Bengt Nordström - The Environmental Control Office

Mark Keresman, Jazz Review

The Gospel According To Albert Ayler: that's the language/syntax spoken here by reedist Bengt Frippe Nordstrom (1936-2000), an Ayler acolyte and something of a legendary figure in Sweden's free jazz scene.
BFN didn't imitate Ayler, of course - his tone is not nearly as "rough" as AA's and his approach is a quite a bit more sparse - but like the great man, he based his free music on folk themes and their simplicity and (also like AA) his overall sound was more joyful than assaulting or angry.

On this live 2-CD set, his bandmates play with an admirable sense of holding-back and tension, leaving the free-for-all (no pun intended) blare to the hacks.
There's even a bit of Jimmy Giuffre's warm folk-jazz tendencies here too ("Fripping"), though he happily evokes Mr. Ayler every now & again ("Fasching").

Obviously not for novices, this set will very likely be of great interest for serious fans of the most unfettered sounds from Northern Europe.