Mats Gustafsson

Mats Olof Gustafsson (born 29 October 1964) is a Swedish free jazz saxophone player.

Early life and career

Born in 1964 in Umeå, Gustafsson's first instrument was the flute. By his early teens, he had begun playing the saxophone.

Gustafsson first came to the attention of lovers of improvised music in 1986 with the formation of the AALY Trio. Alongside drummer Kjell Nordeson, early versions of the group included bassist Niklas Billström; Peter Janson joined on bass in 1995 and, in 1996, the group expanded with saxophonist Ken Vandermark as a regular guest member. The group released its first full-length album, Hidden in the Stomach, on the Silkheart label in 1998.

Around this time, Gustafsson also played as part of a duo with Christian Munthe (started in 1986), a member of Gunter Christmann's Vario project , and in the band Gush (started in 1988). He later played widely with Peter Brötzmann, Joe McPhee, Paul Lovens, Barry Guy, Yoshimi P-We, Derek Bailey, Magnus Broo, Otomo Yoshihide, Pat Thomas, Jim O'Rourke, Thomas Lehn, Evan Parker, Misha Mengelberg, Oren Ambarchi, Zu, The Ex and Sonic Youth.

In 2000 Gustafsson formed the Swedish-Norwegian free-jazz trio The Thing with bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. The group became one of his most prominent projects, combining original compositions with repertoire drawn from free jazz artists such as Don Cherry and Ornette Coleman and rock artists including The White Stripes and Richard Berry.

In 2009, he formed the trio Fire! with bassist Johan Berthling and drummer Andreas Werliin. The group later expanded into the large-ensemble Fire! Orchestra, which brings together numerous Scandinavian improvisers and has performed at major international jazz festivals.

Since the early 1990s Gustafsson has been a regular visitor to the United States, forming a particular affinity with Chicago musicians Hamid Drake, Michael Zerang, and Ken Vandermark and recording for Okka Disk. He has lived in Nickelsdorf, Austria since 2011. The same year, he was awarded the 2011 Nordic Council Music Prize.

Festival curator Gustafsson curated the Perspectives festivals in Västerås, Sweden in 2004, 2007 and 2009. This festival of musical improvisation is noted for its cross-genre character and creative atmosphere among musicians. The festival slogan for 2004 was "Fight Global Stupidity", 2007 "Fight Local Stupidity" and for 2009 it became "Fight (y)our stupidity".

Gustafsson was also joint curator of the 2010 Konfrontationen festival in Nickelsdorf, Austria.

Gallery

Discography As leader 1991: Nothing to Read (Blue Tower), with Paul Lovens 1995: Parrot Fish Eye (Okka Disk) 1995: For Don Cherry (Blue Tower), with Hamid Drake 1996: Mouth Eating Trees and Related Activities (Okka Disk), with Barry Guy & Paul Lovens 1997: Frogging (Maya), with Barry Guy 1997: Impropositions (Phono Suecia) 1999: The Education of Lars Jerry (Xeric) 1999: Windows _The Music of Steve Lacy (Blue Chopsticks) 1999: Hidros One (Caprice), with Nu-Ensemblen 2000: Port Huron Picnic (Spool), with Kurt Newman & Mike Gennaro 2002: The School Days and Thing (Anagram), the music of Norman Howard presented by Mats Gustafsson 2003: Blues (Atavistic), with David Stackenäs 2004: Hidros 3 (Smalltown Supersound), Sonic Youth With Friends 2005: Slide (Firework Edition) 2005: Catapult (Doubtmusic) 2007: It Is All About... (Tyfus) 2007: Words on the Floor (Smalltown Superjazzz), with Yoshimi P-We 2008: Mats G Plays Duke E (Qbico) 2008: Cosmic Debris Volume IV (Opax), with My Cat Is An Alien 2008: The Vilnius Implosion (NoBusiness) 2008: Mats G Plays Duke E (Qbico) 2009: Mats G. Plays Albert A. (Qbico) 2009 You Liked Me Five Minutes Ago (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! 2011 Released (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! & Jim O'Rourke 2011 Uneleased (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! & Jim O'Rourke 2012 In the Mouth a Hand (Rune Grammofon) w with Fire! & Oren Ambarchi 2012: Baro 101 (Terp ), with Paal Nilssen-Love & Mesele Asmamaw 2012: Mats G. Plays Gullin (Sagittarius A-Star) 2012: Birds (dEN ), with John Russell & Raymond Strid 2012: Bengt (Utech) 2013 Without Noticing (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! 2013: Eissalon (Live) (Rock Is Hell ), with Didi Kern 2013: Vi Är Alla Guds Slavar (Otoroku), with Thurston Moore 2014: Hidros6 Knockin' (Not Two), with NU Ensemble 2014 Enter (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! Orchestra 2015 Exit (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! Orchestra 2015 Second Exit (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! Orchestra 2015: Hit The Wall! (Smalltown Superjazzz), with Thurston Moore 2016 MG 50_Peace & Fire (Rune Grammofon) & Friends 2016 She Sleeps She Sleeps (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! 2016: Piano Mating (Blue Tapes and X-Ray) 2016 Ritual (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! Orchestra 2018 The Hands (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! 2019 Arrival (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! Orchestra 2020 Actions (Rune Grammofon) with Fire! Orchestra 2021 Defeat (Rune Grammofon) with Fire!

With AALY Trio + Ken Vandermark 1998: Hidden in the Stomach (Silkheart) 1998: Stumble (Wobbly Rail) 1999: Live at the Glenn Miller Café (Wobbly Rail) 2000: I Wonder If I Was Screaming (Crazy Wisdom) 2002: Double or Nothing (Okka Disc) AALY Trio / DKV Trio 2024: Sustain (Silkheart) As sideman With Per Henrik Wallin & Kjell Nordeson 1995: Dolphins, Dolphins, Dolphins (Dragon)

With Jaap Blonk & Michael Zerang 1996: Improvisors (Kontrans)

With Ken Vandermark 1997: FJF: Blow Horn (Okka Disk) 2013: Verses (Corbett vs. Dempsey)

With Jim O'Rourke 1999: Xylophonen Virtuosen (Incus)

With David Grubbs 1999: Apertura (Blue Chopsticks) 2002: Off-Road (Blue Chopsticks)

With Thurston Moore, Lee Ranaldo & Steve Shelley 2000: New York – Ystad (Olof Bright)

With Greg Goodman & George Cremaschi 2002: They Were Gentle and Pretty Pigs (The Beak Doctor)

With Agustí Fernández 2005: Critical Mass (psi)

With Paal Nilssen-Love 2005: Splatter (Smalltown Superjazzz)

With Sonic Youth & Merzbow 2008: Andre Sider Af Sonic Youth (Sonic Youth)

With Pat Thomas and Roger Turner (The Articles) 2008: Goodbye Silence

With Barry Guy Solo/Duo 2009: Sinners, Rather than Saints (NoBusiness)

With Barry Guy and the London Jazz Composers' Orchestra with Irène Schweizer 2009: Radio Rondo/Schaffhausen Concert (Intakt)

With the Barry Guy New Orchestra 2001: Inscape–Tableaux (Intakt) 2005: Oort–Entropy (Intakt)

With Barry Guy and Raymond Strid 1996: You Forget to Answer (Maya) 1997: Gryffgryffgryffs: The 1996 Radio Sweden Concert (Music & Arts)

With Gord Grdina Trio 2010: Barrel Fire (Drip Audio)

With Kieran Hebden & Steve Reid 2011: Live at the South Bank (Smalltown Superjazzz)

With The Sons of God 2011: Reception (Firework Edition)

With Masami Akita & Jim O'Rourke 2011: One Bird Two Bird (Editions Mego)

With Colin Stetson 2012: Stones (Rune Grammofon)

With Ich Bin N!ntendo including Christian Skår Winther, Joakim Heibø Johansen & Magnus Skavhaug Nergaard 2012: Ich Bin N!ntendo & Mats Gustafsson (Va Fongool)

With The Ex 2013 Enormous Door (Ex Records)

With Agustí Fernández & Ramon Prats 2013: Breakin the Lab! (Discordian)

With Correction 2013: Shift (Otoroku)

With Merzbow & Balázs Pándi 2013: Cuts (RareNoise) 2015: Live in Tabačka 13/04/12 (Tabačka) 2020: Cuts Open (RareNoise)

With Merzbow, Balázs Pándi & Thurston Moore 2015: Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper (RareNoise)

With Craig Taborn 2015: Ljubljana (Clean Feed)

With Paul Rutherford 2002: Chicago 2002 (Emanem)

With the Peter Brötzmann Chicago Octet/Tentet 1998: The Chicago Octet/Tentet (Okka Disc) 2000: Stone/Water (Okka Disc) 2007: American Landscapes 1 (Okka Disc) 2007: American Landscapes 2 (Okka Disc) 2010: 3 Nights in Oslo (Smalltown Superjazz)