Cosmic Ear is a new project at the intersection of composition and free improvisation, where spiritual jazz meets sound rituals and global music traditions with an organic and exploratory approach. At the center are Goran Kajfeš and Mats Gustafsson, two of Europe’s most influential improvisers, who after years of collaboration in various constellations such as Fire! Orchestra are now seeking a more concentrated format, without losing either power or vision.
A crucial presence in the band is Christer Bothén, a portal figure in Swedish jazz and free improvisation. Already in the 1970s, he brought the West African hunter’s harp donso ngoni into jazz, and introduced the instrument to Don Cherry – an act that came to influence the development of a new, cross-border music where the whole world had a place. In Cosmic Ear, this legacy continues to live and be transformed.
The repertoire moves freely between original music by Kajfeš, Gustafsson and Bothén and interpretations by Don Cherry, Codona and Frank Lowe. Here, Malian hunting tradition, Moroccan gnawa, Swedish folk music and South American rhythms meet in a flow of free jazz and improvisation. The music simultaneously bears traces of both the joy of discovery and reverberation – a movement forward and backward, where the roots point as much to the future as to history.
The rich instrumentation with berimbau, donso ngoni, karignan, percussion, flutes, brass, live electronics and a pulsating double bass, creates a hypnotic and constantly changing soundscape. Here, the raw and the finely tuned coexist: Kajfeš’s lyrical openness, Gustafsson’s intense explosive power and a rhythm section where Juan Romero and Kansan Zetterberg drive the music forward with both weight and mobility.
The roots are forward. And backwards. Music is now. Free the jazz.
On stage:
Christer Bothén – donso ngoni, bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet, piano
Mats Gustafsson – tenor sax, flute, slide flute, A♭ clarinet, live electronics, organ, harmonica
Goran Kajfeš – trumpet, pocket trumpet, synth, electronics, percussion
Juan Romero – congas, berimbau, percussion
Kansan Zetterberg – bass, donso ngoni
Book a place at studio@rorane.se