Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Uuskyla / Øgrim / Berg - LAIV (SIMLAS PRODUKSJONER)



Eleven months after the debut ULLR, Uuskyla Øgrim & Berg releases LAIV 

When you have struck a rich ore, you should keep on digging. That goes for gold hunters as well as musicians. 

It has been only 11 months since Anders Berg and Tellef Øgrim teamed up with veteran free-jazz drummer Peeter Uuskyla to put out the debut album ULLR. 

The collection of six short, hard-hitting tracks got the attention from the impro press, resulting in statements as: 

– Ullr is an engaging, captivating, and often unrivalled listen. 
– This is very personal music, which captivates both the brain, heart and feet. 
– Uuskyla’s trio is taut and metallic, sprung, flexed and sinuous, hitting hard on the recoil. 

Several months after ULLR, Tellef was contacted by BrÖtz (brotznow.se) in Gothenburg. The dry message was that the caller had taken over the booking of the club and that he had a list from the previous booking person in front of him saying that the club owed Tellef a gig. 

Tellef’s answer to the club’s question about who he would like to bring along was of course that he wanted to come with Peeter Uuskyla and Anders Berg. 

All three had played several times at BrÖtz, but never together as a trio.


Winding fast forward to 11 October 2017 when the three musicians got together physically, first in a pasta place at Skånegatan, later listening to records in Uuskyla’s apartment for a couple of hours, and, at last, walking on-stage at BrÖtz around 10 in the evening, following a great debut concert from the band Musikerförbundet. 

Two amplifiers were moved, drums were slightly adjusted, and the floodgates could be opened. 

No rehearsal or sound check took place. No discussion about what to play. 

What followed on stage reflected the urge of the three musicians to finally get together and play. 

The 45 minutes tour-de-force can be enjoyed in its entirety at the record LAIV, released by Simlas produksjoner at simlas.bandcamp.com (and elsewhere digitally) on November 25. 

Complete set recorded at BrÖtz in Gothenburg 11 October 2017. Mastered by Gunnar Backman 
SIMLAS0012 

Released November 24, 2017

Tellef Øgrim

1. Laiv 42:25

Anders Berg bass
Peeter Uuskyla drums