I.P.A.


Featuring Oslo-based Atle Nymo on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet, Norwegian-born, Austin, Texas-based bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Trondheim drummer Håkon Mjåset Johansen, and Stockholm’s Magnus Broo on trumpet and Mattias Ståhl on vibraphone, I.P.A. is strongly influenced by the seminal 1960s work of Don Cherry and Ornette Coleman. Harmonically unfettered, rhythmically unpredictable, and melodically unvarnished, the quintet thrives on live-wire interaction, with rapidly intersecting lines that swoop and collide, disentangle and divide.

"Over the last decade this agile Scandinavian band, which grew into a quintet with the addition of Swedish vibraphonist Mattias Ståhl in 2014, has quietly become one of the world’s most satisfying post-bop units, and on Bashing Mushrooms they sound stronger and more versatile than ever, drawing upon various templates from the 1960s with concision, tang, and cohesion that sounds as fresh any nearly anything I’ve heard in 2020. The group doesn’t hide the influence of folks like Eric Dolphy, who weighs heavily on the driving 'Go Greta', Ståhl’s salute to climate change activist Greta Thunberg, with the tune’s steep intervallic leaps, or the classic Miles Davis Quintet on reedist Atle Nymo’s moody, vaguely Arabic 'Horus Øye'. The group also includes the resourceful drummer Håkon Mjåset Johansen, trumpeter Magnus Broo and bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten — the second two both key members of the long-running quintet Atomic — who excel on the high-velocity title track. As the band toggles between a machine gun-like unison staccato theme and a furiously swinging exposition, it’s distinguished by the former’s solo, which smears post-bop fundamentals with free jazz expressionism, and the latter’s imperturbable low-end drive. The most rewarding quality of I.P.A., however, is the intense interactive quality that imbues each tune, with arrangements that feature overlapping statements and sharply injected licks that propel the soloists, affirming the endless possibilities of a locked-in post-bop combo." – Peter Margasak / The Quietus


BASHING MUSHROOMS



RUNE 472

After a dozen years as one of Europe’s most acclaimed jazz ensembles, I.P.A. is still discovering mesmerizing new sonic territory. Born out of a deep dive into the music of pioneering trumpeter/composer Don Cherry, the group has firmly established its own sound and identity, and Bashing Mushrooms reveals a striking new side of the quintet. A sumptuous aural feast marked by extended, circuitous melodies and spacious, finely etched textures, it is the group’s fifth album and second release for Cuneiform.

Featuring Oslo’s Atle Nymo on tenor saxophone and bass clarinet, Norwegian-born, Austin, Texas-based bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, Trondheim drummer Håkon Mjåset Johansen, Swedish trumpet player Magnus Broo and Stockholm vibraphonist Mattias Ståhl, I.P.A. has never sounded so poised and self-possessed. While the title might suggest psychedelic journeys, Bashing Mushrooms is a work of riveting clarity, with all of the thoughtful interaction and knife-edge balance between improvisation and composition that has long distinguished the group.

“The melodies are quite clear,” Nymo says. “We feel we’re a jazz band now. Maybe we spent some time trying to figure out what direction to go, with more improvisational or freer material. On this session the tunes might be loose is some areas, but are mostly quite structured. We started as a Don Cherry project and our sound still traces back to that, but we’ve developed and changed, and there are a lot of different inputs coming through as well.”

The album opens with Nymo’s kinetic, almost woozy theme “Kudeta,” a piece that builds off an edgy, telegraphic vibraphone riff. With its gentle gleem and soft edge, Broo’s trumpet offers a winning contrast to the shimmering vibes, while Nymo’s tenor solo evokes a man pondering profound questions. Broo’s lullaby-like “Bamse” (which means teddy bear in Swedish and is dedicated to the trumpeter’s older brother), amplifies the tranquil mood with a lovely, lulling sing-song theme.

Broo is also responsible for the title track, an antic steeplechase with a bopping opening line delivered by the band in unison. Before long the horns diverge and the trumpet takes the lead, dancing over Johansen’s clattery tactile drum work. Just as it seems the center can’t hold, the quintet swoops back into formation, restoring uneasy order. In an effective bit of programming, Nymo’s mysterious “Horus Øye” follows, an atmospheric sojourn that suggests a moonlit view of the Nile. A very different aqueous feel pervades “Fem Skator” (Five Mantas), a Broo piece that swoop and glides into a furious trumpet/drum duet that features some wondrously slippery brush work. 

One of the album’s most immediately arresting tunes is Ståhl’s buoyant anthem for Swedish teenager climate activist Greta Thunberg “Go Greta”, a tune as forthright and spunky as its titular inspiration. On the vibraphonist’s “Barnen” the horns ooze over the gently churning rhythm section as the composer hovers above the action, strategically dropping in from above. Pluming the tenor’s lower register, Nymo’s burry solo offers a master class is gathering force without pushing the tempo. The album closes with his ballad “Farmor,” a tender, oddly shaped melody that seems to expand and contract, eventually subsiding with a sigh. It’s an immensely satisfying conclusion to an album captures a masterly ensemble at the peak of their expressive powers.

Bashing Mushrooms press release

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I JUST DID SAY SOMETHING



RUNE 422

Atle Nymo – tenor sax, bass clarinet
Magnus Broo ­– trumpet
Mattias Ståhl – vibes
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten – double bass
Håkon Mjåset Johansen – drums

For a number of reasons, Scandinavia is currently one of the epicenters of vivid, forward-looking jazz, often marked by a tantalizing balance of form and freedom. Over the past decade, the quintet I.P.A. has come to embody the best of this volatile sensibility, which makes sense as the band draws its players from definitive Nordic ensembles such as Atomic, Motif, Trondheim Jazz Orchestra, and The Thing. I Just Did Say Something is I.P.A.’s fourth release and is the quintet’s most exhilarating statement yet; it’s the work of a band fully alive to its own power, while eagerly investigating new directions.

I.P.A. is strongly influenced by the seminal 1960s work of Don Cherry and Ornette Coleman. Harmonically unfettered, rhythmically unpredictable, and melodically unvarnished, the quintet thrives on live-wire interaction, with rapidly intersecting lines that swoop and collide, disentangle, divide and swing!

“We have melodies, but not really structured melodies,” says Nymo, one of the band’s primary composers. “We’re definitely influenced by Don Cherry. I see us as part of this Scandinavian jazz scene, but we’re open to influences from all over. We really cover a lot of ground.”

I.P.A.’s origins go back to 2007 when Nymo, Flaten and Johansen released their electrifying interpretation of Don Cherry's 1966 album Complete Communion. When Broo joined forces with the triumvirate the following year, I.P.A. was born. The quartet introduced itself with two albums released in 2009 and 2011. By their 3rd release in 2014, Ståhl had expanded the band to a quintet and All About Jazz proclaimed the ensemble, “one of the best kept secrets in the fertile Nordic musical scenery.” With I Just Did Say Something the combo has staked a larger claim, capturing the full creative breadth of this all-star ensemble.

I Just Did Say Something press release

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Bashing Mushrooms
I Just Did Say Something

PRESS RELEASES
Bashing Mushrooms press release
I Just Did Say Something press release

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