The Thing XL
This group was started in 2000 and although all three members are busy on countless other musical fronts, they have kept the collaboration going until today. And one of the characteristics of The Thing is precisely a positive musical chemistry of the rare kind. That these three belong to the world's elite in free, improvised music is also something everyone knows.
When describing The Thing musically, terms such as energy, intensity, power, drive and dynamism recur. In terms of genre, on the other hand, the characteristics seem to vary a bit. Do they play free jazz, do they play rock - or what? When The Thing plays music by David Murray and PJ Harvey, Frank Lowe and The White Stripes in almost the same breath, it shows something that Paal Nilssen-Love highlights: Here we have examples that show how close musical styles are to each other today, how similar the energy is, and how different audience groups merge, concerned with creative music.
The Thing played a terrific concert at the Kongsberg Jazz Festival in 2012, one of the very best we've heard from them. They were extra inspired by Joe McPhee, who entered the stage a bit later in the concert, and it has been shown on several occasions that The Thing musicians go the extra mile when they have a guest or two. That's why we have great expectations for this year's festival concert, because then they will bring trombonist Mats Äleklint and trumpeter Goran Kajfes. Mats Äleklint is undoubtedly the Nordic region's most in-demand trombonist and also plays in two of the most high-profile orchestras in contemporary jazz, Paal Nilssen-Love's Large Unit and Mats Gustafsson's Fire! Orchestra. Goran Kajfes is also in Mats Gustafsson's star band, and has made a strong mark on the Nordic jazz scene, e.g. with Jonas Kullhammar in Nacka Forum.
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (bass), Paal Nilssen-Love (drums), Mats Gustafsson (saxophone), Mats Äleklint (trombone), Goran Kajfes (trumpet).
