Paal Nilssen-Love

Drummer Paal Nilssen-Love stormed the Norwegian jazz scene in the early '90s and has been working relentlessly ever since in both traditional and avant-garde jazz. It wasn't long before he jumped on the metaphorical freight train Swedish saxophonist <a href="spotify:artist:76w5atatALEaxzKTmZbefS">Mats Gustaffson</a> had established between Scandinavia and Chicago; the drummer appeared on <a href="spotify:artist:55Wpgt1Y1RISpita5RLxGm">Ken Vandermark</a>'s School Days and has enjoyed growing exposure in the U.S. since 2000. His other engagements and collaborations include trios with <a href="spotify:artist:05PZ0e9SlkS4S53qo1nUom">Frode Gjerstad</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:4jAi71HGjA6y9uiSvokTbW">Sten Sandell</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:7hI55lQ0ft8xE4mpLS1WBg">Raoul Björkenheim</a>, plus the group <a href="spotify:artist:5MaqvdfplsuBzHTHrBxjr6">Atomic</a>. He released his first solo CD, Sticks & Stones, in 2001.

Nilssen-Love literally grew up in jazz. He was only five-years old back in 1979 when his parents opened the Stavanger Jazzclub, a venue they operated until 1986. A career in music came as a natural (and encouraged) choice. The young drummer began to work with saxophonist <a href="spotify:artist:05PZ0e9SlkS4S53qo1nUom">Frode Gjerstad</a> and trumpeter Didrik Ingvaldsen in 1990, three years before he began formal jazz studies at Sund College and the Trondheim Music Conservatory. His first available recording is Enten Eller, a CD by <a href="spotify:artist:05PZ0e9SlkS4S53qo1nUom">Gjerstad</a>'s <a href="spotify:artist:3zkGoG5eJXtPE3QgN6mVWS">Circulasione Totale Orchestra</a>, released in 1992.

In Trondheim, Nilssen-Love met bassist <a href="spotify:artist:5VhZ9FeiUCJn4CdxSYUkcE">Ingebrigt Håker Flaten</a> and pianist <a href="spotify:artist:0pdKM1LbsCmVlfQC7G5qHQ">Håvard Wiik</a>. He joined their group Element in 1993. This free jazz ensemble inspired by the late music of <a href="spotify:artist:2hGh5VOeeqimQFxqXvfCUf">John Coltrane</a> attracted much praise and recognition from the local press. Element released its first album in 1996, by which time the drummer had already performed on the first two of a string of recordings by Ingvaldsen's group, Pocket Corner. <a href="spotify:artist:4jAi71HGjA6y9uiSvokTbW">Sten Sandell</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:5NTsQ9DCgO4lgp7HULW66T">Per "Texas" Johansson</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:76w5atatALEaxzKTmZbefS">Mats Gustaffson</a> soon made him a place in their projects.

Nilssen-Love developed a strong musical relationship with Håker Flaten; they appear together in many projects. <a href="spotify:artist:76w5atatALEaxzKTmZbefS">Gustaffson</a>, with whom they recorded The Thing (2000, Crazy Wisdom), introduced them to <a href="spotify:artist:55Wpgt1Y1RISpita5RLxGm">Ken Vandermark</a> and the Chicago scene. The pair forms the rhythm section of <a href="spotify:artist:55Wpgt1Y1RISpita5RLxGm">Vandermark</a>'s School Days and <a href="spotify:artist:7hI55lQ0ft8xE4mpLS1WBg">Björkenheim</a>'s Scorch Trio. Along with <a href="spotify:artist:0pdKM1LbsCmVlfQC7G5qHQ">Wiik</a> and musicians from Stockholm, they formed the avant-garde jazz quintet <a href="spotify:artist:5MaqvdfplsuBzHTHrBxjr6">Atomic</a> in 1999. ~ François Couture, Rovi