Large Unit To The Artist Roster
By Kato Bookbird
We have been hinting at some big news, and here it is! So very excited to welcome to the Kato Bookbird roster one of our favorite big bands in the scene right now — The Large Unit — Paal Nilssen Love's biggest and most ambitious ensemble to date which started life at the Molde Jazzfestival in 2013 and has since then toured Norway and played Festivals all over Europe, Canada, Brazil, and the United States.
The Bookbird's first live encounter with this ensemble was in March 2015 at the wonderful Artacts Festival. Later that year, we had the opportunity to see the Unit live in action again delivering a tremendous performance at the Music Unlimited Festival. Some months later, we decided to attend another concert by the Large Unit but this time it was a normal club date. And we're extremely happy we did so. Experiencing the Large Unit in a more intimate setting presenting new compositions (see "Ana" PNL033) left a strong, lasting impression on us.
The ensemble consists of 12 musicians from the Nordic countries:
The ensemble consists of 12 musicians from the Nordic countries:
Julie Kjær – Alto saxophone & flute
Klaus Holm – Alto saxophone & clarinet
Kristoffer Alberts – Alto & tenor saxophone
Thomas Johansson – Cornet & flugelhorn
Mats Äleklint – Trombone
Per Åke Holmlander – Tuba
Ketil Gutvik – El-guitar
Tommi Keränen – Electronics
Jon Rune Strøm – Double bass
Christian Meaas Svendsen – Double bass
Andreas Wildhagen – Drums
Paal Nilssen-Love – Drums, bandleader
and regularly features guest appearances from around the world.
Klaus Holm – Alto saxophone & clarinet
Kristoffer Alberts – Alto & tenor saxophone
Thomas Johansson – Cornet & flugelhorn
Mats Äleklint – Trombone
Per Åke Holmlander – Tuba
Ketil Gutvik – El-guitar
Tommi Keränen – Electronics
Jon Rune Strøm – Double bass
Christian Meaas Svendsen – Double bass
Andreas Wildhagen – Drums
Paal Nilssen-Love – Drums, bandleader
and regularly features guest appearances from around the world.
The Large Unit successfully combines the energy of youth and the casual familiarity of the neighborhood, both welded together by the focus of Nilssen-Love’s musical personality. This is large music, a window on a scene that seethes with creative energy and an unbridled intensity. — Stuart Broomer, Point of Departure
Watch the Large Unit in action, performing "Culius" — a composition documented on releases such as "First Blow" and "Erta Ale" — live at the Moers Festival in June 2014:
Ensemble consciousness was key, though, in this performance, grounded by the strong and quietly charismatic presence of the leader. Nilssen-Love proved himself a unique ensemble sound painter and in-the-moment organizer at Moers, sensitive to issues of space, yet also offering potent displays of beautiful, virtuosic rage. As exciting and quixotic as many of the whole ensemble that prevalled and impressed most deeply. For a fascinating hour at Moers, the Large Unit lived large, and artfully. — Concert Report by Josef Woodard in Downbeat
"It’s about everyone on stage," Nilssen-Love says. "It’s not just about me. It’s not a show-off group for me, this group, in the sense that you have a guy who’s writing the compositions, conducting it, leading it. I want the other guys to shine. Sometimes, you do more by not playing."
To learn more about this ensemble and its availability, head over to the Large Unit artist page.
Watch the Large Unit in action, performing "Culius" — a composition documented on releases such as "First Blow" and "Erta Ale" — live at the Moers Festival in June 2014:
Ensemble consciousness was key, though, in this performance, grounded by the strong and quietly charismatic presence of the leader. Nilssen-Love proved himself a unique ensemble sound painter and in-the-moment organizer at Moers, sensitive to issues of space, yet also offering potent displays of beautiful, virtuosic rage. As exciting and quixotic as many of the whole ensemble that prevalled and impressed most deeply. For a fascinating hour at Moers, the Large Unit lived large, and artfully. — Concert Report by Josef Woodard in Downbeat
"It’s about everyone on stage," Nilssen-Love says. "It’s not just about me. It’s not a show-off group for me, this group, in the sense that you have a guy who’s writing the compositions, conducting it, leading it. I want the other guys to shine. Sometimes, you do more by not playing."
To learn more about this ensemble and its availability, head over to the Large Unit artist page.
