Can Kristian Blak win the Nordic Council Music Prize?

Photo: kristianblak.com

The versatile Dane Kristian Blak, resident in the Faroe Islands since 1974, was also nominated in 1998 for the amazing album “Brøytingar”, which he first released with the band Yggdrasil and artist Ole Wich in 1988. Norwegian composer Rolf Wallin won the prize back then. But the open minded mix of nature inspired jazz, folk and “out there” compositions and improvisations, merged with pre-recorded sound bits, suggested, through the magic title cut, the wave of freak folk and neo-psychedelia of artists like Devendra Banhart and “Sung Tongs”-era Animal Collective 15 years later.

Listen to the title cut Brøytingar at Spotify.

Mats Gustafsson: - Energy is the most important parameter in my music

Photo: matsgust.com

This interview was first published at the groove.no website June 2004. It was translated by myself and published again in this blog in relation to his nomination to the Nordic Council Music Prize 2011. Other articles related to the 2011 nominations at the Evil City Blog: Kristian Blak/Lotte Anker. More information on Gustafsson on this page. His own website is available at this link.

---

At Kongsberg Jazz Festival this summer Mats Gustafsson will improvise with Joe McPhee at the Avant Garden venue. Gustafsson is also part of free jazz trio The Thing who share bass player Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love with Atomic.

The Thing debuted in 2000 with material mainly consisting of interpretations of Don Cherry songs. This year The Thing will release their fourth album, dubbed “Garage”, where the trio interpret new and old garage rock songs by bands such as The Sonics, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and The White Stripes.