The Thing Friday at Ruby's BBQ

One doesn't usually associate Elgin smoked sausage with Scandinavian free jazz, but after Ruby's Barbecue's 20th anniversary bash on November 14, it might not seem like such a stretch. Longtime Austin avant-garde jazz promoter Pedro Moreno and Epistrophy Arts have brought The Thing to the Lone Star State several times over the last several years, and each occasion is, if not momentous, at least a rousing good time. For The Thing – Mats Gustafsson, saxophones (Sweden); Ingebrigt Håker Flaten, contrabass (Norway); Paal Nilssen-Love, drums (Norway) – are far from only providing listeners with heady improv brew. Their long-form suites incorporate not only original high-octane energy improvisation, but also tunes from sources as diverse as Afro-American jazz iconoclasts Albert Ayler and Don Cherry as well as punk/alt rock figures like the Sonics, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Lightning Bolt, PJ Harvey and Cato Salsa Experience (with whom they recorded 2007's Two Bands and a Legend on Smalltown Superjazzz).

Gustafsson has long seemed an heir apparent to German reedman Peter Brötzmann, but he takes a more nuanced approach to full-bore sonic projection, one that has aligned him with experimentalists like Merzbow and Jim O'Rourke. The Thing have frequently brought guests into the proceedings – in addition to the aforementioned CSE, they've also worked with reedman/cornetist Joe McPhee (Poughkeepsie, NY) and Thurston Moore. This performance, however, will focus solely on the trio. In addition to their work as The Thing, all three musicians are busy with their own projects that deserve mention. Gustafsson has recently released two albums on Lithuania's No Business Records – The Vilnius Explosion, with four excellent Lithuanian improvisers, along with solo saxophone disc The Vilnius Implosion. Nilssen-Love's quartet, the Townhouse Orchestra, has also just released a double CD of music on Lisbon's Clean Feed label featuring Håker Flaten, Swedish pianist Sten Sandell and veteran English saxophonist Evan Parker.

This Friday promises to be a performance for the ages, and if you haven't explored the world of Scandinavian free improvisation, The Thing is an excellent place to start. -Clifford Allen

The Thing: [Official] [@ Epistrophy Arts]