By Paul Rauch, Seattle Jazz Scene
Elsa Nilsson Band- Tue Mar 17, 8 PM/ Seamonster
Elsa Nilsson is a Swedish born, New York based flautist who spent some time in Seattle attending Cornish College of the Arts. She is touring in support of her new release, Hindsight (Bumblebee Collective, 2020), an album of original compositions written in reaction to the results of the 2016 elections here in the US. Narrative themes have become commonplace in jazz in this age, with the socio-political stresses of our times reflected in such records as Roxy Coss’ The Future is Female (Posi-Tone, 2018) and Portland based trumpeter Charlie Porter’s Immigration Nation(Origin, 2019).
Nilsson is one of the finest practitioners of her instrument in modern jazz, something the international jazz community recognized with her duo release with pianist Jon Cowherd, After Us (Self Released, 2018). The elemental force of her playing can result in a whirlwind of energy, or settle down into a soft breeze. Her ability to leap from one musical outpost to another is astounding, as well as her imaginative ability to express an idea with unrivaled facility and full bodied tonality.
Nilsson comes to Seattle with her New York band, featuring drummer Cody Rahm, guitarist Jeff McLaughlin, and bassist Alex Minier. The music from Hindsight will be featured, with compositions that express the feeling of street protest, with jazz improvisation colored with references to rock and classical music. The Seamonster can be a bit noisy, so hopefully the audience fully understands the artist is playing flute, and is one of the true masters of the instrument in plain view for them at the Wallingford hang.