke, 3rd June 2025
Recording, mix and mastering by Christian Obermayer.
Produced by Paal Nilssen-Love
Cover by Lasse Marhaug
This album was supported by Fund for Performing Artist.
Hideout
Hideout
Frode Gjerstad: Alto Saxophone, Clarinet [Bb], Bass Clarinet
Jon Rune Strøm: Double Bass
Paal Nilssen-Love: Drums, Percussion
Recorded live on August 31st 2011 at the Hideout, Chicago USA
Recorded By – Todd Carter
Composed By – Gjerstad, Strom, Nilssen-Love
Design – Lasse Marhaug
Guts & Skins
Guts & Skins
The music is written by the pair together, but clearly trust the musicians they’ve picked for the project to bring their own qualities. And in that sense “Guts and Skins” is a trademark Nilssen-Love/Håker Flaten product: unpredictable, creative and high energy.
Game
Game
Paal Nilssen-Love: Drums
Magnus Broo: Trumpet
Recorded on 11 August 2007.
Design [Cover, Illustrations] – Lasse Marhaug
Recorded, Mixed, Mastered – Thomas Hukkelberg
This release is supported by Fond For Utøvende Kunstnere
Forgotten City
Forgotten City
This new album from the Frode Gjerstad Trio shouldn’t really need much explanation – Frode Gjerstad and Paal Nilssen-Love’s have been playing together for a very long time, and the Frode Gjerstad Trio has been their main foundation for this ongoing work. But with their new album “Forgotten City” for PNL Records there’s a twist: the “trio” now has two double bass players. And neither is a special guest brought in to spice things up. Øyvind Storesund and Jon Rune Strøm have both served time in the trio, but now they’re playing at the same time. This combination expands the music, as Storesund and Strøm both with great ease switch who has the role of the bass-player, with the other going free form. Listening to them play it’s often hard to tell who is playing what. This flexibility opens up new areas for Gjerstad and Nilssen-Love to explore. With the release of “Forgotten City” Norway’s premier free-jazz trio sounds as fresh and exciting as when they started. Double double bass.
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Frode Gjerstad: alto flute, alto saxophone, Bb clarinet
Jon Rune Strøm: double bass
Paal Nilssen-Love: drums
Øyvind Storesund: double bass
All music by Gjerstad/Strøm/Storesund/Nilssen-Love (TONO)
Recorded at Paradiso studio 22nd and 23rd August 2018.
Recorded and mixed by Christian Engfelt.
Mastered by Frode Gjerstad.
Fluku
Fluku
Julie Kjær – alto saxophone, flute
Klaus Ellerhusen Holm – Bb clarinet, alto and baritone saxophone
Kristoffer Berre Alberts – alto and tenor saxophone
Thomas Johansson – trumpet
Mats Äleklint – trombone
Per Åke Holmlander – tuba
Ketil Gutvik – electric guitar
Tommi Keränen – electronics
Jon Rune Strøm – electric and double bass
Christian Meaas Svendsen – electric and double bass
Andreas Wildhagen – drums and percussion
Paal Nilssen-Love – drums and percussion
Christian Brynildsen Obermayer – live sound
Recorded 8th of April 2016 at Victoria, Nasjonal Jazzscene, Oslo.
Recorded, mixed and mastered by Christian Brynildsen Obermayer.
Photo by Petra Cvelbar. Cover art by Lasse Marhaug.
All music by Paal Nilssen-Love (TONO/Cien Fuegos).
Thanks to Fond for Lyd og Bilde for supporting this production.
Thanks also to Nasjonal Jazzscene, Arts Council Norway, Norsk Jazzforum, Music Norway and Fund for Performing Artists.
Fish & Steel
Fish & Steel
Out of the big band excess of Large Unit comes a new trio: trombonist Mats Äleklint and tubaist Per-Åke Holmlander, and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love have joined forces to create a new Swedish/Norwegian union. While these three have been heard together many times, both in Large Unit and other projects, the unusual trio line-up of trombone, tuba and drums makes for an refreshing new take on things. With no bassist or reeds involved, this really can’t be labeled free jazz, but it’s definitely free music. While Nilssen-Love was never a man of restraint, with two of the world’s most versatile brass improvisers going at it he able to be completely free in his approach. And this playfulness is certainly what makes Fish & Steel’s debut album such an exciting release.
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Mats Äleklint: trombone
Per-Åke Holmlander: tuba
Paal Nilssen-Love: drums & percussion
Produced by Fish & Steel.
Recorded live in concert at Blow Out concert series at Kafé Hærverk, Oslo, Norway, 25th September 2018 by Stig Gunnar Ringen, and Sångbolaget, Stockholm, Sweden, 28th September 2018, by Mats Äleklint.
Mixed and mastered by Mats Äleklint.
Cover by Lasse Marhaug.