Gush

Norköpping is a place, Gush is a band and Mats Gustaffson (reeds), Sten Standell(piano) and Raymond Strid (drums) play in this band. The music that they play is improvised and they do this fairly well. And they all like to wear black. So much for the basics. Gush is an ensemble that have been recording since 1989 and have been a recurring theme in Gustaffson’s career since then. The music reflects this familiarity in the way that the musicians react and interact with each other. Popping percussive sections roll into Coltrane-like sheets of wailing dissolving into still moments when the sounds are barely audible. Strid is a strong and varied player whose style is reminiscent of Milford Graves and Paul Lovens, Sandell provides both harmonic pads, romantic arpeggios and sometimes odd stride figures, and Gustaffson spits, pops and wails like a man possessed. I was ho-hum about this CD the first time I heard it, but it really grabbed me the second. The ebb and flow of the music really gives a sense of movements and dynamic which is so essential in freely improvised performance. Great band and great music.