Peeping Tom: Boperation (Umlaut Records, 2013) ****

By Martin Schray
                                   
In their constant effort to work and develop the music of bebop pianists Peeping Tom feature the music of Herbie Nichols on their new album, a man whose influence has been underestimated for a long time. Being a classic musical outsider in the bebop world of the 1950s he tried to combine traditional and modernist aspects in his compositions and could therefore be compared with Thelonious Monk.

Peeping Tom's idea is to bring these dynamic and energetic forgotten bebop gems back to light by re-modeling them and take them on an even more abstract journey by stripping these harmonically rich but also concise compositions to the bones. One simple reason Peeping Tom, which is Axel Dörner (tp), Pierre-Antoine Badaroux (sax), Antonin Gerbal (dr) and Joel Grip (b), have to do this is the lack of a piano in their line-up, which is why a different approach as to harmonics becomes necessary. Nichols’ most obvious stylistic devices are the break and the call and response scheme and this group extends them to a new limit. Especially Dörner and Badaroux introduce the melodic themes just to let them drop and pick them up again, the whole band stops and starts almost arbitrarily (although it is intentional, of course). A good example is “Cromagnon Nights”, a track Nichols wrote when he was wondering how a Neanderthal would spend his Saturday night. The band presents the theme in rhythmically accentuated unison staccatos before they seem to fall apart in a long, almost free collective improvisation until two harsh breaks make them come back to the original theme again. It is the most interesting aspect about this band that they try to combine bebop riffs with free jazz and intellectual sound exploration.

At the festival météo in Mulhouse last year there was a magic moment in Peeping Tom’s set: While the band was playing a rainstorm started outside and heavy drops were falling on the roof-lights so that it was really audible especially during the breaks of their music which had an effect like listening to an old scratched LP. The musicians were puzzled first but then they enjoyed it and even seemed to enlarge the breaks being aware of the fact that a special element was added to their vintage approach at that moment. Peeping Tom is knee deep into Nichols’ highly emotional world, in his torn phrases and complicated chord substitutions. Obviously great fun for both band and listeners.

Watch a short clip about the band here:

Can be purchased from the website: http://www.umlautrecords.com

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Brigantin: La Fièvre De L’Indépendance (Disques Bloc Thyristors, 2013) ****

By Martin Schray
                             
When Miles Davis recorded the soundtrack for Louis Malle’s nouvelle vague classic Ascenseur Pour L’Échafaud his group improvised almost freely (Davis just predefined some chords and the tempo) while watching the film sequences simultaneously, then a revolutionary approach.

This album here works the other way round, it is freely improvised as well and the titles refer to Werner Herzog’s seminal auteur film “Aguirre – The Wrath of God”, a fable about imperialism and hubris starring the megalomaniac but brilliant German actor Klaus Kinski. The names of the tracks were added later but nevertheless the music works as a soundtrack as well.
 
Brigantin is the working title for another meeting organized by Jean-Noël Cognard for Bloc Thyristors. With Johannes Bauer (tb), Conny Bauer (tb), Barry Guy (b) and himself on drums Cognard got some of the best European free improvisation musicians and the result is European old school free jazz at its best. The Bauer brothers are simply great instrumentalists, absolute masters on the trombone, who are able to play the weirdest scales and riffs. In combination with Barry Guy, the godfather of British free jazz bassists, and Jean-Noël Cognard’s drumming, which is obviously influenced by Paul Lovens and Paul Lytton, this is a perfect match.
 
Structurally the album is framed by three quartets, the other six build the backbone of it and, being surrounded by solos, duos and trios, they are the musical and compositional highlights. The first two, “Esclandres et troubles” and “Haut-Fonds”, symbolize the riots and troubles and the shallow water the expedition has to deal with, while the final track “Répandues à profusion” is held together by Conny Bauer’s trombone riffs so that the others can improvise freely. It is indeed a widespread profusion of notes and sounds, but it is not idyllic, it is a hostile nature where man is lost (in the last and most famous scene Aguirre/Kinski is the only survivor on his raft explaining his conquest plans to a bunch of squirrel monkeys). The album is full of a variety of dark sounds: honking, gurgling, cawing, panting - it is the soundtrack for a doomed mission.

  Other favorites are “Tractations”, a splendid trombone duet by the Bauer brothers, who seem to be wrestling playfully with each other as they might have done in their childhood days (one of the more blitheful moments on this album), and the Barry Guy/Jean-Noël Cognard duo “Les bateaux se disloquèrent”, a torrent of flageolets, wild bass runs, sawing and sophisticated drumming including extended material, where you can literally feel the panic of the expedition in the film when their boats were swept away by the floods.
 
These three LPs come as a limited edition of 300 copies, two LPs in yellow and one in clear transparent vinyl. The music was recorded in 2012, studio and live, and the album includes a series of photos from Philippe Renaud. 

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Martin/Lozano/Lewis/Wiens/Duncan - At Canterbury (Barnyard, 2013) ****½

By Philip Coombs

Thanks to a suggestion from a devout reader on the comments section of my Canadian Round Up review, I was led to this recording from another Canadian group by snooping around for the groups on the Barnyard web site. I must admit, I would have entirely missed this if it wasn't for his ear to the ground back home. Could have been one of my biggest mistakes of the year.

First of all I will address my elephant in the room. I have never been a fan of vocal jazz. Why don't I like it? Is it the one sound that humans make that is the most human? Is it because the lyrical is the most literal? Is it because all attention is shifted to the voice once it starts?

Christine Duncan provides the vocal on At Canterbury and it is a cross between a soprano saxophone, film ambiance, an angry cat, and an aboriginal field recording. And it works. As much of a force as she is, she doesn't dominate or draw attention away from the great moments the rest of the group provides. On "Throwing Light", she cleverly uses the theremin to further blur the lines between voice and technology and my preconceived notions by adding a eerie sci-fi counterpoint to her growl.

Rainer Wiens (guitar and mbira) has a long history of composition and admiration for world music and intrinsically contributes to Duncan's drama. This is best exemplified on the track "Corollary" where his mbira is the main focus. One of its keys has a nasty buzz. The buzz returns often, and over time, I was happily expecting it more than being annoyed by it. It became an instrument within an instrument.
Jean Martin (drums and percussion) is all about the power of choice. Half of the time, he let's things sit in their place adding just enough clever to propel the track and leaving the need to engage to others. The half of the time he turns it up with a military beat that shows his skill on the snare as he plays with power and nuance at the same time. He has also been tasked with the job of keeping the other half of this group together with the first half.

The second half, comprised of Jim Lewis (trumpet and flugelhorn) and Frank Lozano, (tenor and soprano saxophone) make their own mark in various different ways throughout by keeping their improv and free jazz sensibilities in the forefront despite the rest of the group's complexity. On "Patience Game", they trade long singular lines that leads into a wonderful conversation as Martin drums up a storm behind them. They will not be overshadowed even as they get to the outer reaches of there respective registers or when Duncan adds another layer of bandwidth pushing them to break away and explore on their own.

Can be purchased from the label or downloaded from emusic.

This is a recording to be savored as the gifts here keep giving as my ears keep smiling.

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William Hooker Quintet: Channels of Consciousness (NoBusiness, 2012) **** ½

By Martin Schray

In some of my reviews I have mentioned that I come from an alternative rock background and therefore I am a late bloomer as to free jazz, although I have been interested in this music for a very long time. Lately it has become more and more boring for me to listen to country, folk, pop, techno, metal and other genres (although there have been great albums in 2013) and there is a simple reason: rhythmically there is no other music as fascinating as free jazz, and William Hooker is one of the most exciting drummers out there. If you listen to his last album on NoBusiness you will know what I am talking about.

Recorded at Roulette in New York City, Channels of Consciousness is a rollercoaster of polyrhythmic madness, which is hardly surprising regarding the fact that the rhythm section consists of Hooker on drums and voice, Sanga on percussion and Adam Lane on bass. The whole set starts with the three outlining the musical framework before Dave Ross (guitar) and Chris DiMeglio (trumpet) join the crew contributing tons of cracked solos full of fragmented and dislocated phrases. The tracks elegantly flow into each other, though, Ross’s guitar reminds of Sonny Sharrock’s lines for Last Exit which makes an interesting contrast to DiMeglio’s both lyrical and tense playing. Especially the first part of the set is like sitting on a raft going down a wild stream, the music takes you here and there and up and down, it is an adventurous furor.

The second part of the album is full of moments of rapture, too, for example when DeMeglio delves into Don Cherry phrases at the end of “The Unfolding” playing eccentric and jumping phrases or when Hooker cheers Ross on in “Character”.  The slide guitar slaps out razor-sharp sparkling notes sounding like splintering glass, this part is of both a fierce liveliness and deep sadness. Ross is supported by Lane’s arco drones and Hooker uses this moment to recite his stream-of-consciousness poetry about a “life’s decision”, a family drama continued on the last track, “Mother’s History (untold)”, and as in Hooker’s poetry there is a musical stream of consciousness as well telling us that there are decisions to be made – in life and in an improvisation - before DiMeglio’s trumpet transfers the track to the next one, “Connected”.

One of the greatest qualities of this album, which ends with percussion fire as it has begun, is that it draws on the blues, African rhythmic complexity, and classic free jazz. However, it builds bridges to contemporary improvised music as well. One of last year’s forgotten gems.


Buy from instantjazz.com or the label: nobusinessrecords.com

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Nels Cline & Elliot Sharp - Open the Door (Public Eye Sore, 2013) ****

By Paul Acquaro

The strike of a string, a sudden atonal spark, a jarring rhythmic motif -- in the hands of some this could be a recipe for an improvised disaster. However, under the guidance of two restless and experimental master chefs, the result is a setting of new expectations.

Guitarist's Nels Cline and Elliot Sharp are both uncompromising musicians, pushing boundaries whenever they can and coloring within the lines whenever they feel like it. Sharp's Aggregat was a favorite from 2012, and Cline's recent output like Jazz Free: A Connective Improvization and Gowanus Sessions, his recording with Thollem McDonas and William Parker, occupy opposite ends of accessibility in improvised music. On Open the Door, however, they take the acoustic guitar to the edge and tempt the listener to take a taste of the unknown.

There is something special in the arpeggiated backing and plaintive slides and bends on 'Isotropes' and the rhythmic chatter on 'Blue Particles' that engages the listener. Then, there are the overtones and scratches at the start of 'Let Her In' and the percussive clatter later on that thrills. Each song is a unique and unexpected string of ideas, often eschewing melodic conventions, but always displaying empathy and consideration in the interactions.

Suffice to say, Open the Door is an excellent addition to the guitar duo canon. In a patient but uncompromising way, Cline and Sharp cook up something special.



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Thomas Chapin – Never Let Me Go: Quartets ’95 and ‘96 (Playscape, 2012) ****½

By Troy Dostert

It was with a great deal of anticipation that I first found out about this release several months ago, as Thomas Chapin has long been one of my heroes on the alto sax.  He was a fixture of the New York “downtown” scene during the late ‘80s and ‘90s, working alongside folks like Mario Pavone and Michael Sarin (his frequentr partners in a trio format that often brought out Chapin’s most inspired music), and occasionally others (such as John Zorn, Tom Harrell, or Mark Feldman).  He helped get the Knitting Factory off the ground with his many appearances there in the 1990s, and indeed the Knitting Factory label ended up releasing much of his output (helpfully compiled in an astonishing 8-disc set, Alive, which is still sporadically available).  What never changed, no matter whom he was working with, was a relentless spirit of creativity and adventure, all the while staying firmly rooted in the jazz tradition—a quality that is rather rare among those typically categorized as “avant-garde.”

After all, Chapin got his first big break in the early ‘80s when he was selected as musical director of the Lionel Hampton big band (by Hampton himself, no less).  Although Chapin would eventually move into much more boundary-expanding projects, he never lost sight of his jazz origins, and in this sense is very much like David Murray, whose passion for and dedication to the jazz tradition has always defined his work—even his more “out”-leaning recordings.  While Chapin was sadly taken from us after he lost his battle with leukemia in 1998 at the too-young age of 40, we are fortunate in that his music lives on—and indeed, that new documents of his greatness continue to emerge.

These recordings are a fantastic example.  Playscape, a little label devoted to a select range of improvisers including Pavone, Michael Musillami, and Peter Madsen, has scored a tremendous hit by offering this glimpse of Chapin in the last couple years of his life, from live recordings essentially found in the family vaults.  In contrast to his most storied work with Pavone and Sarin, here we get to hear Chapin playing in a quartet format.  The first two discs have him partnered with pianist Madsen, Kiyoto Fujiwara (on bass) and Reggie Nicholson (on drums).  Disc three was actually recorded at his very last live performance (fittingly, at the Knitting Factory) in December of 1996, featuring Madsen once again, but this time with Scott Colley on bass and Matt Wilson on drums.

And the music?  Well, it’s simply wonderful.  Chapin’s prodigious technique on not only alto sax but also soprano sax and flute is abundantly evident, as he gets plenty of room on these expansive tracks to stretch out; each disc contains five pieces, and most run at least ten minutes, some much longer than that, the only exception being a powerfully compact and poignant reading of Monk’s “Ugly Beauty” featuring just Chapin and Madsen, on disc 2.  Otherwise, the best way to describe these tracks is as masterfully performed post-bop, with musicians who know each other well enough and who share enough collective confidence to take the music in interesting and surprising directions.  Indeed, I’ve found myself going back again and again to this music over the last several weeks, continuously finding new elements in the music to appreciate and marvel at.

The first two discs are the more straightahead ones, relatively speaking; the material is more standards-based, including a couple from Monk (“Red Cross,” in addition to “Ugly Beauty”), Artie Shaw (“Moonray”), and even Jimmy Webb (“Wichita Lineman”)—and the chief pleasure in spending time with these tracks is just to hear Chapin’s incessant exploration and tireless invention.  His solos are remarkably free of cliché, as he somehow manages to find new things to say with each phrase.  Even Webb’s rather syrupy tune is given new life and vitality under Chapin’s thoughtful care.  Madsen is especially vital in supporting Chapin throughout; rather than limiting or confining his options, Madsen’s punchy and rhythmic contributions work consistently to prod Chapin further, seemingly giving him more energy and dynamism as the music unfolds.  Fujiwara and Nicholson are also rock-solid throughout, keeping the music anchored while also being able and willing to adapt to whatever direction Chapin wants to take the music.

When we get to the third disc, we encounter the freer side of Chapin’s playing, as the change in personnel with Colley and Wilson taking over the bass and drum duties seems to liberate Chapin, along with the choice of material.  Here four of the five tracks are Chapin’s own, including “Whirlygig,” which features some terrific off-kilter rhythmic flourishes, and “Sky Piece,” one of Chapin’s most notable compositions.  Overall, the music on this disc is more unsettled and edgy, with Colley and Wilson clearly being willing to push the music harder and take more chances, which leads Chapin to pursue riskier explorations.

All told, this is simply marvelous jazz music.  Chapin’s willingness to forge connections between the traditional and avant-garde jazz camps, and to explore the beauty within each, should earn him his distinctive place in the history of this music—and this release will certainly help him do that.

In addition to the great value of these recordings, there is also a film project underway to celebrate Chapin’s life and music.

Here’s the trailer:

   

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Various Artists: Long Story Short (Wels 2011 curated by Peter Brötzmann) (Trost, 2013) *****

By Martin Schray

2011 was a landmark year for Peter Brötzmann. It was the year of his 70th birthday, his hometown Wuppertal provided a three-day festival for his Chicago Tentet (as well as Café Oto in London), he was awarded the Albert-Mangelsdorff-prize (one of the most important jazz prizes in Germany), two documentaries were made and Wels “Music Unlimited” asked him to curate their 25th festival. It was sold out weeks in advance, when does this ever happen to a free jazz event? All these things are possible because people have begun to appreciate his life’s work, his authenticity, his consequence in spite of the fact that Brötzmann is difficult man. He says about himself that he is full of contradictions. So if you decide to invite him to curate such an important festival you have to know about his achievements and his philosophy because if you authorize someone like him you’ll have to accept his concept.

Somehow it was an obvious decision to make him curate the 25th anniversary festival because he is one of the last men standing who belong to the first generation of European improvisers (like Evan Parker, Tony Oxley, Alex von Schlippenbach, Fred Van Hove, Han Bennink etc.).  Also, he is a border crosser in many ways, he has always been an innovator trying to re-invent himself constantly in new constellations. The worst thing that could happen to him is that he bores himself because his music is fulfilling the audience’s expectations. So people were very excited what line up he was going to choose and indeed it was spectacular and unexpected but also coherent as to Brötzmann conditions. In order to understand his choice and his way to create music you have to understand the man (which is difficult enough) and his idea of innovation.

Brötzmann considers himself a (free) jazz musician, someone deeply rooted in the tradition of Sidney Bechet, Bix Beiderbecke, Ben Webster or Coleman Hawkins, but he looks out for new experiences and new collaborations with musicians who come from different backgrounds like rock, new classical music, even world music. “Unlike many of his fellow European improvisers, he has always been an internationalist and his lifelong pursuit of new “cities, histories and landscapes” has not only informed him politically and philosophically, it has also impacted on the very DNA of his music”, David Keenan wrote in a long article in The Wire. In Wels this became very obvious when you have a look at the line up which includes people like Bill Laswell and Keiji Haino, Okkyung Lee and Maâllem Mokhtar Gania, for example.  The fact that he is aware of the jazz tradition as an important influence for his music makes him deal with US Afro-American jazz constantly, although being a European and knowing and accepting his Prussian background as a part of his music, too. The same is true for his musical exchange with Asia (which was the most and maybe most surprising and important issue of the festival).

Additionally, Brötzmann likes to work with young musicians (and he also likes to have young people in the audience). His Chicago Tentet proves this, but also his collaborations with people like Jason Adasievicz (vib) or Eric Revis (b).

But most of all his music is the result of his socio-political surroundings, it reflects reality and its conditions. Music is a constant hassle with what’s going on around you and Brötzmann does not like what he sees, that’s why his music cannot be entertaining. It is rooted in the discussion about Germany’s Nazi heritage, the repressive structures in post-war Germany, society’s handling of the holocaust or socialist atrocities - and this approach makes his art (he is also an artist who usually designs the covers of his album – like the one here as well) sensitive for non-musical influences.

The most obvious political issue in Wels was The Chicago Tentet’s Fukushima project, which features the Tentet +1 (Joe McPhee has become a regular member over the years) and several Japanese musicians like Otomo Yoshihide, Toshinori Kondo, Michiyo Yagi and Akira Sakata. Each set lasted for thirty minutes, all in all a two-hour tour de force of music. The box only contains the tentet’s part with koto player Yagi (the whole concert is available on DVD) but this excerpt already shows how the band tries to reflect the whole nuclear disaster in their music, the agony of the people, the rage about the failure of the politicians and the CEOs, the powerlessness of mankind in the face of the forces of nature. Brötzmann’s aim apparently was to make the music a collective experience for both his musicians and his audience despite different backgrounds giving especially Yagi a lot of space.

Chicago Tentet + Michiyo Yagi (Fukushima Project): 

Moreover, he also had something else in mind with this festival, he was not interested in just bringing some old friends together. Hardly ever has he displayed his idea of music so clearly which brings us back to his philosophy.

Brötzmann, who has always had an inclination for communist ideas, has developed a philosophy which is based around key principles he has distilled in almost 50 years on the road – freedom, equality, respect, struggling and dialectics. In his excellent essay “Each is the Work of All” Christoph J. Bauer explains what this means in the Brötzmann universe: ”When the musicians play and work together natural, cultural and social differences, which make up their identity, are to be annihilated in a dialectic unit in which everyone has the same rights to raise his or her individual voice.” This dialectic unit is the basis for the result of an equal collaboration in a Marxian sense, without equality Brötzmann’s groups cannot work even if it seems that he has a superior position. In Wels the best example for this idiom was Brötzmann’s quartet with Bill Laswell (b) (a man who has worked with people as different as Mick Jagger, The Ramones, Pharoah Sanders, Motörhead or George Clinton), legendary Gnawa musician Maâllem Mokhtar Gania (voice, guembri) and Chicagoan free jazz legend Hamid Drake (dr), a performance that made the audience literally freak out. Starting with Brötzmann and Laswell the band builds up layer after layer until Drake, Laswell and Gania agree on a hypnotic world music groove – something you would expect Brötzmann to refuse blatantly. But then there is the unexpected: He joins the band in their rhythm, out of the blue there is a perfect unit, within seconds an identity was created from the most different backgrounds combining Drake’s dance groove, Laswell’s bass being drowned in fuzzbox rock sounds, Gania’s sufi trance and Brötzmann’s free jazz roars. Although it is a 51-minute- track you wish it would never stop.

Brötzmann/Ghania/Laswell/Drake: 

But living this musical principle is absolutely demanding, the players must be able to contribute spontaneously – at any time. What they yield is based on their musical and personal experiences, on what they have played and heard so far. Put together this finally makes up a piece, this is instant composing. And since Brötzmann usually renounces pre-composed material the result is almost always something new and innovative, a new formation or a changing of parameters always brings forth new structures on which the musicians have to react immediately.

Although Brötzmann is aware of being part of jazz history, he and most of the European improvisers also wanted to emancipate themselves from hierarchical structures in traditional American and European music, which for them had political meaning. So free jazz was an act of  liberation from repressive structures and from socio-political restrictions.

However, freedom was one thing that had to be achieved, but if it had led to anarchy it would have been pointless. So the traditional confrontation between freedom and necessity has to be abolished in a dialectic way which is why another key term has to be added to Brötzmann’s philosophy: responsibility. The collaborations work because the musicians feel in charge for the success of a composition and therefore they act responsibly. This is especially possible for improvisers because they act like an association “in which the free development of the individual is the condition for the free development of all”, as Marx said. But this also means that all the players have to cut back their own capriciousness once and again for the sake of the result, in this case the collective improvisation. This requires a very close listening to the others so that you can react to musical actions in the fastest possible way, it also includes taking a break. Thus, you pay respect listening to the others and while expecting this from all the other participants it guarantees everyone a certain space for his or her artistic expression. This goes not only for Brötzmann’s ensembles but for all the groups and solos in this box and a good example of this notion is the female string trio consisting of Michiyo Yagi (koto), Okkyung Lee (cello) and Xu Fengxia (guzheng) who advance very delicately into their performance and particularly Yagi and Xu hold their fire before they eventually let it burn.

Yagi/Lee/Fengxia: 

Freedom, responsibility, equality and dialectics are crucial for Brötzmann’s music but respect and struggling are even more important. If Brötzmann uses the term respect in this context in order to state how to handle the other’s need to express themselves, it does not mean respect in an abstract conservative way, it is no value in itself, it is the basis and result of a constant conflict between the individual personalities in an ensemble, it is not a bourgeois form of acknowledgement, it has to be hard-earned again and again in order to contribute to the composition in a valuable way.

When Brötzmann was asked to curate the festival he decided to put the focus on what he was doing at that moment and to bring it into a context what he has done in the late 1960s and early 70s. That’s why he wanted to highlight his long-time connections with Asian musicians like Takeo Moriyama and Akira Sakata (who were members of the legendary Yamashita Trio), something which was only made possible by cultural subsidies (and they are hard to get these days). His trio with Masahiko Satoh (p) and Moriyama (dr) (ironically called "The Heavyweights") is the essence of what the three understand of respect, it is a truly humanitarian approach to music. The track starts with Satoh playing icy single notes counteracting Brötzmann’s typical furor while Moriyama seems to have a look at the interaction before he makes a statement, but then he throws his hat in the ring, first almost hesitating but then absolutely self-confident, even in the duet with Satoh playing almost Cecil Tayloresque patterns (while Brötzmann shows his ability to listen).

Brötzmann/Satoh/Moriyama: 

Being one of the absolute highlights of the festival The Heavyweights are a perfect incarnation of the most decisive concept in Brötzmann’s philosophy: it is the term struggling. He does not interpret the Darwinist struggle for survival in a negative way, neither in a socio-political environment nor in a musical one. It is the basis for any personal and musical progress, that’s why he rejects the education at conservatoires so violently, he believes in the education of the stage. But again this requires mutual respect among the players, even if a certain difference between them is necessary in order to grapple with one another for a specific artistic expression which always has to be a common one. Brötzmann has always emphasized the social component of improvisation –as manifested in the Chicago Tentet – and for him this does not only mean freedom, equality, respect, solidarity and responsibility but a certain inharmoniousness as well (don’t forget: he is a man full of contradictions) in order to successfully stand your ground against one another with both sides depending on each other. This interaction of struggling and respect counts for DKV Trio feat. Gustafsson/Pupillo/Nilssen-Love in an exemplary way because it shows that struggling does not simply mean power playing, it is pointless hooting the others down. The players consider struggling on a conceptual level, it is not about putting up the volume for the volume’s sake, it is about intensity, about making a statement.  The following excerpt of the concert is not the one on the box but it shows how violently the two bands fight each other in a highly respectful way. It starts with the band in full action before almost everybody drops out except Nilssen-Love – and then they come back even more furiously.

DKV Trio + Gustafsson, PNL, Pupillo

In the end Peter Brötzmann’s key concepts only work when they are used permanently and consequently, if there is a musical situation in which some parts are missing, the result is not satisfactory.

So Brötzmann and all the ensembles gathered here are the personifications of the relevance of improvised music in a globalized world because they stand for constant expansion and the musical globalization we have here is positively counteracting a musical leveling inherent in music industry (something you can see in pop music, for example). All the musicians of this festival (and on this CD box) fight for this definition of freedom, equality, solidarity, respect, responsibility and struggling, which  means so much more in this kind of music compared to others.

Unfortunately, Wels Unlimited 2011 was also a sort of requiem. In the meantime John Tchicai has died and the Chicago Tentet is history. Brötzmann decided to stop it because it has become too difficult to keep such a group running (in an economic way) and because he said he realized that they were playing to fulfill some kind of expectation – something Brötzmann really hates.
However, this box is a great legacy.

List of groups:
CD 1: Sonore (Brötzmann/Vandermark/Gustafsson)
Chicago Tentet with John Tchicai
Michiyo Yagi/Okkyung Lee/Xu Fengxia
Peter Brötzmann/Masahiko Satoh/ Takeo Moriyama

CD 2:  Joe McPhee/Maâllem Mokhtar Gania/Fred Lonberg-Holm/Michael Zerang
Peter Brötzmann/Michiyo Yagi/Tamaya Honda
Peter Brötzmann/ Jason Adasiewicz/Sabu Toyozumi
Dieb 13/Mats Gustafsson/Martin Siewert

CD 3:  Keiji Haino
Peter Brötzmann/Bill Laswell/ Maâllem Mokhtar Gania/Hamid Drake

CD 4:  Jeb Bishop/Joe McPhee/Mars Williams/Jason Adasiewicz/Kent Kessler/Tamaya Honda
Hairy Bones (Brötzmann/Kondo/Pupillo/Nilssen-Love)
Masahiko Satoh
Chicago Tentet + Michiyo Yagi

CD 5:  Peter Brötzmann/Eric Revis/ Nasheet Waits
DKV Trio + Mats Gustafsson/Massimo Pupillo/Paal Nilssen-Love; Full Blast
Caspar Brötzmann Massaker

This review is largely based on Christoph J. Bauer’s very intelligent essay “Each is the Work of All” published in his interview book “Brötzmann: Gespräche” (Posth Verlag, Berlin, 2012), a highly recommendable and enjoyable book. If you understand German and you like Brötzmann, I think it is a must have.

The review also contains some aspects from David Keenan’s article in The Wire (#345) and Markus Müller’s excellent liner notes.

In addition, the DVD of the Fukushima Project is also great.


Both the CD box and the DVD can be purchased from the label: http://www.trost.at/

The CD is also available via instantjazz.com

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Decoy With Joe McPhee – Spontaneous Combustion (OTOroku, 2013) ****

By Paolo Casertano

There is something deeply intimate in the about eleven minutes of wait and evolution before the real explosion of interplay -- it's a long, slow, precious dovetailing of musical relationships between four great musicians. Joe McPhee starts needling the others through the raucous timbre of his pocket trumpet, balancing some meaningful rich phrases with blown passages. The scattered pizzicato incursions of John Edwards rebound Steve Nobles' sharp bells, muted gongs and minimal percussion. The organ of Alexander Hawkins starts its journey from another world, on sustained high pitch tones slowly developing a second voice in search of dialogue. Then Edwards takes to the bow, moulding low magnetic chords and Noble’s rolls becomes sumptuous. It’s like watching a group of kids discovering the pleasure and the joy of “playing” together. Organ presence becomes total, though never invasive. Hawkins goes for a luxuriant solo exploring all the colours and the tones offered the by large palette of his instrument, his fingers running along the two-floor keyboard in an endless spiral. He saturates so much the atmosphere that sometimes the result is like a vibrating cluster of unrecognisable and mesmeric chords.

A Hammond B3 tends to be an overwhelming instrument, not just for its size, and the detractors of prog and psychedelic rock, as I am sometimes, can be doubtful about its role. But it really works well in this set.

On the second side, McPhee unsheathes his alto sax giving a different bluesy slow imprint to the sound of the group, while the rhythm section endorses him with sudden time changes.  Edward’s bass turns out a darker sound. He first dialogues melancholically for several minutes with McPhee while Noble slows down and snaps the rhythm, then he makes his bow scrape a short and involving solo in the instrument's lower register. Finally, he faces a real challenge, playing against the beats and wooden inlays of the drummer. I wonder if it’s McPhee screaming somewhere there in the middle. It’s around about at the time of Noble’s astounding solo on metals and plates enhanced by the water drops effect of Hawkins organ. Soon, the quartet re-joins and closes in a boppish manner.

I can’t be wrong: this is definitely genuine, joyous, satisfying and great jazz!

The recording stands as testimony to the second set of the first night of Decoy’s two-day residence in Café Oto during October 2011 featuring Joe McPhee. The LP, the second OTOroku official release, is pressed in 500 copies and housed in a really nice and original two colours sleeve screenprinted on extra thick raw cardboard.

You can listen to some minutes of the recording provided by the label, where you also find a good video of that evening.




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Made To Break: Provoke (Clean Feed, 2013) ****

By Martin Schray

If Made to Break’s album “Lacerba” deals with futurism, “Provoke” picks up the thread as to musical structure and philosophical references. Although the music is composed “the material is modular and parts can be combined spontaneously by the various members of the band, so the structure is improvised as well as the solos,” Ken Vandermark said. The three titles of the tracks make up the sentence “Further presentation of the facts” and they are dedicated to influential geniuses of the 20th century – John Cage, Buckminster Fuller and Marshall McLuhan. Like the futurists their ideas and works were revolutionary and therefore provocative, Cage as to music, Buckminster Fuller as to architecture and technology (among others) and McLuhan as to philosophy and media theory. Of course Made to Break do not have the ambition to be as revolutionary as these giants, a lot of things have changed since then, that’s why provocation is hardly possible or has to be different.

“Further (for John Cage)” has the same threepart structure as the tracks on “Lacerba”, it starts with an old-fashioned sax-drums-duo before the bass ends this improvisation interspersing an irresistible rock groove backed up by Kurzmann’s electronics providing simple sound layers and surfaces. This is much closer to alternative rock than to jazz. Tim Daisy destroys this atmosphere and heralds the third part in which the musicians seem to have lost one another before the electronics provide a pattern on which the others can agree with a new structure. The track ends with a bassline that sounds like Bill Laswell and with Vandermark being back on funky grooves.

“presentation (for Buckminster Fuller)” provides a similar architectural structure. It starts like a soundtrack for an old David Lynch short film (bass flageolets, static, helicopter sounds) before it changes to a lyrical part dominated by Vandermark. Hoffs forces the pace throwing in a Mike-Watt/Minutemen-riff and the rest of the band make use of this – it is a great SST moment (my favorite label of the 1980s).

The most lyrical track is “of the facts (for Marshall Mc Luhan)”. It uses the same compositional elements again and arranges it in a new way, especially Vandermark’s No-Jazz-riffs work in a great way.

This is a promising band and I hope there is more to come.

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Made To Break: Lacerba (Clean Feed, 2013) ****

By Martin Schray

“Lacerba” was the name of an Italian literary magazine that wanted to spread the ideas of futurism, a movement emphasizing and glorifying issues associated with concepts concerning the future - including technological progress, youth and violence. The most famous authors were Giovanni Papini and Ardengo Soffici but Tommaso Marinetti, Pablo Picasso, Guillaume Apollinaire and Stéphane Mallarmé were also among the contributors. Futurist music claimed to reject tradition and introduced experimental sounds inspired by machinery, it was mainly set against backwardness and mediocrity. One of the most prominent figures, Luigi Russolo, published The Art of Noises which became something like a guideline for the musical aesthetics of the movement. Russolo defined instruments as acoustic noise generators so that he can pay homage to, include or imitate machines – his ideas influenced Stravinsky, Edgar Varèse, Stockhausen and John Cage.

Ken Vandermark (reeds) has a profound knowledge of classical music (he studied with Morton Feldman) and although he does not completely reject tradition his new project Made to Break pays tribute to the futurist era not only because electronic noise plays an important role in the band context, which features Christof Kurzmann (electronics), Devin Hoff (e-bass) and Tim Daisy (drums).

Like classical futurist music the first track, “Vita Futurista (for Dick Raaijmakers)”, imitates technology, a dark baritone saxophone sound reminds of a foghorn before the real machine sets in: Kurzmann’s electronics sound like a limbo created by Edgar Allen Poe, there are static loops, a pulsing and scraping that gives you the creeps in a very subtle way. But futurism is not only about darkness, and after four minutes, when the bass turns in playing a super groovy Michael-Henderson-riff and Vandermark slaps out a soulful theme, the band has transformed into a 1980 New York No Jazz group – raw, funky, straight, hardcore. And just when you get used to it, the band makes another U-turn and after 17 minutes – out of the blue - they devote themselves to absolute beauty. The structure of the “Pursuit (for Alberto Giacometti)”, the second track of the album, is similar to the first one. It starts with a very lyrical passage which is close to chamber music before it turns into something completely different. Vandermark’s alto is close to the pain barrier and only Hoff’s electric bass brings him back to solidly grounded jazz rock. Hoff is the driving force in this track anyway, the copula between the different parts.

“Lacerba” is futurist in a postmodernist sense, it uses different elements of jazz history and combines it to something new.

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