For release number six by his
Circulasione Totale Orchestra, Norwegian free jazz sax master
Frode Gjerstad opted for a solid three-CD set of live recordings (from 2008, says the press kit -- no recording info is included with the album itself). If you have been looking for a decisive statement from this band, here it is: three discs, three sets, three decibel-heavy collective improvisations full of twists and turns, three times the magic. The
Circulasione Totale Orchestra has always been about mixing it up between locals and international figures, and about passing the torch to the younger set -- the experience and advice of the seasoned musicians, the fresh excitement and ideas of the up-and-comers, all that circulates freely among orchestra members. Or at least, that's how
CTO is designed. And judging from these three hours of recordings, it works. There are 15 musicians on the recordings, 13 at a time, and the cast is a stunning blend of major players from the American free jazz and European free improvisation scene. In the "seasoned improvisers" category we find, beside
Gjerstad, drummer
Louis-Moholo-Moholo (of
Chris McGregor fame), American free jazz greats
Bobby Bradford (trumpet) and
Sabir Mateen (sax);
Kevin Norton (vibes), once in
Anthony Braxton's standards and non-standards bands, and longtime
William Parker collaborator
Hamid Drake (drums). Among the younger and local players are
Anders Hana (guitar, of
MoHa! and
Noxagt) and the killer rhythm section of
Ingebrigt Haker Flaten and
Paal Nilssen-Love (both of
the Thing).
Lasse Marhaug and John Hegre (
Jazkamer) are handling noise, electronics, and live manipulation/mix duties, with more electronic input from Morten Johan Olsen (of
MoHa! and
Ultralyd). It could have been totally chaotic, and at some points (especially on discs one and three) it borders on a catastrophe, but the musicians are clearly listening intently to one another and are ready to bounce back and put the train back on its rails when necessary. This is a very entertaining, exhilarating, and ultimately exhausting album -- take it one disc at a time. It also sums up and exemplifies the Rune Grammofon label's approach to experimental music: no sects, no schools, no compartmentalization, everyone in it together, everyone giving to and learning from the music. One final note: there is not a single woman on board for
Bandwidth, and it shows. This is testosterone-loaded free improvisation, and it would be best compared to the
Peter Brötzmann Tentet, although the latter's music tends to be more structured, or even conducted. No such thing here. That being said, highly recommended.