Per Texas Johansson

Gard Nilssen’s Supersonic Orchestra
Family
We Jazz WJCD 55

Extending their expertise honed as members of small and larger group, two Scandinavian creative musicians have put together large ensembles to showcase the improvising, arranging and composing skills of players from that area. Each disc prevails in a distinct fashion.

Part of groups like Cortex, Norwegian percussionist Gard Nilssen’s high-flying Supersonic Orchestra (SO) plays eight go-for-broke arrangements by him and band member multi-reedist André Roligheten, which,  to add to the excitement at points features all 17 members playing percussion. Swedish clarinetist Per Texas Johansson, who was part of the Blue Shroud ensemble, organizes his 19-piece Orkester Omnitonal (OO) mixes notated and improvisational motifs in a three-part suite he wrote, as well as compositions by Viktor Skokic Orosmoln and Johan Lindström, neither of whom is a big band member. Complementary, rather than competing, Johansson is also part of the SO.
Whether by design or accident there’s an early 20^th Century written music patina throughout Orkester Omnitonal, with the horns’ slinky glissandi added to a continuous resonating undertone from Mattias Ståhl’s marimba. At the same time gutbucket whinnies from trombonist Mats Äleklint plus renal snorts and wallows from Alberto Pinton’s contralto clarinet and bugling from the trumpeter Emil Stranberg ensure free music diversions enliven the themes.

Sectional work from the reeds and brass contribute to the sympathetic and atmospheric scene-setting of other sequences within “Klarinet”. Delicate flute patterns move up the scale contrasting with downward sliding textures from the six clarinetists, with the subsequent tutti exposition  ending with Konrad Agnas’ pounding drum work. Moving in the opposite direction “Livet I Tre Delar” is closer to the SO’s reined in chaos. Always maintaining linear advancement, the extended track is studded with vibraphone clunks, clip-clop percussion and reed peeps. Almost dissolving to silence, the final minute reverses and brings in all the loudness and intensity for a crescendo of polyphonic pulsations.

Äleklint, Stranberg, Pinton as well as bass trombonist Niclas Rydh, trumpeter Karl Olandersson and tenor saxophonist Ljungkvist made substantial contributions to Johansson’s three-part “Orosmoln”. Beginning as a mediation expressed by  layered clarinet timbres, reed ruminations are quickly overcome by trombone ripples as well as heraldic trumpet triplets. Constantly torquing intensity, cuckoo-clock like brass accents get brighter and more elevated as they back up drumming raps and unbridled saxophone slurs. By “Orosmoln 3” call-and response vamps from low and high-pitched reeds further intensify the sequence that climaxes as every player expands his or her output to hulking shakes.

The sonic ferocity expressed by OO during its designated crescendos is part of nearly every track on Family with almost uninterrupted full band polyphony featured. Alto saxophonist Mette Rasmussen, Johansson on tenor and trumpeter Goran Kajfes contribute skyscraping brassy shakes and altissimo reed bites to keep the excitement level paramount. The concentrated pressure from drummers Håkon Mjåset Johansen, Hans Hulbækmo and Nilssen adds to the tone expansion.

With the two saxophonists and later another altoist Signe Emmeluth contributing to the fray, undulating a tongue twisting smears and doits predominate. Meanwhile Ingebrigt Håker Flaten’s measured slapping introduction to “Letter to Alfred” is one of the album’s calm interludes, with his slithers and shuffles matched with Eirik Hegdal’s C-melody saxophone slurs. More contrasts occur on “The Healing Force of the Trojan Horse” as the grouped horn players move forward on top of percussion raps, as if a church choir was enlivened by African drummers.

Interestingly enough, despite its title, Roligheten’s composed “Dolphin Disco” is SO’s closest turn towards OO territory. Beginning with carefully harmonized variations and a simple clarinet riff, a romantic-styled tutti orchestral texture encompassing string glissandi and trumpeter Thomas Johansson’s grace notes evolves alongside, but is never disrupted by Hans Hulbækmo’s restrained percussion interludes.

Other than that, the tunes resonate with the fire and brimstone expected from the SO. As one tune slides into the next Nilssen’s pops and rebounds intersect with woody double bass slaps that often introduce superfast reed tongues squeaks and brass scoops. Maciej Obara and Kjetil Møster add further saxophone stops, upper register squeals and split tones, with the concluding “SP68” wrapping up what was a live date with Tijuana Brass-like trumpet blasts, reed vamps and a narrative that unite march, Rock and swing tempos.

The big band era is long over but two sophisticated bandleaders canny arrangers – as well as the players – confirm there’s still many memorable sounds that can come from large ensembles.

–Ken Waxman

Track Listing: Orkester: 1. Klarinet 1 2. Klarinet 2 3. Klarinet 3. 4.  Orosmoln 1 5. Orosmoln  2 6. Orosmoln 3 7. Livet I Tre Delar

Personnel: Orkester: Joakim Agnas, Karl Olandersson, Emil Strandberg (trumpets); Mats Äleklint, Mats Agnelid, Lisa Bodelius, (trombones); Niclas Rydh (bass trombone); Astrid LeClerq (clarinet, bass clarinet, alto saxophone); Fredrik Ljungkvist (clarinet, alto and tenor saxophones); Per Texas Johansson (clarinet, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet); Johan Hörlen (alto saxophone, flute, piccolo clarinet); Linus Lindblom (tenor saxophone, clarinet, alto flute); Alberto Pinton (baritone saxophone, bass clarinet, contralto clarinet, alto flute); Rasmus Borgm (piano); Mattias Ståhl (vibraphone, marimba, accordion); Pär-Ola Landin (bass); Konrad Agnas (drums); Johan Siberg (conductor)

Track Listing: Family: 1. The Space Dance Experiment 2. Spending Time With Ludde 3 Letter to Alfred 4. Boogie Stop Tøffel 5. The Healing Force of the Trojan Horse 6. Supersonic 7. Dolphin Disco 8. SP68

Personnel: Family: Thomas Johansson, Goran Kajfes (trumpets); Erik Johannessen, Guro Kvåle (trombones); Eirik Hegdal (sopranino, C-melody saxophones, Bb clarinet); Mette Rasmussen, Maciej Obara, Signe Emmeluth (alto saxophones); André Roligheten (tenor, bass saxophone, bass clarinet, flute); Per Texas Johansson (tenor saxophone, contrabass, Bb clarinet, flute); Kjetil Møster (tenor, baritone saxophone, Bb clarinet); Petter Eldh, Ole Morten Vågan, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (bass); Håkon Mjåset Johansen, Hans Hulbækmo, Gard Nilssen (drums) add percussion.