If we were in the seventies and a release like this – a triple LP – crossed our way, we would think that progressive rock was receiving its most ambitious conceptual album ever, but no. The year is 2017 and “Live in Europe” is something else entirely: a celebration of improvised music in its purest form, recorded in concert – as it should. Gard Nilssen’s trio Acoustic Unity played in the North Sea Jazz Festival, the Ljubljana Jazz Festival and the Oslo Jazz Festival in 2016 and the entirety of those performances were documented. Only in the first vinyll we find the triangle formed by the drummer with André Roligheten and Petter Eldh. The second has the contributions of Fredrik Ljungkvist and the third of Kristoffer Alberts and Jørgen Mathisen. The effect, anyhow, is very similar: this is a very special edition, and it has the same impact in the present creative jazz scene that it would have 40 years ago if it was something coming from King Crimson or Frank Zappa. The importance of this group in instantaneous composition with jazz as its foundation is equivalent. Nilssen’s enthusiasm on the liner notes is very clear: this is «one of the best bands I’ve ever been a part of by far». Why? Because these musicians are re-inventing melody and rhythm while improvising, and that’s not a common task.

Recorded live in concert.
Side A & B recorded at North Sea Jazz Festival 8th of July 2016 by Alex Fiennes | Side C & D recorded at Ljubljana Jazz Festival 2nd of July 2016 by Luís Delgado | Side E & F recorded at Oslo Jazz Festival 18th of August 2016 by David Solheim | Mixed by Ingar Hunskaar, January-February 2017 | Mastered by Fridtjof Lindemann, March 2017
Produced by Gard Nilssen and André Roligheten | Executive production by Pedro Costa for Trem Azul | Photos by Petra Cvelbar, Tore Sætre, Eddy Westveer, Ketil Hardy & Gard Nilssen | Cover design by Travassos