The Squid's Ear Magazine


Johansson / Fite / Grip: Swinging at Topsi's (Astral Spirits)

An evening of free improvisation recorded in Berlin at au Topsi Pohl in 2020 from the Swedish trio of Euro Free Jazz legend Sven-Ake Johansson on drums, Niklas Fite on acoustic guitar and Joel Grip on double bass, performing two extended and dynamic improvisations, and then settling into jazz standard form for "Isn't It Romantic" and "Out of Nowhere" sung by by Johansson.
 

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product information:

Personnel:



Sven-Ake Johansson-drums, vocals

Niklas Fite-acoustic guitar

Joel Grip-double bass


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Pressing of 500 glass mastered CD's.

Label: Astral Spirits
Catalog ID: AS175CD
Squidco Product Code: 31270

Format: CD
Condition: New
Released: 2021
Country: USA
Packaging: Cardboard Gatefold
Recorded at au Topsi Pohl, Berlin September 10, 2020 by N. Fite.

Descriptions, Reviews, &c.

An evening of free improvisation recorded in Berlin at au Topsi Pohl in 2020 from the Swedish trio of Euro Free Jazz legend Sven-Ake Johansson on drums, Niklas Fite on acoustic guitar and Joel Grip on double bass, performing two extended and dynamic improvisations, and then settling into jazz standard form for "Isn't It Romantic" and "Out of Nowhere" sung by by Johansson. The novelty and warmth of the songs aside, the serious work heard in Sets 1 & 2 of shows the trio in fine form, evolving their conversation through a wide range of moods and technical skill, making the core of the album a great example of free expression.

Also available on Cassette Tape with Download.
Pressing of 500 glass mastered CD's.


This album has been reviewed on our magazine:

The Squid
The Squid's Ear!

Artist Biographies

"Sven-Åke Johansson (born 1943 in Mariestad, living in Berlin since 1968) is a Swedish drummer and composer associated with free jazz and free improvisation. He was in the Globe Unity Orchestra and played with German reedist Alfred Harth and Belgian pianist Nicole Van den Plas in E.M.T.."

-Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sven-%C3%85ke_Johansson)
3/27/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"Guitarist Niklas Fite is a Swedish improviser, guitarist and banjoist. He was born 1995 in Stockholm."

-Discogs (https://www.discogs.com/artist/6435451-Niklas-Fite)
3/27/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.

"For a number of years now, energetic double bassist, filmmaker and producer Grip has played an important role for the new scenes of improvised music in Europe. As founder of Umlaut Records, he opened up for creative forms of organizing collectives of musicians and promoting their music internationally. Since 2003 he has been one of the main organizers of Hagenfesten in Dala-Floda, Sweden, a stand-alone festival, and quite frankly possibly the most pleasant venue for free improvised music not only in Sweden but in the whole of Europe. Few other places offer quite the same endearing combination of sophisticated musical risk-taking, and up-beat, social get-together. GripÕs musicianship is informed by a similar knack for welding musical sophistication with social communication, often with an analog film camera at hand. With a handful of short films Joel Grip met mexican filmmaker Mauricio Hern‡ndez and shortly the film production company Umlicht was established. They are right now working on their third and forth feature film together. Umdicht is amplifying the pencil of Joel GripÕs hand, partly through the irregular issue of Lšsa Blad and partly in the future release of books."

-Joel Grip Website (http://www.joelgrip.com/Joel/biograf.html)
3/27/2024

Have a better biography or biography source? Please Contact Us so that we can update this biography.


Track Listing:



1. Set 2 25:17

2. Set 1 24:01

3. Song 1: Isn't It Romantic 3:04

4. Song 2: Out Of Nowhere 3:41

Related Categories of Interest:


Improvised Music
Jazz
Free Improvisation
European Improvisation, Composition and Experimental Forms
Trio Recordings
Song Based Music

Search for other titles on the label:
Astral Spirits.


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