Frode Gjerstad Trio with Steve Swell 9/22/17 Firehouse 12

Norwegian free jazz trio has FG on alto sax, Paal Nilssen Love on drums, and Jon Rune Strom on bass were joined by American Steve Swell on trombone. After a hilarious story by Swell which chronicled his time with the trio touring the states going from Waffle House to Denny's while nightly plying their brand of Nordic free jazz, before launching into a maelstrom of sound. FG had a Lester Youngian emboucher with a side of Dizzy Gillespie cheek puff. It appeared that Gjerstad's left brain was melting and came out the sax in a torrent of sound. PNL has played with Miles and other jazz luminaries and played in the vein of Scandinavian greats like Han Bennink. JRS was younger than the rest, but held his own with an active, percussive style. Swell was genuinely happy to play with these guys, and brought a jousting complexity to the sound. Swell was able to make wind and weather sounds through breathing and use of a plunger mute. I got a chuckle thinking about this troupe ordering Moons Over Mi-hammy at Denny's, and the waitresses at these joints having no idea the nature of their night job.