Disc 3: The new music ensemble Klangforum Wien with Gustafsson opened the third night with compositions by composer Roman Haubenstock-Ramati, featuring Gustafsson on flutephone and the the slide sax, exploring different sonorities of the saxes, and another one by Gustafsson himself. His piece, featuring also contrabass sax player Gerald Preinfalk, dived into deep-toned breaths, howls and blows, building its tension carefully.
As a present birthday Gustafsson reunited TR!O - himself, German cellist and trombone player Günter Christmann and drummer Paul Lovens (who released a self-titled album on FMP, 1995, re-released on 2005), but this time + 1, analog synthesizer pioneer Thomas Lehn. The two pieces were masterful free improvisations, focusing on different manifestations of sound, stressing restraint, imagination and great focus on detail.
The final set was, as expected, by The Thing, one of Gustafsson’s long-standing groups, this time augmented by close friend and collaborator, sax player Ken Vandermark. This quartet stormed with “punk rock free jazz at its finest, a fat sloppy drunk wet kiss that turns into everlasting love and the subtlest emotions you never knew existed at all”, as Choate described it. The Thing concluded with the inevitable, sing-along “Happy Birthday” (captured on a video clip below).
CD3-1 –Klangforum Wien, Mats Gustafsson Konstellation
Double Bass – Uli Fussenegger
Flute – Eva Furrer
Fluteophone, Slide Sax – Mats Gustafsson
Oboe – Markus Deuter
Trumpet – Anders Nyqvist
Viola – Dimitrios Polisoidis
Violin – Annette Bik, Gunde Jäch-Micko
Violincello – Benedikt Leitner
5:14
CD3-2 –Klangforum Wien, Mats Gustafsson Intervention
Fluteophone, slide saxophon – Mats Gustafsson
Percussion – Björn Wilker, Lukas Schiske
Tuba – Gerald Preinfalk
7:31
CD3-3 –TR!O + 1 Thomas Lehn One
Analogue Synthesizer – Thomas Lehn
Cello, Trombone – Günter Christmann
Cymbal, Drums – Paul Lovens
Fluteophone, Saxophone – Mats Gustafsson
11:04
CD3-4 –TR!O + 1 Thomas Lehn Two
Analogue Synthesizer – Thomas Lehn
Cello, Trombone – Günter Christmann
Cymbal, Drums – Paul Lovens
Fluteophone, Saxophone – Mats Gustafsson
5:17
CD3-5 –The Thing (2), Ken Vandermark Unnoticed. I Battle.
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Mats Gustafsson
Bass – Ingebrigt Håker Flaten
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Ken Vandermark
Drums – Paal Nilssen-Love
13:32
CD3-6 –The Thing (2), Ken Vandermark Unheard. I Yiel.
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Mats Gustafsson
Bass – Ingebrigt Håker Flaten
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Ken Vandermark
Drums – Paal Nilssen-Love
18:52
CD3-7 –The Thing (2), Ken Vandermark Unseen. I Mirror The Perspectives.
Alto Saxophone, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Mats Gustafsson
Bass – Ingebrigt Håker Flaten
Clarinet, Tenor Saxophone, Baritone Saxophone – Ken Vandermark
Drums – Paal Nilssen-Love
5:29
