Mount Everest Trio
Atavistic

In 1971, Swedish saxophonist Gilbert Holmström formed a group he called Mount Everest with drummer Conny Sjökvist and bassist Kjell Jansson. The combined talents of Holmström, Sjökvist, and Jansson brought together years of experience and improvisational free jazz brilliance. In 1975, the three got together as the Mount Everest Trio and recorded Waves from Albert Ayler for the tiny Levande Improviserad Musik label. The album was a tribute to Ayler, with whom Holmström had studied in New York in the mid-sixties, but it went largely -- and criminally -- unheard. The Trio's melodicism and free-ranging far out-there jazz stunned fans in Sweden, but it didn't make it as far as the U. S. That is, until now. In their Unheard Music Series, Atavistic Records and musician, producer, and writer John Corbett are finding and releasing musical rarities from the realms of action jazz, creative music, and free improvisation. In addition to the Mount Everest Trio record, the series includes forgotten gems from Joe McPhee, the Fred Anderson Quartet, and The Peter Brötzmann Sextet.

"Orinoco," the featured song from Waves From Albert Ayler, is a remarkably fluid and sinuous original composition that is propelled by Jansson's intricate bass, Sjökvist's supple drums, and Holmström's artfully melodic saxophone. This is gorgeously creative music that hums with the true spirit of free jazz. In addition to original works, Waves from Albert Ayler also contains versions of Ayler's "Spirits" and Ornette Coleman "Ramblin'."
Jesse Ashlock
last updated: 08/24/01
Mount Everest Trio