Biography
Ingebrigt Håker Flaten is a Norwegian double and electric bassist whose career has made him one of the most important connectors between the Scandinavian free jazz tradition and the Chicago improvised music community. Born in Norway and having lived and worked extensively in Chicago, Håker Flaten occupies a uniquely transatlantic position — a musician who carries the influence of both scenes in his playing and who has spent decades building the collaborative relationships that allow these two worlds to interact.
His bass playing is characterized by a physical directness and rhythmic authority that immediately establishes the character of any ensemble he plays in. Håker Flaten does not support from below — he participates from the center, his bass functioning as a primary voice capable of carrying melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic information simultaneously. This approach, rooted in the free jazz tradition of Charles Mingus and William Parker, has made him one of the most sought-after collaborators in the global improvisation scene.
As a founding member of The Thing — the power trio with Mats Gustafsson and Paal Nilssen-Love that has been one of the defining ensembles of the past two decades of international free jazz — Håker Flaten helped create a group that consistently pushes the boundaries of what a small ensemble can do. The Thing’s catalog ranges from intense collective improvisation to radical reinterpretations of pop and rock music, always with the same commitment to maximum energy and zero compromise.
He founded Sonic Transmission Records to document his own work — duo recordings with Paal Nilssen-Love, Dave Rempis, Ken Vandermark, and Joe Morris, as well as larger ensemble projects — on his own terms, connecting the label to the Catalytic Sound cooperative’s broader infrastructure. The label represents the transatlantic dimension of the cooperative: a Norwegian musician who has made Chicago his second home, releasing music that belongs to both scenes simultaneously.
Håker Flaten’s career demonstrates what sustained commitment to the practice of free improvisation looks like over three decades: a constantly expanding network of collaborative relationships, a constantly growing discography, and a playing that continues to develop without losing the essential qualities that have always made it distinctive.
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![MOT [CAA-009]](https://catalyticsound.com/wp-content/uploads/mot-300x300.jpeg)
