Lars-Göran Ulander Trio - Live at Glenn Miller Café

Tom Sekowski, Gaz-Eta

One of the initial missions of Ayler Records from the get-go, along with unearthing older Swedish talent, was to promote the new blood of that country. Saxophonist Lars-Goran Ulander is somewhere in between the two.

For one, he's a seasoned player, committing sessions with Per Henrik Wallin, Sten Oberg, Phil Minton, Lars Lystedt and Berndt Egerbaldh amongst others. Then again, he's playing with a younger player here ' drummer Paal Nilssen-Love and someone who is about his own age, bassist Palle Danielsson.

The two nights in August 2004, when this CD was recorded, were very exciting at the Glenn Miller Café in Stockholm. It's interesting to note how Lars has retained the same energetic fervour on his alto that he had nearly three decades ago when Per Henrik Wallin's 'The Stockholm Tapes' were recorded. The screeching alto work is still as present as it was in the past. His improvisational fervour is all fire and the other two members of this trio are as excited about this music as their leader. Bassist Palle Danielsson and percussionist Paal Nilssen-Love support Lars with tightly compressed beats and pulses. The rhythm section in fact is allowed to give more than a few solos. Listen to how gentle the bass is at the beginning of 'Intrinsic Structure I'. While Palle is underplaying and plucking very lightly, Paal gives only slight shudders of colour on his percussion set. With gushes of fire and volcanic energy, this release has guaranteed Lars-Goran Ulander a good first step away from obscurity.