MATS GUSTAFSSON
Mats Gustafsson - saxophones (bass, baritone, tenor, alto and soprano), flute, french flageolet and G-clarinet
www.matsgus.com
Mats Gustafsson is a Swedish reed player, improviser, composer and a stalwart on the Scandinavian free jazz scene. His extended saxophone techniques draw equally from the fiery free jazz blowing tradition and the European microtonal school. His hundreds of albums - either as a leader, in groups (Gush, Fire!, Fire Orchestra, Swedish Azz, The Thing), or his many collaborations - showcase an encyclopedic knowledge of jazz, blues, the vanguard classical tradition, folk and even popular song, as well as a curator's gift for concept, while a canny feel for the idiosyncrasies of his musical partners has established his golden reputation as a highly sought-after collaborator. He has recorded and toured with an astonishing variety of players including Peter Brötzmann, Joe McPhee, Derek Bailey, Neneh Cherry, Evan Parker, Jim O´Rourke, The Ex, and Tomeka Reid. His “Mouth Eating Trees and Related Activities” (1992) with Barry Guy and Paul Lovens is widely recognized as an avant-jazz essential. His solo saxophone albums such as 2008's “Mats G Plays Duke E” and 2012's “Bengt” reveal the poles of his knowledge and interest, while 2015's “Cuts of Guilt, Cuts Deeper” with Thurston Moore, Merzbow, and Balazs Pandi, showcases an improvisational aesthetic that embraces rock, even as 2018's “Timeless”, a duo set with vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, focuses on the intimacies of extended harmonics in near melodic language. At the invitation of 40. Skopje Jazz Festival, Mats Gustafsson will perform a special jubilee solo concert.
LINDA MAY HAN OH
Linda May Han Oh - acoustic & electric bass
Fabian Almazan - piano
Ben Wendel - saxophone
Eric Doob - drums
www.lindamayhanoh.com
Based in New York City, Linda May Han Oh is an acclaimed bassist - composer who has performed and recorded with artists such as Pat Metheny, Kenny Barron, Joe Lovano, Dave Douglas, Terri Lyne Carrington, Steve Wilson, Geri Allen, and Vijay Iyer. Born in Malaysia and raised in Perth, where she picked up the upright bass and studied solo transcriptions of Dave Holland. Her roots were in Australia but her real growth in New York. After more scholarships she moved to New York in 2008, where she completed her master's degree at the Manhattan School of Music. In the same year she released her debut album “Entry”, with the trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire and drummer Obed Calvaire. In the recent years she got a tremendous reputation and success. Linda May Han Oh was voted the 2018 and 2019 Bassist of the Year by the Jazz Journalists Association, as well as 2019 Artist of the Year. The awards were getting multiplied. She has five releases as a leader which have received critical acclaim. Her most recent release “Aventurine” is a double quartet album, featuring string quartet and vocal group Invenio, showing her abilities as a skilled composer and arranger. Linda has written for large and small ensembles as well as for film. Linda is currently bassist of Pat Metheny’s quartet, praised for her contribution on the last album of the guitarist, “From this place”. The innovative range and stellar improvisations have made her one of the most dynamic rising stars in jazz today.