Concert
The Thing // Fire! Orchestra
The Thing, Fire! Orchestra © Petra Cvelbar, Micke Keysendal
The name of the Swedish saxophonist Mats Gustafsson stands for energy levels at their highest. The Thing was created back in the year 2000. It musical radius rapidly extended in the direction of free playing, creative improvised noise and alternative rock music, not least of all in collaboration with like-minded border crossers such as the hip-hop icon Neneh Cherry, daughter of Don Cherry.
Mats Gustafsson is regarded as one of the protagonists of contemporary free jazz. Having said that, he has never only been at home in jazz. He has played with the rock band Sonic Youth, was a member of Peter Brötzmann’s Chicago Tentet and signed Trio Sonore with Peter Brötzmann and Ken Vandermark. The Fire! Orchestra bundles the power of this Nordic free spirit and heightens the musical energy to an orchestral level. Free jazz, improvised music, rock gestures and punk attitudes are remixed to new sounds, and then put in a dynamic spotlight. The result is something between enlightenment and insurrection: Fire!
The Thing
Mats Gustafsson, saxes
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, bass, e-bass
Paal Nilssen-Love, drums
Fire! Orchestra
Mariam Wallentin, Sofia Jernberg, Simon Ohlsson, voice
Niklas Barnö, Magnus Broo, Goran Kajfes,
Emil Strandberg, trumpet
Mats Äleklint, trombone
Per-Åke Holmlander, tuba
Anna Högberg, Mats Gustafsson, Malin Wättring, Jonas Kullhammar, Martin Küchen, Fredrik Ljungkvist,
Christer Bothèn, reeds
Andreas Söderström, Sören Runolf, David Stackenäs, guitar
Martin Hederos, organ, keys
Joachim Nordwall, Andreas Berthling, electronics
Johan Berthling, Joel Grip, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, bass
Andreas Werliin, Raymond Strid, Paal Nilssen-Love, drums
The Thing
© Petra Cvelbar
Fire! Orchestra
© Micke Keysendal