The hard-hitting and free-spirited group Bear Brother, joins forces with swedish trombone extraordinaire Mats Äleklint on their second outing.
Seven original compositions from Isach Skeidsvoll and Erling Skorpen make up the framework for a joyous journey through the history of free jazz, and their performance couldn't be better described than the title of the album: "Played Freely with Power and emotion".
In Februrary of 2018, we were booked to play at Victoria Nasjonal Jazzscene as part of the Serendip festival in Oslo. Wanting to do something special for that gig, which was also the release concert for our first album, we decided to invite a guest to come play with us. The first and only name that immediately popped into all of our heads was Mats Äleklint, whom none of us knew personally, but whose music we all loved. We thought his powerful playing could elevate our sound and push the music forward, and that was exactly what happended on the gig; it felt like our best concert to date. After the show, we agreed to continue the collaboration in some form, which led to us recording this album in January of 2020. As luck would have it, we were able to capture some of that same energy which made the concert two years prior so special. Thank you Mats, for sharing your powerful sound with us! To be continued... - Isach Skeidsvoll
1. Distilled Spirits 08:40
2. Jyderup 06:42
3. Big Waltz 07:43
4. Lousiana 04:17
5. Woke Up This Evening 06:47
6. Moholo 05:16
7. Freely 07:06
Mats Äleklint - trombone
Erling Skorpen - trumpet
Lauritz Lyster Skeidsvoll - tenor & soprano saxophone
Isach Skeidsvoll - piano
Håkon Nordby Bjørgo – double bass
Martin Mellem – drums
Recorded by Christian Engfeldt in Studio Paradiso, Oslo January 2020
Mixed and mastered by Mats Äleklint
All photos by Peder Skeidsvoll
Cover design by Martin Miguel Almagro Tonne
