The hard-swinging trio of Gard Nilssen and his Acoustic Unity – Norwegian powerhouse drummer Nilssen, reed player André Roligheten, and Swedish double bass player Petter Eldh – decided to celebrate their first tenth anniversary in a week at the remote studio Ocean Sound on the Giske island on the windblown Norwegian West coast. They enjoyed the company of two honorable guests – sax players Signe Emmeluth and Kjetil Møster (both members of Nilssen Supersonic Orchestra), who assisted in the never-ending struggle with the wild weather gods of the North. Before the studio engineers managed to press record, the new quintet was sparking on all plugs, flying off into the musical spheres of the Aurora Borealis flickering above the studio roof.
Nilssen’s signature phrase follows Albert Ayler’s prophetic statement: «Music is the healing force of the universe». Great Intentions proves that Ayler was right, and the quintet’s music is indeed a common, unifying language we all can understand. The quintet’s profound camaraderie, the generous and compassionate dynamics, and the beautiful, poetic music act as a model for better, attentive communication. And the conversational dynamics are not only reserved for the sessions in Ocean Sound or the concert stage, but also serve as a way of talking through time and space.
The quintet’s front line of Roligheten, on tenor, soprano, and bass saxes, bass clarinet, and flute, Emmeluth on alto sax and flute, and Møster on tenor and baritone saxes, offers a rich spectrum of soulful, passionate melodies, while Eldh and Nilssen’s propulsive, infectious rhythmic patterns keep all on fire. The quintet sounds like it was recorded in a live, steamy performance at the end of a tour, in top form and inventive, commanding musicianship, with meticulous arrangements, and bursting with life-affirming energy.
Nilssen and Roligheten contributed four pieces, Roligheten another one, and Eldh, Emmeluth, and Møster contributed one piece each. The music is not only diverse, but sounds as if it distills the whole history of jazz through this super-quintet’s inclusive sonic vision. You can hear echoes of Ornette Coleman, Charlie Parker, Fela Kuti, John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Charlie Haden, Chris McGregor’s The Brotherhood of Breath, Dollar Brand, Paul Motian, Tony Williams, and Elvin Jones (and many more), keep blending, shifting, and blossoming in every piece, swinging playfully between history, present, and the future. The touching rendition of Paul McCartney’s ballad, «Waterfalls», (from McCartney II, EMI, 1980), guarantees that Great Intentions is an album for the ages.
Great Intentions is one of the rare albums that, as soon as you finish listening to it, you play it again, and dance with its uplifting, joyful melodies. Before you realize it, it becomes an essential ingredient in your daily diet, solidifying your mental state and contributing to the healing efforts of our ailing planet.
Eyal Hareuveni
André Roligheten (tenor saxophone, soprano saxophone, bass saxophone, bass clarinet, flute, percussion), Kjetil Møster (tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, percussion), Signe Emmeluth (alto saxophone, flute, percussion), Petter Eldh (double bass, percussion), Gard Nilssen (drums, percussion, gongs)
