Courtesy htp://www.ballade.mo

Tomorrow night, Louie’s Trophy House is playing host to a fantastic and phenomenal set of free jazz musicians. Their caliber is top-notch. Their quality is unquestioned. Their licks are wicked. So it is with Norwegian saxophonist Frode Gjerstad and his compatriots, Paal Nilssen-Love and Jon Rune Strøm.

Frode, ever an improviser, is bringing some serious fire to this big little city. As an avant-garde saxophonist, he is a fantastic player. Strøm is no slouch himself on that doghouse bass. Meanwhile, Nilssen-Love may be one of the best drummers alive. Don’t believe me? Well then.

And Nilssen-Love doing his thing:

Opening the show, Kalamazoo locals and similarly-minded experimental musicians UNITARD will be bringing their all to the fore. If you haven’t seen Unitard before, this would be a good chance to check them out. If you have seen them, then you know what to expect and how excellent this event really should be.

Photo Courtesy Mark Wedel

If you’re a fan of experimental music, this is the show for you. If  you’re a fan of sheer instrumental virtuosity, control and technique, this is the show for you. If  you simply want your brain to melt a little bit, I’d show up all the same.

The cost is 8 bucks at the door – a paltry sum for such a fantastic display of musicianship. Plus, you didn’t have to buy a ticket to fly to Norway to see the Trio, so that’s a savings of roughly 1300 dollars off the bat.

Doors open at 8. Show starts at 9. I’ll be there.