Ingebrigt Haker Flaten & Paal Nilssen-Love - Guts & Skins [Sonic Transmissions Records / PNL Records]

Put out on the circuit as a collaborational effort between Paal Nilssen-Love's very own PNL Records and Sonic Transmissions Records is "Guts & Skins", the May 26th, 2k23 released album written by Paal Nilssen-Love and bass player Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, recorded live with an all star set of musicians as an ensemble x band project originally planned for the 40th anniversary of Trondheim's Conservatory Of Music's Jazz department. With massive delays induced by the Covid-19 situation the seven tracks and 57 minutes spanning album was finally recorded in concert over the course of three days in May 2k22, presenting a set and series of in parts ultradense, oftentimes thundering, yet well structured FreeJazz x FreeImprov recordings of which especially "Guts & Skins Part 2" sticks out due to its nocturnal, fever'ish and foreboding jungle voodoo atmosphere whereas the subsequent "Guts & Skins Part 3" rolls with a surprisingly conservative Jazz approach the PNL Records is not necessarily known for, at least for a few minutes, "Guts & Skins Part 4" opens with well ominous low frequency shifts of almost tectonic qualities only to end up with haunted DarkJazz piano minimalism and demonic vocal techniques whilst "Guts & Skins Part 7" rounds things off on a surprisingly longing and romantic late night note and makes this album probably the most accessible PNL Records release we've reviewed in quite a while.

Album artwork on Instagram!