18 Feb

[ February the 26th, 2021 release via Rune Grammofon – FIRE! – Defeat ]

By grzech In All That Jazz / No Comments

release date: 26.02.2021 via Rune Grammofon

Not the most optimistic title for pressing times, but the music sees Fire! tracking new paths and reaching new levels of excellence, still honoring their 12 year old vow of presenting a fresh approach to improvised music. On their 6th recording as a trio concept, The Fire! burns the scares in your ears and as always makes listening to it an unforgettable experience. On that occasion the groups striking power had been increased by two extra front men, so the Firepower of Mats Gustafsson‘s reeds had been straightened with extra horns with a trumpet, trombone and the sousaphone.

28 Feb

[ Rune Grammofon – 6th of March release – Fire!Orchestra – Actions for Free Jazz Orchestra by K.Penderecki ]

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release date: 6th of March 2020 on Rune Grammofon

Original score by Krzysztof Penderecki had only been recorded once and as far as I am aware and it was also the only performance of it , luckily for us who didn’t exist there back in time, but now have a chance to listen to this inspirational performance and learn from that as well as understand better how it affected the further evolution of improvised music which we are familiar with today. The new reading from Mats Gustafsson, who also conducts his Fire! Orchestra.

14 May

[ Rune Grammofon – 25th May release – Fire!Orchestra – Arrival ]

By grzech In All That Jazz / No Comments

Release date 24.05.19

RCD2205

Five years already past since I last time have seen the whole orchestra on the stage: The Large Unit – 28 musicians. Seeing first big squad realise again makes my heard thrilling.

Their first two albums, Exit (2013) and Enter (2014), presented us with sizeable and ambitious line-ups of 28 musicians. Ritual (2016) saw it reduced to 21 and with Arrival it´s been trimmed down to a “mere” 14, with the core trio of Fire! (Mats Gustafsson, Johan Berthling and Andreas Werliin) and the two singers Mariam Wallentin and Sofia Jernberg being the only constant members since the beginning. Apart from this reduction, the main line-up difference is the introduction of a string quartet.