Lisa Ullén — Heirloom (Fönstret)

Photo by Märta Thisner

Heirlooms are cherished objects. They might be pricy, or they might simply accumulate sentimental value as they pass from one generation to the next. But what counts as an heirloom when your lineage is lost to you? On the sleeve of Lisa Ullén’s Heirloom is a photograph of the box of belongings she brought from South Korea to Sweden in 1968, when she was adopted, a few months shy of four years old.

As one looks at the sleeve, the questions pile up. What was in the box? Does she still have its contents? What did she cherish as she transitioned from one home to another, one culture to another, one climate to another? Did her early experiences impel her towards a life in creative music? Heirloom is a solo piano recording, so it never comes out and tells the listener the answer to any of these questions. The album, her first vinyl release after eighteen years of CDs, doesn’t address those questions head on. But the music was conceived with existential and experiential questions in mind.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Ullén studied classical piano at the Royal Musical Academy of Stockholm. By the end of the 1990s she had left classical repertoire behind in favor of various improvisational approaches, but to this day one can still hear the precise touch of classical technique in her playing. Spaces in between, containing multiple states, expression using multiple modalities at once, that’s what this music is about. It was recorded during a sequence of lunchtime concerts held at Fylkingen, a venue which hosts jazz, experimental, and new composed music performances in Stockholm. The same three pieces appear on both sides, separated by vinyl and time; side A is from June 6 and side B from June 8, 2023. Perhaps the choice to skip the middle day accentuated the changes in her approach? While the melodic progress, harmonic structure, and sound content of each pieces is roughly the same in either performance, but the pacing and attack, as well as the situation of the piano’s preparations, varies.

The differences between each performance suggest that even when structures are well established, outcomes are not. Ullén damps strings to change their pitch and timbre, and also uses an e-bow to more dramatically transform the instrument’s sound, which drastically transforms the piano’s sound. I couldn’t tell you how she does it, but Ullén’s e-bow sets in motion vibrations that sound so distorted and fuzzy the piano sounds more like what Link Wray got by poking pencils in his guitar’s amp’s speaker cone than what John Cage got by preparing his piano with hardware. It’s easy to get hung up on the novelty of Ullén’s sounds, which impart a visceral thrill that’s likely to keep you coming back to them. But as one spends time with them, the existential dimension of how they’re played looms larger. This is music is formed and reformed by the choices Ullén makes as she orchestrates and reorders begrimed rumbles and pristine notes into an ongoing report about her relationship to the piano, sound and the process by which she makes both communicate her place in the world. By encoding this process by which she lives her life, Heirloom earns its name.

Bill Meyer

So, anyway. I didn't technically close up shop here until June. I had already listened to so many records by then. It would be a shame not to drop (at least) one more year end list. The funny thing is that I have listened to more records this year than I have in recent years. All told, I ended up listening to around 125 new releases this year. I kept pretty detailed notes about most of them. I could have easily turned that into reviews or content. I would have stopped listening to new records had I done that though. Turning my enjoyment of music into a thing was a mistake. Anyway. Here is the list. It's 40 records. A good amount of these are jazz. Just be aware. If you're looking for dope punk rock records, this probably won't be the list for you.

In alphabetical(ish) order:

Alice Sandahl - "Bright & Blue"

Alison Shearer - "View From Above"

Alvvays - "Blue Rev"

Angel Olsen - "Big Time"

Anthony Coleman & Brian Chase - "Arcades"

Barrie - "Barbara"

The Beths - "Expert In A Dying Field"

The Bogie Band & Joe Russo - "The Prophets In The City"

Camilla George - "Ibio-Ibio"

Chicago Soul Jazz Collective - "On The Way To Be Free"

Dave Gisler Trio - "See You Out There"

David Hillyard & The Rocksteady 7 - "Plague Doctor"

Georgia Harmer - "Stay In Touch

High Alpine Hut Network - "727 / 16 EP"

Jeanines - "Don’t Wait For A Sign"

Jobber - "Hell In A Cell EP"

Julieta Eugenio - "Jump"

Kate Bollinger - "Look At It In The Light"

Kit Downes, Petter Eldh, James Maddren - "Vermillion"

Kristine Leschper - "The Opening, Or Closing Of A Door"

Lisa Ullén, Elsa Bergman, & Anna Lund - "Space"

Little Low - "Reasons To Grow"

Lupe Fiasco - "Drill Music In Zion"

Marta Sanchez - "SAAM (Spanish American Art Museum)"

Mary Halvorson - "Amaryllis" / "Belladonna"

Melissa Aldana - "12 Stars"

Nectar - "No Shadow"

The New York Second - "Music At Night"

ORD - "Hemligheter På Vägen"

Otoboke Beaver - "Super Champon"

Perennial - "In The Midnight Hours"

Potsa Lotsa XL & Youjin Sung - "Gaya"

Quelle Chris - "Deathfame"

R.A.P. Ferreira - "5 To The Eye With Stars"

Renata Zeiguer - "Picnic In The Dark"

Tender Slit - "Tender Slit"

Tomberlin - "I Don't Know Who Needs To Hear This..."

Walking Cliché Sextet - "Micro-Nap"

Westbound Train - "Dedication"

Widowspeak - "The Jacket"

I've included that Spotify playlist. It has stuff from most of these records, and some other stuff. Maybe I'll throw something up in 2023? Who knows. It's what it's

no question this week- wlur airs the four hours of no love for ned at 8pm tonight! new show followed by last week's show at 10pm, shown below and streaming at your convenience!

no love for ned on wlur – august 5th, 2022 from 8-10pm

artist // track // album // label the beach boys // you're so good to me // summer days (and summer nights!!) // capitol ducks limited featuring jane inc. // in between days // in between days digital single // carpark cat apostrophe // broken // lifelong amateurism // everything sucks les salvatges // penjar la guitarra // el caliu i la cendra // discos pinya the web of lies // crossed arms // nude with demon // wrong speed the jim carroll band // tension // earl’s closet: the lost archive of earl mcgrath, 1970-1980 compilation // light in the attic the rubs // i don't wanna wait // dust // hozac cupid and the stupids // what a way to die // ninety-nine ways to fix a broken heart cassette // spared flesh today's hits // the sun's 4 you // twenty something teenager // canata color green // ill fitting suit // color green // org music hiss golden messenger // mama tried // wise eyes- live at the neptune in seattle on february 25th, 2022 // merge the a's // swing and turn jubilee // fruit // psychic hotline wild up // joy boy // julius eastman, volume two- joy boy // new amsterdam cc5 // give the drummer some // algo por toda la familia // studio kvastis yusef lateef // 1984 // 1984 // impulse! lisa ullén and anna högberg // step up a second (excerpt) // step up a second // disorder iceberg // harland wolff blues // final thaw // astral spirits moor mother featuring black quantum futurism and mary lattimore // umzansi // jazz codes // anti smino featuring bari, jean deaux and noname // krash kourse // blkswn // downtown sharada shashidhar // messages // rahu cassette // leaving slauson malone // smile #6 (see page 198 and 158) // vergangenheitsbewältigung (crater speak) // grand closing steve lacy // helmet // gemini rights // rca superorganism // crushed.zip // world wide pop // domino beabadoobee // see you soon // beatopia // dirty hit the happy somethings // forward now // lollipop licks ep // (self-released) hobby farm // sandpit // braeside // osborne again the reds, pinks and purples // i heard your voice // finding a ghost in your bed ep // slumberland

Lisa Ullén, Korea (based in Sweden)

http://lisaullen.com

Listen/purchase: Crystalline by Arrias-Davies-Ullén

Fri Form #59 – Dokkhuset

Lisa Ullén – piano, Nina de Heney – kontrabass

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2020-02-10 Lisa Ullén // Nina de Heney – Fri Form #59, Dokkhuset Fri Form #59 - Dokkhuset Lisa Ullén - piano, Nina de Heney - kontrabass

Välkommen till Vännernas Jazzfest på Fasching 19/10

Lördag 19/10 kl 20:00 (dörrar 18:00). James Brandon Lewis/Lisa Ullén (Jazzfestivalens finalkväll på Fasching). Pris för entré och kvällens Good Bait 367:50. 

En av jazzens mest visionära saxofonister idag delar kväll med Lisa Ullén - en av Sveriges mest etablerade pianister inom impro och frijazz. James Brandon Lewis är en mångfacetterad saxofonist som på senaste albumet An UnRuly Manifesto blåser liv i förebilder som Ornette Coleman och Charlie Haden men kombinerar det med en stor dos egensinne och ett nutida sound. Jaimie Branch trumpet, James Brandon Lewis tenorsaxofon, Ave Mendoza elgitarr, Luke Stewart elbas, Warren Trae Crudup III trummor. 

Lisa Ullén är en centralfigur inom svensk frijazz i dag – och ett etablerat namn internationellt. Hon spelar distinkt och kompromisslöst och kommer att bjuda James Brandon Lewis på adekvat motstånd. Lisa Ullén piano/komp, Susana Santos Silva trumpet, Dieb 13 turntables, Erik Carlsson trummor. För anmälan - läs mer under fliken “Aktiviteter” i menyn till höger.

Fredagen den 11 okt och 10 dagar framåt fylls hela Stockholm med JAZZ på 50 scener och med 174 programpunkter.

”Även i år blir det 10 intensiva festivaldagar i mitten av oktober, fyllda till brädden med traditionell jazz, innovativ jazz och totalt nyskapande jazz. I vanligt ordning går det också att lyssna på funk, R&B, house, drum´n´bass och en rad andra musikgenrer - som på ett eller annat sätt har jazzen att tack för sin existens. Det blir konserter, filmvisningar, releasespelningar, öppna jazzsessioner och föredrag. Bland annat. Mycket nöje med att hitta din väg genom programmet - och varmt välkommen till Stockholm Jazz Festival 2019” säger Eric Birath Festivalchef.

Nu gör vi lyssnare våra val - så svårt! Men, det är bråttom att köpa biljetter, många konserter är utsålda sedan länge!  Läs allt om jazzfesten på www.stockholmjazz.se. 25 % rabatt för Faschings Vänner gäller även under Jazzfestivalen på Fasching! Lördagskvällen är en vänkväll - anmäl dig snarast möjligt, först till kvarn gäller!

Himeran Kevätkimara #1: Johan Arrias (SE)

Himeran Kevätkimara #1 TO 23.5. / THU 23 MAY 19.00 / 7 pm Ilmainen sisäänpääsy / Free admission! Johan Arrias (SE) - saksofoni, klarinetti Topias Tiheäsalo - kitara Jaakko Tolvi - perkussiot (Info in English further below) Himeran Kevätkimaran ensimmäinen konsertti soi Titanik-gallerialla torstaina 23. toukokuuta! Ruotsista Turkuun saapuu saksofonisti ja klarinetisti Johan Arrias, joka esiintyy aluksi yksin ja sen jälkeen triona yhdessä Topias Tiheäsalon (kitara) ja Jaakko Tolvin (perkussiot) kanssa. Johan Arrias toimii laajasti improvisoidun ja kokeellisen musiikin kentällä. Hän on kiinnostunut äänestä itsenäisenä aineksena – jonain sellaisena, jota voi mieluusti etsiä soitinten perinteisten käyttötapojen ulkopuoleltakin. Arrias soittaa ja säveltää, kuratoi KROCH-konserttisarjaa ja on myös mukana Tukholman Fylkingen-konserttipaikan toiminnassa. Hän pyörittää omaa Ausculto Fonogram -levymerkkiään ja on tehnyt runsaasti kansainvälistä yhteistyötä soittajien kanssa, jotka liikkuvat uuden improvisoidun musiikin ja kokeellisen sävellyksen rajapinnoilla. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Himera Spring Break #1 at the Titanik Gallery on Thursday 23 May! Swedish saxophonist and clarinetist Johann Arrias will play both a solo set and a trio set together with Topias Tiheäsalo (guitar) and Jaakko Tolvi (percussion). Johan Arrias is a saxophone and clarinet player active in the field of improvised, experimental and contemporary music. He works with deconstructing and fragmenting the traditional ways of playing his instrument with extended techniques and preparation, regarding sound as an autonomous matter. When composing music he moves freely from traditional to graphic notation and concepts. He organizes concerts within the series KROCH and runs the label Ausculto Fonogram. He is also a member of Fylkingen and former member of the board of FRIM. From 2005 he is based in Stockholm and collaborates with musicians such as Tisha Mukarji, Angharad Davies, Tetuzi Akiyama, Axel Dörner, Derek Shirley, Kai Fagaschinski, Lucio Capece, Audrey Chen, Anna Lindal, David Stackenäs, Christer Bothén, Nina de Heney, Jonatan Liljedahl, Lisa Ullén, Henrik Olsson, Emil Strandberg and more. He has toured Sweden, Norway, South Africa, USA, Poland, UK, Germany, Romania and released records on labels such as MonotypeRec, Headspin Recordings, Crazy Wisdom, Jahr null Aufnahmen and his own ausculto fonogram. He holds an MFA in music received in 2001 at The Academy of Music and Drama, University of Gothenburg.

The Singular Vision of Swedish Pianist Lisa Ullén

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By Eyal Hareuveni Swedish pianist Lisa Ullén is a free spirit and a versatile composer-improviser with a singular vision. Some of her recent collaborations include one with long-time collaborator, double bass master Nina de Heney and another in a the trio with reeds player Johan Arrias and violinist Angharad Davies, both demonstrate, again, her unique vision. Lisa Ullén…

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Lisa Ullén / Elsa Bergman / Anna Lund — Space (Relative Pitch)

Space by Ullén/Bergman/Lund Trio

Some record labels come at you with a look, or a sound, or a scene to push; Relative Pitch brings a mission. The New York-based imprint, which has a release schedule packed enough to make Clean Feed and Astral Spirits nervous, reaches past its locale to point out artists that you might miss. 

Take this trio, for example. Swedish improvisers Lisa Ullén, Elsa Bergman and Anna Lund can’t exactly be called newcomers. Ullén has been playing piano in improvisational and theatrical settings since the 1990s, and making records since 2006. Bassist Bergman and drummer Lund have each been on the scene for several years, and all three of them can be heard together in Anna Högberg’s Attack! But to know all that, it would really help to be in Stockholm, or at least Scandinavia. Space is not only their first album as a trio, but a rare occasion for any of them to be on a record released in the USA.

Their sound is steeped in a half century of harmonically mindful but free-flowing jazz, reaching back to Paul Bley’s sides for E.S.P. The musicians don’t jockey for solo space. Each woman seems to be thinking about how to contribute to the group’s music, either by putting a supportive shoulder behind another’s efforts, or finding a contrasting accent that makes things more vivid. And while Ullén occasionally mutes a string, there’s otherwise not a lot of extended technique in the trio’s music. The pianist’s melodies seem to arise out of a layers of rhythm, either her own or her partners’. Lund’s cymbals are like steam, hot and propulsive, and Bergman’s fleet plucking manages to work at an angle to the piano’s linear flow, taking the long way around, and yet manages to head it off at the pass. Propulsive and varied, the ensemble has a sound all its own.   

Bill Meyer

Lisa Ullén – Catachresis (2011) awesome jazz 2011 Nuscope Lisa Ullén piano 1. Gulmijulin 3:20 2. Low Voice I 4:28 3. Mine 7:48 4. Periphrasis-GOLD 9:20 5. Fringe 0:54 6. Dig 2:50 7. Granite 1:49 8. Fringe II 2:18 9. Low Voice II 6:14 10. Adagio-GOLD 4:52 11. Talking To Carla 4:10 12. Nol-I 2:39 13. Granite II 2:43 ▼

just want to remind you that we've got a new time slot, wednesdays 4-6pm for the forseeable future. i'm finally getting into the swing proper with it after a couple weeks of major home/work adjustment. i really would have liked to do an april fools show last week but wlur at least aired a couple of my old ones from a few years back in my slot!

the last show is below and i guess it wraps up our winter theme celebrating misra records. this semester we started the show off with misra releases by destroyer, summer hymns, hallelujah the hills, jenny toomey, the mendoza line, palomar, st. thomas, marshmallow coast, the bruces, centro-matic, phosphorescent, and shearwater.

ps- one last reminder that most of the misra catalog is 'pay what you want' on bandcamp.

no love for ned on wlur – march 25th, 2020 from 4-6pm

artist // track // album // label shearwater // hail, mary // palo santo // misra stephen malkmus // the greatest own in legal history // traditional techniques // matador * bonny doon // long wave // blue stage sessions // third man down time // not a complicated person // hurts being alive // (self-released) * bitch prefect // wildlife // the ghost cassette // eternal soundcheck porridge radio // born confused // every bad // secretly canadian * latitude // dead end fantasy // typical girls, volume five // emotional response the cool greenhouse // the sticks // the cool greenhouse // melodic the stooges // real cool time // the stooges // elektra the worms // everything in order // everything in order cassette // negative space the yeasties // fall and rewind // dum dum rock cassette // fish proud scum // i am a rabbit // ak•79 compilation // flying nun david nance group // ham sandwich // peaced and slightly pulverized // trouble in mind skiftande enheter // min hand i din // snubblar genom drömmar // appetite wooden wand // nothing hides // some archives 1995-2010 // (self-released) simon joyner and the ghosts trio // insomnia // some only let the jukebox hear them weep- live in phoenix 2014 // (self-released) delphine dora and sophie cooper // stillness and movement // think away // was ist das? lisa ullén // step // piano works // disorder collocutor // deep peace // continuation // on the corner noël mcghie and space spies // dancer // trapeze // superfly juma sultan's aboriginal music society // darn my socks // whispers from the archive // porter slave // watching you // stone jam // cotillion swamp dogg // good, better, best // sorry you couldn't make it // joyful noise * the miracles featuring marvin gaye // i wanna be with you // renaissance // motown u.s. girls // 4 american dollars // heavy light // 4ad * shura featuring ivy sole // elevator girl // elevator girl digital single // secretly canadian the corsican // love at first sight // fever believer 7" // chunklet industries the motorcycle boy // the world falls into place // scarlet // forgotten astronaut honey cutt // vacation // coasting // kanine * petite league // sun dogs // rips one into the night // the native sound jeanines // been in the dark // things change 7" ep // where it's at is where you are pre nup // air quotes // wrong your 7" ep // kingfisher bluez

* denotes music on wlur’s playlist

we're locked in for 3pm on wlur today. tune in or catch up with last week's show below!

no love for ned on wlur – june 19th, 2019 from 3-5pm

artist // track // album // label blur // parklife // parklife // food peter perrett // heavenly day // humanworld // domino * worm cafe // edge of empathy // worm cafe cassette // tenth court rat queen // scene/seen // worthless cassette // den tapes child's pose // ccmmd // feral 7" // nervous energy low culture // hard to stay // hard to stay 7" // la-ti-da amyl and the sniffers // control // amyl and the sniffers // ato * froth // laurel // duress // wichita * thee mightees // shalalala man // glimmer cassette // fuzzkill the backstabbers // 2002 // shame cassette // hidiotic julia shapiro // parking lot // perfect version // hardly art * dinah brand // other heads // thank you driver // transduction claire cronin // what the night is thinking // big dread moon // orindal simon joyner // no train to stockholm // low fidelities and infidelities (demos/covers/collaborations) // grapefruit house and land // carolina lady // across the field // thrill jockey roméo poirier // atsipades // plage arrière // kit park jiha // on water // philos // glitterbeat medline // chanson d'un jour d'hiver // solstice // my bags john hicks // yemenja // hells bells // strata-east lisa ullén // the place // piano works // disorder shahbaz hussain and helen anahita wilson // merkaba-la // diwan // golden girl seba kaapstad // africa // thina // mello music group alice clark // charms of the arms of love // alice clark // we want sounds four tops // (it would almost) drive me out of my mind // the complete abc/dunhill singles // real gone kay young // desires on fire // actually // (self-released) bedouine // matters of the heart // bird songs of a killjoy // spacebomb * vanishing twin // magician's success // the age of immunology // fire keel her // empathy // with kindness // o genesis cool sounds // around and around // (bandcamp mp3) // hotel motel hierophants // citizen // spitting out moonlight // anti fade gary olson // the old twin // the old twin 7" // kleine untergrund schallplatten jeanines // wake up // jeanines // slumberland nicole yun // supernatural babe // paper suit // kanine

* denotes music on wlur’s playlist

we just kicked off this week's show on wlur a few minutes ago. tune in or check out last week's show below!

no love for ned on wlur - january 11th, 2017 from 5-7pm

artist // track // album // label

terry allen // honeymoon in cortez // juarez // paradise of bachelors bruce langhorne // riding thru the rain // the hired hand soundtrack // scissor tail amadou binta konté and tidiane thiam // kayraba // waande kadde lp // sahel sounds meic stevens // factory girl // ghost town lp // tenth planet stanley brinks and the old time kaniks // for you // vielles caniques et nouvelles caniques 2xlp // fika frida hyvönen // came a storm // music from the dance performance pudel // licking fingers benoit pioulard // layette // the benoit pioulard listening matter // kranky the pits // snakes and ladders // pits for premiers // late-century modern neutral shirt // alone today // 2016 cassette // lost sound tapes the molochs // no control // america's velvet glory // innovative leisure * the crystal furs // summer's over // s/t // (self-released) atlantic thrills // treat my baby // vices // almost ready smudge // pulp // this smudge is true // half a cow shepherds // moment // moment 7" // chunklet charles f. moothart // homegrown paranoia // homegrown paranoia 7" // in the red sheer mag // point breeze // sheer mag lp // wilsun recording company kleenex // nice // kleenex/liliput, first songs 2xlp // kill rock stars premature burial // bodiless screams // the conjuring // new atlantis lisa ullén quartet // your dreams, or mine // borderlands // disorder theodore cale schafer // duet // debt/duet cassette // holy page mary halvorson and noël akchoté // pline // s/t // firehouse twelve jeff parker // slight freedom // slight freedom lp // eremite eli keszler // no iodine, no breeze // last signs of speed 2xlp // empty editions john bender // 31a4 // i don't remember now/i don't want to talk about it lp // superior viaduct post industrial noise // cota city salsa // the official post industrial noise anthology // medical lambchop // in care of 8675309 // flotus // merge *

* denotes music on wlur’s playlist