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%CaughtPaal Nilssen-LoveKongsberg Fest SpotlightsNorway’s Hometeam ImprovisersWhile most jazz festivals gain their reputationby programming international headliners, theKongsberg Jazz Festival, held every July in aquaint silver mining village about 90 minutesfrom Oslo, excels because it places a premiumon Norwegian artists. While this year’s event,which ran from July 2–5, had its share of bignames—Wayne Shorter’s Quartet with ImaniWinds, Roy Hargrove, Ron Carter, andSaxophone Summit with Joe Lovano, DaveLiebman and Ravi Coltrane—the most rewardingmusic was made largely by homegrown talent.One of the unspoken themes of this year’sfestival was how Norway’s also becoming alocus for international collaboration. Actshelmed by Norwegians were frequently joinedby musicians from neighboring countries likeSweden and Denmark, and as far away as theU.S., the Netherlands, Germany and France.Performing at the sepulchral Smeltehytta, arenovated smelting plant, the quartet Dans LesArbres kicked things off with a gorgeous murmur.The collective improvisations of NorwegiansChristian Wallumrød (piano), IvarGrydeland (guitar, banjo) and Ingar Zach (percussion),with French clarinetist Xavier Charles,transformed extended technique into a symphonyof muted tones and gestures. The spell wasbroken a few hours later when, at the cozyEnergiMølla club, The Fat Is Gone cleaned outeardrums with a wild and woolly free-jazzassault stoked by drummer Paal Nilssen-Love(in the first of five different projects he was partChicago-based trumpeter Orbert Davis was profoundlymoved by Nelson Mandela’s autobiography,Long Walk To Freedom, and paid compositionaltribute to the occasion of the SouthAfrican leader for his 90th birthday on July 21.Racial unity was one of Mandela’s mandates,and that ideal permeated the diverse ranks of the50-plus member Chicago Jazz Philharmonic atthe dramatic Pritzker Pavilion in Chicago’sMillennium Park for this performance. Davis,with debonair aplomb, not only composes andconducts for the CJPO, but fronts from the podiumwith burnished yet fiery trumpet blasts.Selections from his “Collective Creativity Suite”preceded the four-movement “Hope In Action”Mandela homage, attempting to balance thedemands of keeping the orchestra membersengaged in the presentation while wooing theaudience with the intimacy of non-notated jazzelements.Though many of the musiciansin the CJPO, true to Davis’boast, are adept in classical andjazz, the core jazz presence centeredon bassist Stewart Miller,drummer Ernie Adams, pianistRyan Cohan and guest saxophonistsAri Brown and ZimNgqawana, (the latter flew infrom South Africa for the event).“1,000 Questions, One Answer”boldly kicked off proceedingswith textured interplay betweenDavis’ pocket trumpet, soulfuloutpourings from the wellmatchedBrown and Ngqawanaand penetrating trills from NicoleMitchell’s piccolo.For anyone skeptical that theCJPO is an arid Third Streamof in three days), Swedish saxophonistMats Gustafsson and German firebreatherPeter Brötzmann. Initiating ashowcase for the superb SmalltownSuperjazz label, the trio ripped througha set of high-energy ebb-and-flow, witheach musician finding gambits andlicks in one another’s improvisations tomutate and stretch. The stream-of-consciousnesstrip was never less thanfluid, even if the musical flow sometimesseemed like whitewater rafting.A couple of days later the sameclub hosted a dynamic new quartet ofScandinavian upstarts—Swedishreedists Fredrik Ljungkvist and JonasKullhammar, Danish bassist Jonas Westergaardand Nilssen-Love. It was the group’s second gig,so there was an occasional lack of energy andcohesion, but when it clicked the band delivereda feverish post-bop exploration, and a clarinetsolo by Ljungkvist toward the end of the set wasso explosive that his cohorts almost seemed inawe. Kullhammar also turned up as a guest ofthe searing-hot Norwegian organ trio Jupiter,adding thick tenor lines and solos that reached alogical boiling point, always in sync with theheavy grooves.There were also some terrific performancesby young mainstays of the Norwegian scene.Pianist Morten Qvenild, joined by his In TheCountry rhythm section and Jaga Jazzist vibistAndreas Mjøs played two hours of new compositionsstartling in their minimalist beauty, butsinger Susanna Wallumrød stole the show onher two-song cameo. Jaga Jazzist trumpeterMatthias Eick played music from his new ECMalbum, The Door, during an intimate performanceat the Kongsberg Kino, articulating hisdreamy, almost pop-like melodies with a technicalprecision that makes his horn seem to dripwith honey. The quartet Supersilent helped winddown the festival with a powerful set that saw itsincreased instrumental palette find its way.Trumpeter and vocalist Arve Henriksen hasmade his sideline drumming far more effective,while sound artists Helge Sten has added texture-ladenguitar to the enterprise. More than adecade on these improvisers keep finding newways to surprise. —Peter MargasakOrbert Davis Sends Musical Birthday Greeting to MandelaOrbert Davis rehearsingMICHAEL JACKSON CARSTEN STOLZENBACH24 DOWNBEAT November 2008