Record Reviews

BROTZMANN / AALTONEN / KOWALD / VESALA ~ HOT LOTTA SVART 253 (Barcode: 6430065584575) ~ FINLAND ~ Free Jazz / Improvised Music Recorded: 1973 Released: 2018 This is a reissue of the iconic album by the German / Finnish Free Jazz quartet, a one time cooperation formed as a result of a Finnish tour organized by the Goethe Institut for the two German musicians: saxophonist Peter BrotzmannFind albums by this artist and bassist Peter KowaldFind albums by this artist, joined by Finnish Free Jazz pioneers: saxophonist / flautist Juhani AaltonenFind albums by this artist and drummer Edward VesalaFind albums by this artist. The original album, which offered just four tracks, is remastered and expanded by a sensational and previously unavailable live radio session, adding five tracks and almost doubling the original album´s playing time. All the music is of course original, and although credited to individual quartet members, it is mostly spontaneously created by the players. At the time of the recording the German musicians were already Free Jazz "veterans", with the German Avant-Garde already flourishing for a few good years, and Brotzmann gaining already a legendary status with his brazing innovations and complete disregard of conventions. Aaltonen and Vesala started to play Free Jazz just about a couple years earlier, recording the first Finnish Free Jazz album "NanaFind albums with this title". When the tour and the recording of this album happened, Vesala already recorded the "TriptyconFind albums with this title" album with Jan GarbarekFind albums by this artist for the ECMFind albums on this label label and a year later would record "Nan MadolFind albums with this title", his first ECM release. The music is, as expected, absolutely stunning and completely fresh, sounding better than most Free Jazz played five decades later, which is not able to reproduce the spontaneity, group improvisation and telepathic communication between the musicians. Aaltonen´s flute parts are especially interesting, as flute is relatively rarely used in Improvised Music, surely at the time. The unusual double saxophone lineup is also a factor in making this album so outstanding. Overall this is a quintessential piece of European Avant-Garde / Free Jazz history, which is sadly little known due to the obscurity of this album, which reaches astronomical prices on the vinyl market these days. Therefore this reissue is an absolute marvel and again kudos is due to the SvartFind albums on this label label for their amazing work in keeping the Cultural legacy alive. Obviously this is an absolute must to all European Free Jazz connoisseurs anywhere on this planet. Essential listening!

Updated: 28/06/2020Posted: 28/06/2020

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WILD MANS BAND ~ FREDENSBORG NINTH WORLD 050 (Barcode: 5709498212524) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz Recorded: 2013 Released: 2015 This is the sixth album by The Wild Mans BandFind albums by this artist, a conceptual trio, which invites other musicians to join them one at a time in turn, to create an ad hoc quartet. The trio consists of veteran European Free Jazz / Improvised Music musicians: German saxophonist / clarinetist Peter BrotzmannFind albums by this artist, Danish bassist Peter Friis NielsenFind albums by this artist and Danish drummer Peter Ole JorgensenFind albums by this artist. On this album they are joined by the great Polish saxophonist / clarinetist Mikolaj TrzaskaFind albums by this artist, who completes the quartet lineup. The quartet performs five original compositions, all co-composed by all the quartet members. The music is a fantastic explosion of raw energy and collective improvisation of the highest caliber, which hardly leaves a moment to gather one´s thoughts, simply taking the listener on a wild and reckless journey of imagination and emotional treasure hunt. The level of interplay and individual virtuosi statements is staggering and this music has something new to offer with every listening session. Brotzmann and Trzaska cooperate superbly together and the age and background differences seem to have no influence whatsoever on their incredible dialogues. With both of them having a very strong and unique personalities, their interplay is even more intense and eventually also more fruitful than other meetings of this kind. The rhythm section is also absolutely brilliant, standing shoulder to shoulder with the intense foreground action. Nielsen has an incredible flexibility and speed and his pulsation keeps the entire musical environment in check, saving it from chaos and anarchy. Jorgensen is very skillful in not barraging the proceedings with his drumming, which would have annihilated the overall sound, keeping his wonderful drum parts just at the right level to be audible but not dominating. On the more serene parts his drumming is very musical and even melodic, adding a new dimension to the entire outcome. In short this is a great example of Free Jazz / Improvised Music that is creative, surprising, emotional and engaging, which unfortunately does not happen too often in that idiom. Completely lacking any ego trips and the need to prove something, this music simply flows naturally, which makes it stronger and more influential than music that is trying to impress. This is a must have for all lovers of Free Jazz / Improvised Music, as recordings of such class, masterly execution and aesthetic beauty are rare indeed.

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