Recorded June 4, 1988 at Fasching, Stockholm, Sweden.

Previously released as a 2CD-album 2003 by Ayler Records, Sweden.



The legend of Bengt Frippe Nordström (1936-2000) tells how he picked up the clarinet and the saxophone after being deeply touched by the music of Tony Scott and Sonny Rollins.
Then meeting Ornette Coleman and Albert Ayler changed his musical vision; so much that he no longer fit into the contemporary jazz scene in Sweden. Frippe spoke of a spontaneous, improvised, creative music at a time when everyone else was trying to master bebop. Because of this, he was left to play alone for many years. He became "the outsider"; that nobody wanted, or had the nerve to play with. During intermissions at clubs, like the "Golden Circle", he took the opportunity to play small solo concerts and recorded himself.

He released small editions of his work on his own "Bird Notes" label. Although the recordings were mostly solo sax, on rare occasions, he was joined by Don Cherry on trumpet, bassist Sven Hessle or bassist Björn Alke who would show up to play duets with Frippe. His collection had two releases: Albert Aylers; "Something Different!!!!!! and Frippes own; "Natural Music". The other recordings were not numbered or catalogued but were released as LPs and EPs.

It was not until the mid-70s that Bengt Frippe Nordström formed his band, the "Miljövårdsverket" (the Environmental Control Office). After some years of trying different constellations, the musicians you hear on this recording, bassist Björn Alke (1938-2000), violin player Lars Svanteson (b. 1949) and myself, drummer Peeter Uuskyla (b. 1951), became established as a "working unit" and cut the album "Now's The Frippe Time", released on Dragon Records in 1985.
(www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaKEXDW3t5o)

The music released here on Ayler Records (2003) was recorded on June 4, 1988. The routine was as usual, no rehearsals and nothing preorganized, with a total freedom to improvise. Anything was possible and nothing forbidden, walking bass and swinging ride included. Frippe always loved traditional jazz as a powerful source of inspiration, as long as it was fresh and not too repetitive. Here he plays his version of Tony Scott´s "Swinging in Sweden".
Otherwise, the music is filled with quotations from folk tunes, children songs, and some fragments from classical music. Frippe really wanted to give us a better life by sculpting our environment with music of a pure naked beauty... He worked very hard on defining the vision of his music. He was like Sisyphus, but filled with joy at work.
Still, after all of these years, it makes me happy to listen to the music. It´s fresh; like children playing a new game. I hope it makes you smile as well..
Peeter Uuskyla 2003




An important release is not necessarily a great release, and while the rare Environmental Control Office recording of legendary Swedish saxophonist and clarinetist Bengt Frippe Nordström is a significant contribution to the discography of Swedish jazz, his lengthy improvisations remind the listener of Albert Ayler on an off day, which when you think about it is a complement of sorts. Nordström squeezes a primitive sound from his horns, his tenor sounding precisely how drummer Peeter Uuskyla describes it in his liners: "It's fresh; like children playing a new game." There is an attractive simplicity about it too, with its unornamented quotes of other tunes and its implicit rejection of bop phrasing and technique. Uuskyla describes the session as typical for Nordström: "Anything was possible and nothing was forbidden." Yet listening to it decades later, it does not sound quite so radical, perhaps because the saxophonist does not use advanced techniques but relies on a pre-bop style transposed to free jazz. He does rely on repetitive phrases, a slow gait, a full-bodied sound, and a confident demeanor. Moreover, Uuskyla's powerful drumming keeps the saxophonist and everyone else on track. Violinist Lars Svanteson improvises more than capably, but sometimes he is somewhat tame (intimidated?) in a supporting role. This recording captures the last time this quartet performed together, and while Nordström passed away in 2000, he will not be forgotten, in part thanks to the fine restorative work of the Swedish label Ayler Records, which has meticulously prepared this recording for release many years after it was put to wax.
Steve Loewy, All Music Guide 2003