REVIEWS “The 1992-97 recordings on Here, There, Down & Up! of the Swedish group Nods Off present bracing free Jazz sparked by the volcanic drumming of Peter Olsen and with the distinctive cry of saxophonist Stefan Wistrand. These committed and extroverted players honed their work during years of gigs at home in Södermanland, west of Stockholm, time well spent in developing a tight rapport. The loose chanting a la Jim Pepper that opens the set might put off some listeners, but it's worth getting past that. On burners like the overwhelming "Summum Bonum" or the equally vigorous "Seventysix Echoes", the music erupts with passion and raw power. The free-bop of "Jump Bump" owes a debt to Ornette Coleman, including the punchy bass line. "Paint Music IV" closes the show with something else entirely, a scary sounding piece with long complex metallic tones from the trumpetophone and trombonophone. The band tends to keep tunes fairly short for this genre, with just one track lasting more than 8 minutes. The rich thump of Olsen's drums and his densely tribal and driving style are reason enough for drum fanatics to check this out. Nods Off is another distinguished member of a small but vibrant free Jazz scene in Sweden, and one that's worth hearing.” "…varied and real interesting to listen to." "Wind instruments, voice and drums display a free form of entering a space in which the ethnic manifests itself, by way of make-up, as some sort of prelude. The discourse, creating curves, is warm from the beginning. Themes of an interrupted space give way to a flow stopped at each stretch"." "The music consists of twelwe well varied original compositions which not only manage to clean your ears from every trace of MOR, but also set your fantasy in new directions. I'm most fascinated by the tune Paint Music IV, which bears no resemblance to anything else I've heard in this the most creative of jazz genres." "And this is ingenious, thought-provoking and beautiful modern folkmusic that - whether the originators want it or not - goes very well
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