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

CD 1 Digipak Remastered Bonus Tracks Recommend To A Friend