Mats Gustafsson

Updated on Oct 11, 2024

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Occupation(s) Musician Role Saxophone player Genres Jazz		Website matsgus.com Name Mats Gustafsson

Born 29 October 1964 (age 60) Umea, Sweden ( 1964-10-29 ) Albums The Thing, Cuts of Guilt - Cuts Deeper, SYR8: Andre Sider Af S, One Bird Two Bird, Hidros One
Music group The Thing (Since 2000) Instruments Saxophone, fluteophone

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Mats Olof Gustafsson (born 29 October 1964) is a Swedish free jazz saxophone player. He is known for his tonal belligerence and intensity when improvising.

31 jul fire orchestra mats gustafsson

Career

Mats Gustafsson httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

Gustafsson came to the attention of lovers of improvised music as part of a duo with Christian Munthe (started in 1986), as member of Gunter Christmann's Vario project and 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, Jim O'Rourke, Thomas Lehn, Evan Parker, Misha Mengelberg, Zu, The Ex and Sonic Youth.

Mats Gustafsson Mats Gustafsson Mats Gustafsson

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. This resulted in a more traditional free jazz style in contrast to his innovative early work with European improvising musicians.

He was awarded the 2011 Nordic Council Music Prize.

Gustafsson has worked extensively with artists from the worlds of dance, theatre, poetry and painting. He has lived in Nickelsdorf, Austria since 2011.

Selected projects

The Thing

Fire! Orchestra

Major collaborators

Gunter Christmann

Kjell Nordeson

Ingebrigt Håker Flaten

Joe McPhee

Ken Vandermark

Mademoiselle Karen

Sonic Youth on Hidros 3 (To Patti Smith) and SYR8: Andre Sider Af Sonic Youth

Zu on How To Raise an Ox

Colin Stetson on Stones

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

Photos: Hreinn Gudlaugsson

Solo albums

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: 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)

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: 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

2015: Hit The Wall! (Smalltown Superjazzz), with Thurston Moore

2016: Piano Mating (Blue Tapes and X-Ray)

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)

Collaborations

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 Barry Guy Solo/Duo

2009: Sinners, Rather than Saints (NoBusiness)

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 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)

With Merzbow, Balázs Pándi & Thurston Moore

2015: Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper (RareNoise)

With Craig Taborn

2015: Ljubljana (Clean Feed)

References

Mats Gustafsson Wikipedia

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