MATS/MORGAN BAND
Jimmy ’gren ï Morgan ’gren ï Robert Elovsson ï Mats Oberg ï Tommy Tordsson

Swedish duo Mats/Morgan create their own sphere in the transcontinental music scene, a zone wherein progressive rock, jazz-rock fusion, experimental rock, electronica, and progressive pop overlap and intertwine.

 

 

http://www.jimmyagren.com/ ï http://www.morganagren.com

[SCHACK TATI ]



RUNE 385

Keyboardist Mats Öberg and drummer Morgan Ågren have been playing together for over 30 years, since Mats was 10 and Morgan was 14! They were 'discovered' at a very young age by Frank Zappa, who commented that, 'they played unbelievable, just unbelievable.'

Morgan was voted the #1 best fusion drummer in Modern Drummer magazine's 2010 reader's poll and a full-length documentary on him, entitled 'Morgan Ågren's Conundrum' was released in late 2013.

Schack Tati is their first new studio album since 2005's Thanks For Flying With Us, which has sold over 5,000 copies.

Their music is a very individual and personalized blending of electronica, beats, jazz, rock and complexity.

[schack tati] press release

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RADIO DA DA / THE TEENAGE TAPES



RUNE 362/363

"All of our albums are special because they are personal to me, and the material on Teenage Tapes is personal because it contains some of the first recordings me and Mats did, at all, and it contains the first TV show that we did...so it’s like an old baby, you can say.” – Morgan Ågren

The double set Radio Da Da/The Teenage Tapes compiles Mats/Morgan’s earliest works. This compendium captures Mats/Morgan to some extent in embryonic phases, yet there’s nothing tentative or unfinished about its contents; remember that during this period, these two very young musicians were asked to join Frank Zappa's touring band and we all know what sort of musicianship and musical poise FZ demanded!

The genre-defying breadth of styles, bracing ideas, and high level of musicianship will appeal to fans of experimental rock.

Radio Da Da was Mats and Morgan's third album, originally released in 1998. It finds the duo performing nearly all instruments and vocals,augmented by two extra tracks. The Teenage Tapes, their fourth release, compiled the duo’s earliest works, including home and DIY recordings from as early as 1981, the year they met.

Combining humor and virtuosity, the work of Mats/Morgan takes the listener through melodic landscapes rarely visited by what hipsters perceive as 'avant-garde' and then onto wherever their muse leads them. Their music is a combination of atonalities deriving from the avant-garde, jazz fusion, the soulful grooves of Earth, Wind and Fire, the melodicism of Stevie Wonder and the complexity and humor of Frank Zappa.

Radio Da Da press release

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LIVE



RUNE 337

"...the playing is unbelievable. These guys are top performers and their chops are brilliant....absolutely a must for fans of experimental music and latter day Zappa." – All About Jazz

"Swedish jazz/prog rock outfit Mats Morgan Band owe a lot to the more exploratory flirtations between jazz and rock through the 60's and 70's, especially in John McLaughlin’s Mahavishnu Orchestra, and more significantly Frank Zappa's work...totally ridiculous fun." – The Silent Ballet

Keyboardist/vocalist Mats Öberg and drummer Morgan Ågren have been playing together for over 30 years! They were 'discovered' at a very young age by Frank Zappa and they are musical legends in their native Sweden and beyond, known for their wild and funny musical performances. Live was Mats/Morgan Band's fifth album and the first by the extraordinary expanded lineup of the group (Mats, Eric Carlsson and Robert Elovsson - keyboards, Jimmy Ågren - guitar, Tommy Thordsson - bass and Morgan - drums).

Professionally recorded at Sweden's well-known Club Fasching, they dazzled the audience with their unbelievable chops and musical audacity, taking the music to the next level! They take their influences and blend them up for something that resembles the metrically difficult music of Egg combined with very adventurous jazz/rock and Zappa influences but performed at blinding speed with insanely assured musical authority...and it's a LIVE recording!

If you don't know this group and you only know their reputation, or you have seen all the amazing quotes from other musicians about how great they are, but you didn't know where to get your feet wet, you should definitely start here!

Live press release

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THE MUSIC OR THE MONEY?



RUNE 301/302

The Music or the Money? was the second album by Mats/Morgan, which was originally self-released in 1997 and only available at their shows. The album showcases two different halves to the musician's work; spontaneous playing on compositions and improvisations by the duo with and without additional musicians and as a sort of stylistic counterpoint to that, music that relies on heavily programmed electronic materials, in the vein of Frank Zappa's synclavier works – it remains Mats' favorite album by the group. Both are top drawer players, but their music is not simply a chops-fest of blurred, fast notes - there is a lot of humor and restraint mixed into the virtuosity, which gives them a unique sound. This new edition of The Music or The Money? adds over 45' of unreleased material, all of which features the current version of the Mats/Morgan Band; Mats, Morgan and bassist Gustaf Hielm, who was the bassist of technical metal legends Meshuggah for many years.

"..influenced by Miles Davis, Frank Zappa, the Mahavishnu Orchestra and Earth, Wind & Fire. (They are) tight and precise and seem capable of playing absolutely anything with great gusto...the Mats/Morgan men integrate everything and make it their own." – Audiophile Audition

"Voted the #1 'fusion' drummer in the 2010 Modern Drummer reader's poll: Morgan Agren"

“I am floored by their ability to legitimately execute everything from light jazz to super-human staggered 16th note hell to the most violent Pantera-like ma

The Music or the Money? press release

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TRENDS AND OTHER DISEASES



RUNE 267

Trends and Other Diseases is a reissue of their debut album, recorded from 1993 to 1995 and originally released only in Sweden. This release has been remastered and includes a 15 minute bonus track.

"Trends is our debut CD, and was also the first one we released by ourselves on our own company! It was a great exciting period, cause we had just built our first own studio, (one adat machine and a 24 track Soundcraft board etc). When finally having all the equipment we needed to record, we spent quite some time making this CD. I like the album a lot, it not only reminds me of this exciting period, I like the songs too, and I was also happy with the way the sound came out, especially considering it was the first recording we did by ourselves.
Nice guest acts as well, such as; Fredrik Söhngen on and Gunnar Persson on Oboe and Bassoon, vocalists Dilba, Derek Huntsman, Meshuggah Guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, saxophonist Jonas Knutsson etc.
And, of course the title of the album is great, and quite appropriate, don’t you think?" - Morgan Agren

Trends and Other Diseases press release

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HEAT BEATS LIVE / TOURBOOK 1991-2007



RUNE 265/266

Mats Öberg (keyboards) and Morgan Ågren (drums) have been playing together for over 25 years. They released 6 previous album (as well as assorted side/solo projects) for their own UAE label for a decade before signing with Cuneiform and releasing their very popular "Thanks For Flying With Us" album. Heat Beats is an excellently recorded live album (except for the applause you would never know it was a live recording) which covers two years of work, featuring Mats and Morgan alone, together and with up to 3 additional musicians. The music is their modern blend of composition, improvisation, complexity and hypnotic beats, as well as their sense of humor. Also included in this package is a second disc, which is Morgan Agren's long worked upon and anticipated DVD release, both with Mats and with other musicians as well.

"This DVD contains various recordings made during a 16 year span, including live and studio recordings featuring many of my favorite musicians, plus lots of solo drums. I am happy that all of this material is recorded at all. It would have been a waste to set my hair on fire without being able to see it after..." - Morgan Agren

"...a fusion-ish instrumental band of almost impossible virtuosity and a palpable sense of fun." – Expose

"Morgan is quite simply one of the most interesting and exciting drummers I've ever heard. Rhythmically advanced and musical too. A rare combination of modern and classic." – Gavin Harrison, Porcupine Tree

Heat Beats press release

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THANKS FOR FLYING WITH US



RUNE 215

Mats Oberg (keyboards) and Morgan Agren (drums) first began playing together 35 years ago (!!) when Mats was 11 and Morgan was 15. Originally very influenced by Frank Zappa, they actually played with Zappa in 1988, but while some of the Zappa influence remains, they have long since found their own voices. In the mid 90's, they began releasing CDs on Morgan's UAE label, eventually forming a stable band, which has been amazing audiences in Europe and the USA since 2001, and which consists of Mats and Robert Elovsson-keyboards, Jimmy Agren-guitar, Tommy Thordsson-bass and Morgan-drums. All players with superb playing ability, the quintet plays as a well-honed, cohesive unit, with more developed compositions than in earlier works, showing the band arriving at its own voice in progressive jazz/rock, with a modern-sounding blend of complexity, composition, chops and beats. Thanks For Flying With Us is their seventh album, their first release outside of Sweden and their first studio work since 1997. This is a great album by an absolutely monster band who await the world's discovery!

"They played unbelievable, just unbelievable." – Frank Zappa

"Remarkable technical expertise and playing skills" – Bill Bruford

"Absolutely unbelievable, they drove me right out of my mind, it was so good. Buy their albums." – Mike Keneally

Thanks for Flying with Us press release

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MEDIA
For press and media: cover art and high resolution images are available below for download (click thumbnail, right-click image and select "Save As.."). Please credit the photographer (when available) and "Courtesy of Cuneiform Records". For more information, click here.

Schack Tati
Radio Da Da/The Teenage Tapes
Live
The Music or the Money?
Thanks for Flying with Us
Scroll for more photos and art from other albums

PRESS RELEASES
[schack tati] press release
Radio Da Da press release
Live press release
Live press quotes
The Music or the Money? press release
The Music or the Money? press quotes
Trends and Other Diseases press release
Heat Beats press release
Heat Beats press quotes
Thanks for Flying with Us press release
Thanks for Flying with Us press quotes

CUNEIFORM E-BLASTS
12/21/13: Cuneiform Year in Review: 2013
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