Erta Ale cover
Released

Despite its name, drummer Paal Nilssen-Love’s Large Unit was relatively compact for a free jazz orchestra, numbering just 11 players including the leader on this 3CD set. It included three brass players (cornet/flugelhorn, trombone, and tuba) and two saxophonists, plus electric guitar, turntable and electronics, and a double rhythm section: two bassists, two drummers. On later releases the group swelled to 15 members, and on one memorable occasion – a collaboration with the Ethiopian group Fendika, with special guest guitarist Terrie Ex – there were 22 people onstage. This set consists of two CDs mixing studio and live material, and a bonus disc documenting a full performance from the Moers Festival. It’s three hours of music in all, and it varies from stomping, romping mass blare to a quiet duet for bass and electronics. You get multiple versions of several compositions so you can compare and contrast, and four versions of a collective improv exercise called “Round About Nothing” that’s radically different every time, but always provides plenty of space for the drummers to go wild.

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
Maroon Cloud cover

Maroon Cloud

Nicole Mitchell
Fish & Steel cover

Fish & Steel

Per-Åke Holmlander, Mats Äleklint, Paal Nilssen-Love
Live in Berlin ‘71 cover

Live in Berlin ‘71

Fred Van Hove, Han Bennink, Albert Mangelsdorff, Peter Brötzmann
New York, Fall 1974 cover

New York, Fall 1974

Anthony Braxton
Guitar cover

Guitar

Sonny Sharrock
Baida cover

Baida

Ralph Alessi
Magico: Carta de Amor cover

Magico: Carta de Amor

Jan Garbarek, Egberto Gismonti, Charlie Haden
Learning to Cope with Cowardice cover

Learning to Cope with Cowardice

Mark Stewart & The Maffia
Satin Doll cover

Satin Doll

Sam Gendel