Record Reviews

HANNES ZERBE ~ BLECH BAND EDEL CONTENT 4029759080541 (Barcode: 4029759080541) ~ GERMANY ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 1984 Released: 2012 This is a reissue (first time on CD) of the fascinating album by the Avant-Garde pianist / composer Hannes ZerbeFind albums by this artist and his Brass Band, an eighteen-piece brass ensemble consisting mostly of East German (DDR) players and three guests from behind the Iron Curtain: Dutch saxophonist Willem BreukerFind albums by this artist, British trumpeter Martin MayesFind albums by this artist and West German tuba player Pinguin MoschnerFind albums by this artist. Together they perform five pieces, one of which is an original composition by Zerbe, three are his arrangements of compositions by Austrian / Jewish composer Hans EislerFind albums by this artist and Russian composer Alexander MossolowFind albums by this artist and the remaining one is by German composer Paul DessauFind albums by this artist. Of course these three composers were all "approved" by the DDR regime (Eisler even composed the DDR National Anthem) and the choice is by no means incidental. The modus operandi applied by Zerbe is to play initially a straightforward part of the composition and then let the band enters a lengthy Free Form collective improvisation part, finally returning to the composition at the closing of each piece. This adventurous and highly unique approach proves very effective and the resulting music has a powerful impact. Of course Zerbe also pays tribute to the German Brass Band tradition, which was an important element of the German musical scene for centuries. Why such Avant-Garde music was allowed to exists and was recorded by the State label is a part of the many absurdities that existed in the Socialist countries at the time, with the Regime seeing Art in general and Jazz in particular a sort of pressure valve, which enabled the musicians to express themselves relatively freely, and using this as a tranquilizer of political unrest. As a result, some of the most advanced Avant-Garde music was created behind the Iron Curtain, with DDR and Poland leading the way. In retrospect this is an intriguing document of the era and a piece of music which is every bit as challenging today as it was at the time it was created. For Free Jazz / Improvised Music listeners this is something none of them would like to miss! Side Note: As all the East European countries under the Socialist regime, East Germany, or DDR as it was known at the time, had only one state owned and controlled Music Company, which released most of its productions on the AmigaFind albums on this label label. Among the many Amiga releases the legendary "orange J" series was dedicated to Jazz recordings, many of which were licenses from the West, but others were original productions, mostly of Jazz made in DDR. Some of these releases, like the one described above, were absolute gems. Following the unification of Germany, the Amiga albums disappeared from the face of the earth and only in 2012 a German label reissued 15 Amiga Jazz albums on CD. They are all worth checking out!

Updated: 12/04/2019Posted: 13/05/2016

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