Norwegian bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten revives two projects from his Chicago days

Ingebrigt Håker Flaten Credit: Juliane Schütz One measure of a musician is the caliber of the artists who play with them. Norwegian bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten has played with grand masters of free jazz and improvised music, including Alexander von Schlippenbach, Joe McPhee, and David Murray, and he’s sustained lengthy relationships with peers such as Dave Rempis, Rodrigo Amado, Rob Mazurek, and Mats Gustafsson. Ascending stars—among them Signe Emmeluth, Marta Warelis, and Amalie Dahl—want him in their bands when they aren’t playing in his. In every setting, Håker Flaten provides a fleet pulse, pile-driver force, and graceful abstraction, whether he’s playing acoustic or electric bass. These qualities bring out the best in his collaborators. When Håker Flaten first emerged in his home country in the 1990s, his calling card was his versatility. He proved equally persuasive playing mainstream, avant-garde, fusion, and acid jazz, and he can still excel in pretty much any setting.

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