Press
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“The more we listen to albums of this caliber, the more selective we become, and we are not alone in thinking that we are witnessing an exceptional instrumentalist.”
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“There are all these little things that are connection points between cultures. I think that’s where music is really powerful: It can get into those spaces and build those connections and open up those spaces.”
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“Quila Quina exists at a delicate point in our collective well-being when the species needs to think long and hard about how to co-exist in and on a world getting smaller and harder.”
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“Quila Quina and Atlas of Sound in general are projects of immense value and speak to the integrity of [Elsa] as an artist.”
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“She intends, with her ‘Atlas of Sound’ series, to capture the essence of a given point in nature, to experience it so deeply that the music she writes there can almost be described as found art.”
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“Nilsson’s music emphasizes interconnectedness – between nature and humanity and between the voice, the word, and her playing. This music acts as an agent to bond, heal, and make the universe a little bigger.”
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“Pulses interrogates freedom in America via free playing and free interpretation of Angelou’s seminal poem. Against a backdrop of political disorientation, Nilsson’s quartet attempts this ambitious project by combining hope with hard work. that spirit is a prerequisite for the change they seek. And this album offers a fresh comment on the path ahead.”
— Matty Bannond New York Jazz Record
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“This music is meant to open us up, like a can of truth, and spill over into the ever-after, onto the rock, and soak into the roots of the tree.”
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"This is (without question) the best spoken-word/jazz album I’ve heard in many, MANY years"
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“With Pulses, the versatile, Brooklyn-based jazz artist Elsa Nilsson shows herself to be as much visionary as flutist.”
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“This a passionate, poetic reflection on America, its problems, its future and the future of humanity as a whole.”
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“The album highlights the subtle melodic development and deep groove in Dr. Maya Angelou’s reading of her poem, “On the Pulse of Morning,” bringing to light the full depth of her sonic and poetic brilliance.”
— Matt Micucci for Jazziz
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“… it’s original, heartfelt, reaching, and it sure isn’t the same old thing.”
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“Pulses follows in the footsteps of these great contemporary works by marrying music and the spoken word in impeccable fashion.”
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Esthesis and Redwoods: “Nilsson is an ever-adventurous player doing her part to further promote flute as a lead instrument in jazz... Her immersion into the settings has resulted in music of quiet grandeur, and the impression produced by the music is of nature speaking through an artist attuned to its spirit.”
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Atlas Of Sound: “It’s as close as you’ll get to being there without actually being there, and it’s yet another intriguing project from Nilsson that touches upon themes of experience, memory, and interconnectedness.” Dave Sumner “
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“...captivate me with their creativity, tempo changes and mood swings.”
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“An excellent starting point for the poetic artist, there’s a nature-esque theme running beneath these tracks.”
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“This latest effort, though, exerts Nilsson’s mercurial skills as a musical marauder with as many interests as skills to deploy her ideas.”
— Dave Cantor, Downbeat Magazine
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“Nilsson’s wary, often raging melodies and relentless gallows humor pack a mighty wallop, speaking truth to power run amok.”
— Delarue, New York Music Daily
