Great acoustic improv trio from Sweden.

9 MP3 Songs
JAZZ: Free Jazz, JAZZ: Traditional Jazz Combo

Show all album songs: Plunge Songs


Details:
Plunge is a Swedish trio that has been in existence since 2001. The group works with composed music as well as collective improvising, plunging into the dynamic fields between the structured and the spontaneous. Plunge consists of saxophonist Andreas Andersson, bassist Mattias Hjorth & drummer Peter Nilsson.

âPlungeâ (KOPACD 002) is the group´s first CD and was released in April 2004. The music on this record is all improvised. The record has been very well-received and has gotten great reviews in the swedish and international press as well as on the internet (such as www.allaboutjazz.com and www.jazzviews.co.uk).

Besides working as a trio, Plunge also has an ongoing collaboration with renowned Swedish pianist Bobo Stenson. Together with him, the group has toured Sweden several times. One of their concerts was broadcasted by the Swedish Radio.
Plunge has also recorded an album together with Stenson, âPlunge With Bobo Stensonâ (KOPACD 007), which was released in 2005.

The members of Plunge are all active on the international jazz scene, touring and performing worldwide. Collectively Andreas, Mattias & Peter have worked with such luminaries as Bobo Stenson, Palle Danielsson, Marilyn Mazur, Tolvan Big Band, Tim Hagans, Sten Sandell, Joakim Milder and Anders Bergcrantz.




Reviewed by John Kelman/Allaboutjazz

Plunge is a young Swedish trio that has been together for three years, exploring a combination of composed music and completely free improvisation. On their self-titled debut, saxophonist Andreas Andersson, double-bassist Mattias Hjorth and drummer Peter Nilsson have chosen to expose their more extemporaneous side with a programme of nine purely spontaneous compositions. The term spontaneous composition is used with intent, because while Plunge may improvise freely, there are plenty of structural reference points that they create to give the pieces form. Less reckless abandon and more considered interaction, Plunge 's nine pieces traverse a breadth of stylistic territory, yet remain for the most part lyrical and in search of common ground where the three musicians can meet.
The pieces seem to move effortlessly through rhythmic and melodic constructs; âExhibit Aâ begins with a more insistent rhythmic figure, but nothing ever lasts for long with these pieces, as the players respond to each others' suggestions. âCan-Canâ is looser, with Hjorth and Nilsson flitting around the time but never quite settling into it. âCredoâ is another loose-time piece, with Andersson's melodic ideas flowing effortlessly over Hjorth's contrapuntal bass lines, while âBommenâ is a darker work, with dramatic cymbal swells and light drum rolls creating a textural backdrop for Andersson's more constructed soprano theme and Hjorth's ascending bass figure.
Something about the way Andersson, Hjorth and Nilsson interact brings to mind the freer pieces on Dave Holland's classic Conference of the Birds. As free as things get, there is always the sense that the trio, like Holland, Braxton, Rivers and Altschul before them, is moving towards something. Sadly, completely free improvisation all too often comes across as a group of players more interested in their own concerns than those of the collective, but Plunge understands that no one player's interests should dominate. Plunge is truly a collective concept, with each member keenly intent on responding to the musical ideas around them. Nowhere is this more clear than on the album's closing track, âNow What?â, where Andersson sets the initial tone for Hjorth and Nilsson, who ultimately find their way into a clear harmonic and rhythmic figure that spurs Andersson to deliver his most tuneful work of the set.
Surprisingly accessible, even at their most extreme, the members of Plunge are clearly concerned with creating something out of nothing. And while many free players look for the sharp edges and the acute angles, Plunge instead looks for the rounded corners and the smoother sides. For those who think that free playing is too extreme, too âout there,â Plunge argues otherwise, that it is possible to play totally unstructured music that still maintains a sense of order and development.



Review by Matthew Sumera/www.onefinalnote.com

Plunge is credited to the trio of Andreas Andersson (baritone and soprano saxophones), Mattias Hjorth (double-bass), and Peter Nilsson (drums). Itâs a nice, loose set of originals with some solid rave-ups in a standard post-free session. Group interplay is at a premium throughout, with all three players making a considerable contribution.

âCredoâ begins with Andersson laying down a nice, flowing line with Nilsson striking the rims and edges of his set, applying extra stick pressure when making contact with his cymbals. Hjorth plays solid accompaniment, especially interesting when he rides a bit higher up the register, bending notes for added effect. Anderssonâs sound quickly invades oneâs consciousness, pleasingly reserved.

âPlumsâ ratchets up the energy considerably, with a soprano workout from Andersson. Hjorth gets a bit lost in the mix at times, especially in the lower registers, but his playing is entirely in the moment. Nilsson plays a disjointed swing utilizing a short-sustained ride cymbal, punctuated by the restrained use of a China boy. While the piece sometimes lacks in variation, the conviction on the part of all is undeniable.

âEbonologyâ (weird title, that) begins with the sound of sax fingerings and staccato flurries, accompanied by percussive rumbles from Nilsson, with Hjorth playing quick accented runs. The piece kicks into high gear with all three rumbling along, featuring particularly fine statements from Hjorth. It ends in a slow fade of swirling percussion from Nilsson, gong and all. A solid piece, âEbonologyâ is the most direct and inspired performance of the disc.

âBommenâ is a dirge-like performance, with Anderssonâs soprano setting a plaintive mood. Nilsson adds immeasurably through quick-fire brush work, and a compelling battery of cymbals. Lacking a bit in development, the entire thing comes to a somewhat abrupt end.

âNow What?â rounds out the disc and is in many ways a culmination of the groupâs ethos; again, the focus is on Anderssonâs melodicism, with the rhythm section floating along agreeably underneath. The piece takes a welcome turn when Hjorth and Nilsson set up a propulsive groove, Andersson being pushed to ever-greater heights.

Plunge is the sound of three skilled players feeling their way through the music, confident and with something to say. It bodes well for the future of a group worth keeping an eye on.