Album of the Day: Nicolai Kaas Claesson – “Melt”

 

Artist:  Nicolai Kaas Claesson

Album:  Melt

Label:  Centrifuga

Style:  Echoes of old-school avant-garde

Favorite Track: “Kaptajn Penalhus”

Music from:  Copenhagen, Denmark

What I like about it:  Oh my god, everything.  Nicolai Kaas Claesson‘s quartet generates some serious intensity with the most casual delivery.  It’s free jazz that’s laid back and cool, and yet hits like a right cross thrown by a pro.  It’s got an old-school feel that brings out the nostalgia for the avant-garde 70s, when that particular phase of jazz’s evolution was at a high point of unbounded creativity.  There’s a warmth to this music that can’t be missed, a fireplace comfort that is also wild and boozy and immensely fun.  This recording came out mid-November, which means you shouldn’t be surprised if it makes another appearance on this site when the Best of 2019 rolls around.

Your album personnel: Nicolai Kaas Claesson (double bass), Jeppe Højgaard (alto saxophone, clarinet), Rasmus Kjær (piano) and Anders Vestergaard (drums).

Available at:  Amazon | Bandcamp

Listen to more of the album on the artist’s Bandcamp page.

Album cover art by Tina Damgaard.

Be sure to check out the artist’s site.