Mats Gustafsson
Encyclopedia
Mats Olof Gustafsson is a Swedish
saxophone
player and a stalwart on the Scandinavia
n free jazz
scene. He is known for his tonal belligerence and intensity when improvising.
He first came to the attention of lovers of improvised music as part of a duo with Christian Munthe (started in 1986) and the band Gush (started in 1988). He has later played widely with musicians such as Peter Brötzmann
, Joe McPhee
, Paul Lovens
, Barry Guy
, Yoshimi P-We
, Derek Bailey, Magnus Broo, Otomo Yoshihide, Jim O'Rourke
, Thomas Lehn
, Evan Parker
, Misha Mengelberg
, Zu
, The Ex and Sonic Youth
.
Since the early 1990s Gustafsson has been a regular visitor to the United States
, forming a particular affinity with Chicago
musicians such as Hamid Drake
, Michael Zerang and Ken Vandermark
and recording for the city's OkkaDisk label.
In addition to projects with musicians, Gustafsson has worked extensively with artists from the worlds of dance, theatre, poetry and painting.
Gustafsson was awarded the 2011 Nordic Council Music Prize
.
Gustafsson currently lives in Gärsnäs, Skåne, Sweden
and Vienna
, Austria
.
Gustafsson was also joint curator of the 2010 Konfrontationen festival in Nickelsdorf, Austria.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
player and a stalwart on the Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
n free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
scene. He is known for his tonal belligerence and intensity when improvising.
He first came to the attention of lovers of improvised music as part of a duo with Christian Munthe (started in 1986) and the band Gush (started in 1988). He has later played widely with musicians such as Peter Brötzmann
Peter Brötzmann
Peter Brötzmann is a German artist and free jazz saxophonist and clarinetist.Brötzmann is among the most important European free jazz musicians. His rough, lyrical timbre is easily recognized on his many recordings.-Early life:...
, Joe McPhee
Joe McPhee
Joe McPhee is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist born in Miami, Florida, a player of tenor, alto, and soprano saxophone, the trumpet, flugelhorn and valve trombone...
, Paul Lovens
Paul Lovens
Paul Lovens is a musician. He plays drums, percussion, singing saw and various selected and unselected cymbals. He has also performed with the Aardvark Jazz Orchestra and Berlin Contemporary Jazz Orchestra....
, Barry Guy
Barry Guy
Barry John Guy is a British composer and double bass player. His range of interests encompasses early music, contemporary composition, jazz and improvisation, and he has worked with a wide variety of orchestras in the UK and Europe...
, Yoshimi P-We
Yoshimi P-We
Yoshimi P-We, is a Japanese musician best known for her role as the longest consistent drummer in the Japanese rock band Boredoms.Yoshimi also plays trumpet, guitar, and keyboard, and sings....
, Derek Bailey, Magnus Broo, Otomo Yoshihide, Jim O'Rourke
Jim O'Rourke (musician)
Jim O'Rourke is an Irish-American musician and record producer. He was long associated with the Chicago experimental and improv scene...
, Thomas Lehn
Thomas Lehn
Thomas Lehn is a German-born piano and synthesizer player active in free improvisation and contemporary music.Lehn has recorded with Marcus Schmickler, Keith Rowe, John Butcher, Phil Minton, Phil Durrant, Radu Malfatti, Axel Dörner, Cor Fuhler, Gerry Hemingway and is a member of the electronic...
, Evan Parker
Evan Parker
Evan Shaw Parker is a British free-improvising saxophone player from the European free jazz scene.Recording and performing prolifically with many collaborators, Parker was a pivotal figure in the development of European free jazz and free improvisation, and has pioneered or substantially expanded...
, Misha Mengelberg
Misha Mengelberg
Misha Mengelberg is a Dutch jazz pianist and composer. He won the Gaudeamus International Composers Award in 1961.-Biography:...
, Zu
Zu
-Fiction:* Zu, a mountain featured in the film Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain* ZU, a "furry" anthology published by MU Press* En Zu, a character from the manga series Stray Little Devil* Zu, a large birdlike monster from the Final Fantasy series...
, The Ex and Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
.
Since the early 1990s Gustafsson has been a regular visitor to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, forming a particular affinity with Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
musicians such as Hamid Drake
Hamid Drake
Hamid Drake is an American jazz drummer and percussionist. He lives in Chicago, IL but spends much of his time traveling around the world for concerts and studio dates....
, Michael Zerang and Ken Vandermark
Ken Vandermark
Ken Vandermark is an American jazz composer and saxophone and clarinet player.A fixture on the Chicago-area music scene since the 1990s, Vandermark has earned wide critical praise for his playing and his multilayered compositions, which typically balance intricate orchestration with passionate...
and recording for the city's OkkaDisk label.
In addition to projects with musicians, Gustafsson has worked extensively with artists from the worlds of dance, theatre, poetry and painting.
Gustafsson was awarded the 2011 Nordic Council Music Prize
Nordic Council Music Prize
The Nordic Council Music Prize is awarded annually by NOMUS, the Nordic Music Committee. Every two years it is awarded for a work by a living composer...
.
Gustafsson currently lives in Gärsnäs, Skåne, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
.
Selected projects
- The ThingThe Thing (jazz band)The Thing is a Norwegian/Swedish jazz band, consisting of Mats Gustafsson , Ingebrigt Håker Flaten , and Paal Nilssen-Love ....
Major collaborators
- Paal Nilssen-LovePaal Nilssen-LovePaal Nilssen-Love is a Norwegian drummer active in the jazz and free jazz genres.Nilssen-Love was raised at a jazz club in Stavanger, run by his mother, and his father, who was also a drummer...
- Ingebrigt Håker FlatenIngebrigt Håker FlatenIngebrigt Håker Flaten is a Norwegian bassist active in the jazz and free jazz genres.-Selected Projects:*Atomic*Element*The Thing*Scorch Trio*Ingebrigt Håker Flaten Quintet-Major Collaborators:*Ken Vandermark*Joe McPhee...
- Joe McPheeJoe McPheeJoe McPhee is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist born in Miami, Florida, a player of tenor, alto, and soprano saxophone, the trumpet, flugelhorn and valve trombone...
- Ken VandermarkKen VandermarkKen Vandermark is an American jazz composer and saxophone and clarinet player.A fixture on the Chicago-area music scene since the 1990s, Vandermark has earned wide critical praise for his playing and his multilayered compositions, which typically balance intricate orchestration with passionate...
- Sonic YouthSonic YouthSonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
on Hidros 3 (To Patti Smith) and SYR8: Andre Sider Af Sonic YouthSYR8: Andre Sider Af Sonic YouthSYR8: Andre Sider Af Sonic Youth is an EP by Sonic Youth with Mats Gustafsson and Merzbow. It is the eighth release in the SYR series. It was released on July 28, 2008.The album was recorded on the first of July 2005 on the Roskilde Festival.... - ZuZu-Fiction:* Zu, a mountain featured in the film Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain* ZU, a "furry" anthology published by MU Press* En Zu, a character from the manga series Stray Little Devil* Zu, a large birdlike monster from the Final Fantasy series...
on How To Raise an Ox
Festival curator
Gustafsson curated the Perspectives festivals in Västerås, Sweden in 2004, 2007 and 2009. This festival of musical improvisation is noted for its cross-genre character and creative atmosphere among musicians. The festival slogan for 2004 was "Fight Global Stupidity", 2007 "Fight Local Stupidity" and for 2009 it became "Fight (y)our stupidity".Gustafsson was also joint curator of the 2010 Konfrontationen festival in Nickelsdorf, Austria.
External links
- http://www.mic.stim.se/engelsk/11/facts/gustafssonm.html (1999) (unavailable?)
- http://www.shef.ac.uk/misc/rec/ps/efi/mgustafs.html (1999) [incl. discography].
- J. Guthartz: discography and index of compositions (2000).
- http://www.matsgus.com/ The official Mats Gustafsson web page