Featuring:
Jon Rune Strøm - bass
Andreas Wildhagen - drums
Paal Nilssen-Love - drums
Mats Äleklint - trombone
Christian Meaas Svendsen - bass
Klaus Holm - alto and baritone saxophone, Bb clarinet
Julie Kjær - alto saxophone
Thomas Johansson - trumpet
Børre Mølstad - tuba
Ketil Gutvik - guitar
Tommi Keranen - electronics

Forty-year-old Paal Nilssen-Love was literally raised in a jazz club in Stavanger, Norway, which his parents ran. So it was no surprise when he developed an interest not just in jazz, but specifically in playing the drums, his father’s instrument. As he entered his 20s, he joined the free jazz group Element, which drew strongly on John Coltrane’s freer works. Soon after, he was working with Mats Gustafsson and Ken Vandermark in Chicago. Nilssen-Love’s 11-piece Large Unit is his freer response to the traditional big band, mixing electric and acoustic instruments, and anchored by two drummers who direct the improvisation. Nilssen-Love is both firm and tender in his guidance as the leading drummer, alternating between spasmodic percussive chaos and gentle explorations of open, quieter space.