Atomic - Happy Feet: astonishing jazz from Norway

[Bev Stapleton]

This recording was briefly mentioned on a thread last week that got buried.

It got a fair bit of praise at the end of last year. I bought a copy but never got round to playing it until a couple of weeks back. What a stunning recording!

A sort of melodic freedbop; muscular, energetic and lyrical by turns, never sentimental, veering to the edge but never tumbling into the totally free.

Sax, trumpet, piano, bass, drums.

As mentioned on the earlier thread these guys (fredrik ljungkvist, magnus broo, havard wiik, ingebrigt haker flaten, and paal nilssen love) seem to be deliberately moving away from the usual idea of Scandanavian jazz (either the cool ECM model or the more recent dance music model).

If 'Happy Feet' had been recorded by US musicians it would be receiving the same hype as 'The Bad Plus.'

Try and hear it.

[Anyone know anything about these players; I'd like to hear more]

[Green Dolphin]

I can only second that Bev,sounded really fresh to me.Awesome rhythm section(sad to read Nilsson-Love is fighting cancer),they can also be found as part of School Days with Ken Vandermark and Jeb Bishop-two recommended sets on Okkadisk,little more out than Feet Music but well worth hearing.Right on too with the were they American point-I think I'll go and play it again right now.

[bubber]

We had Atomic for two nights at Molde Jazz Festival last year, and they were burnin' from the first tune.

Re young drummer Paal Nilssen Love, I'm happy to report that a friend of mine talked to him last week, and Paal has just finished succesful treatment, his prognosis are good and he felt great and ready for action.


Paal is really an excellent drummer. His father Terry comes from England, is a professional artist (painter) and also a drummer, and Paul plays his father's set from late fifties/early sixties. Terry came to Molde on the west coast of Norway where he married in the seventies, and the family moved to Stavanger when Paal was a little kid.

Two years ago, Paal together with Arild Andersen did two marvellous concerts with Pat Metheny,at Molde Jazz Festival - a couple of hours of fantastic inside/outside music, whereafter Metheney said from the stage "Paal should be the president of Norway". Norwegian Broadcasting taped the concerts, and there are rumours that Metheny is interested of putting the tapes to CD.

Don't know what our royal hignesses would think of Pat Metheny declaring Norway a republic, though.

[Donnybirdrhythm]

What a great drummer he is.

He has cancer? I didn't hear about this. He was in great shape when I saw him last year with School Days.

Is this news, and his (hopeful) recovery, a recent development? God, it would be tragic if he had to stop playing.

(Haven't yet heard Atomic, but have spotted the disk at the shop I think. It's in cardboard packaging, right? I'll go back and check into it further.)

[bubber]

Yes, his recovery is a recent developement. I've heard he's doing a gig in the near future.

[Clunky]

Atomic are awsome live. I have had the pleasure of seeing them twice and they blow up a storm. I am sure when I saw them last that Paal said that they had recorded a second album of material ( June 2002) and that it would be released Feb 2003. No sign of it yet, perhaps that is due to Paal illness. What ever I hope him a speedy recovery. The Okkadisks by School Days are really bad and cannot be recommended highly enough.

[Green Dolphin]

Would be interestiing to hear the Metheny set,if indeed he does get it out-or will it go the way of the Song X outtakes with Ornette than he once showed enthusiasm for getting on the streets.
Haker-Flaten and Nilssen-Love also back a very different guitarist,Raoul Bjorkenheim(once of Sound and Fury and Krakatau)on Rune Grammafon's Scorch Trio.Highly recommended if not for the faint hearted.