Free Fall - Norway

Named for the brilliant album by the Jimmy Guiffre Trio, Free Fall has obvious parallels (clarinet, piano, bass) to the bearers of its namesake. As evidenced on their three recordings (The Point in a Line, Amsterdam Funk, Furnace), the combination of pulse and open time and the distribution of melodic responsibility through fragmentation reflect Guiffre’s music. But Free Fall’s Håvard Wiik piano, Ingebrigt Håker Flaten bass, and Ken Vandermark clarinets are also indebted to the improvisational and compositional methods of the AACM, Anthony Braxton, and European improvisers like Misha Mengelberg and Ab Baars. Ultimately, this adventurous trio creates a highly individual and interactive music that stands on its own.