Scandinavian band
the Thing, made up of the three core musicians
Mats Gustafsson (saxophones),
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten (double bass), and
Paal Nilssen-Love (drums), formed in 2000 and played music influenced by different traditions of free jazz derived from Germany, England, and America at a series of shows in Stockholm. The group is also known for collaborations, both live and on recording, with musicians
Ken Vandermark,
Otomo Yoshihide,
Jim O'Rourke,
Thurston Moore, and
Jeb Bishop. Their self-titled debut of
Don Cherry numbers was quickly followed by their first collaborative work, She Knows..., with
Joe McPhee, featuring free jazz standards by
David Murray,
Frank Lowe, and
Norman Howard. She Knows... showed the group's keen interest in reworking other genres, and included a version of "To Bring You My Love," originally recorded by
PJ Harvey. During their career,
the Thing went on to record versions of tracks by
the White Stripes,
the Sonics, and
the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. In 2004, they released the album
Garage on Smalltown Superjazz, the subsidiary label of Smalltown Supersound, and there were subsequent releases of live EPs and the album
Action Jazz, featuring covers of
Ornette Coleman and
Lightning Bolt as well as original compositions. In 2012, the band released
The Cherry Tree with vocalist
Neneh Cherry, marking her first album in a leading role in 16 years. Next, the bandmembers decided to start their own label, The Thing Records, to ensure that all money made went directly into the cost of recording and future projects, which enabled them to release the records
Boot!,
Mono, and the Viking EP, as well as an album of live performances with
Thurston Moore.
This was followed up with a full-length, cut over the first two days of June in 2015. Entitled Shake, the album offered four new originals as well as covers by
Loop,
Ornette Coleman, and Wyrd Visions (aka Colin Bergh). It was released at the end of October, three weeks after
the Thing began a tour with
James Blood Ulmer. The concert LP Baby Talk, which captured the group's 2015 set at the Molde International Jazz Festival, arrived in 2017. ~ James Pearce