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Devotional and Experimental Jazz with a Norwegian Accent

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Avant-garde jazz has almost always had its sacramental side. There’s a reason for the devotion that some listeners bring to the mid-1960s music of John Coltrane, or to the output of his fellow saxophonist Albert Ayler. The spirituality in these performances wasn’t subtext or suggestion; it radiated out from a fervent core.

Ingebrigt Haker Flaten, an astute Norwegian bassist, has experience with the fiery side of free improvisation: he’s among the most prolific figures on the European experimental scene. His own music hasn’t often reflected clear spiritual concerns. But it did, to resounding effect, during the strikingly different duo sets he played on Friday night, at Monkey Town in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the 5C Cafe in the East Village.

The catalyst for this expression was “Elise” (Compunctio), a gemlike album released in Europe last year. Named after Mr. Flaten’s grandmother, it consists mainly of hymns from Norway’s populist Christian revival in the 19th century. These were the songs that Elise Flaten learned and sang, and Mr. Flaten, together with the imposingly proficient saxophonist Hakon Kornstad, treats them like valuable but usable heirlooms. (Now available through iTunes, the album can also be streamed free at kornstad.com.)

Mr. Flaten and Mr. Kornstad were just as respectful with this material at Monkey Town, performing with virtually no amplification. A song called “For Himmerigs Land Maa Man Kjempe” moved from a bowed-bass invocation to a mournful, slow-moving melody, played with depth and presence by both players; it wasn’t a far cry from certain Ayler recordings. “Paa Hinside Orken,” which came next, was more introspective, heeding a strong tonal center; it called Coltrane’s “Alabama” to mind.

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