The name of this band says it all. Friends and Neighbors was the title of a fundamental album by Ornette Coleman dating from 1970, and the music played by these Norwegian improvisers has as reference and starting point the “new thing” of the Sixties. This music is informed by the times when freedom of expression replaced improvisation in chords, as the liner notes written by Joachim Kuhn state. But “Hymn for a Hungry Nation” isn’t simply a nostalgic statement: this appropriation of the free jazz legacy comes with a melodic concept with the mark of our present times. Besides Ornette, you can also recognize the influences of Archie Shepp, Pharoah Sanders and John Carter, but heard by five European musicians very much in tune with the 21st century moods and processes. If you know them as members of collectives like Team Hegdal, Frode Gjerstad Trio, Cortex and All Included you’re already aware of what they’re capable of, and if you don’t, here’s the opportunity…