Saxophonist Mats Gustafsson is notorious for his prolific nature and constantly expanding circle of collaborators, but few of his partnerships have been as powerful and profound as GUSH, the Swedish trio which formed way back in 1988 and celebrates its 36th anniversary in 2024.

The performance here was captured live at the famous Stockholm jazz venue Fasching on December 17, 1998, and the music excited all three musicians when they revisited it lately.

Viennese guitarist Martin Siewert mastered the recording for maximum punch. The clarity and depth are remarkable, but ultimately it's the performance itself that's most astonishing.

The album is named for the Mongo Santamaria tune, which John Coltrane famously made his own, and the 19-minute account GUSH offers captures its own bold transformation of the piece.

That performance is preceded by the two-part theme "Behind the Chords," a thrilling free jazz workout that sets the tone for "Afro Blue." GUSH was obviously on fire this evening, pushing aside some of its conceptual interests for an unexpurgated leap into the free jazz inferno.

and we have now the oppurtunity to listen to the beauty, originality, and passion of this magical performance.

GUSH has always been many things, and on Afro Blue we're lucky to revisit one side of that totality.