Large Unit is twelve Nordic musicians led by the high-energy phenom drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. Ensemble musical motifs with alternately elegiac, squelchy, and emphatic improvisations are interlocked in a shifting, sonic poetry. It’s a jazz big band if you can agree that the crunchy, tabletop electronics of Lasse Marhaug, an accordion, and two bassists who veer into Post-Punk territory can coexist with the traditions of the Swing. Countenance these elements colliding with your Ellington or Gil Evans or not, this is an exemplar cm5 spectacle.
