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Peter Brötzmann / Toshinori Kondo / Sabu Toyozumi: Complete Link
by John Sharpe
Complete Link offers classic Peter Brötzmann, albeit of a modern vintage. The German reed iconoclast combines with two Japanese peers, trumpeter Toshinori Kondo and drummer Sabu Toyozumi for almost 70 minutes of fiery live action. Recorded in Japan in 2016, this is their first recording as a trio, although as pioneers in their respective countries, their paths have intersected numerous times in the past. Notably so in the case of Kondo who has acted as a livewire foil to Brötzmann ...
Continue ReadingPeter Brötzmann / Toshinori Kondo / Sabu Toyozumi: Complete Link
by Mark Corroto
As the liner notes to Complete Link by Yoshiaki Kinno state, “In the 1960s, each of them [saxophonist Peter Brötzmann, trumpeter Toshinori Kondo and drummer Sabu Toyozumi] was inspired by free jazz, practiced it themselves and met each other in the process of overcoming free jazz." That is indeed a bold statement. Did he mean to say they gained mastery of it? Defeated it? Or is he suggesting the three evolved apart from free jazz? Most likely Kinno ...
Continue ReadingPeter Brötzmann & Paal Nilssen-Love: Chicken Shit Bingo
by John Sharpe
The late German reedman Peter Brötzmann thrived on hook ups with drummers. A roll call of his fellows over his career would read like a percussion who's who, but one of his most favored partners over the last period of his life was Paal Nilssen-Love. After the Norwegian had joined Brötzmann's Chicago Tentet in 2004, he partnered him on countless occasions, not only in the larger outfit, but also in quartet, trio and duo formats. But although they made several ...
Continue ReadingPeter Brötzmann / Sabu Toyozumi: Triangle - Live At OHM 1987
by John Sharpe
Free improvisers must be some of the world's most readily connected collaborators. They can strike up an instantaneous dialogue without the need for rehearsal or even a common language. Of course they might not always hit paydirt, but that uncertainty is part of the attraction. However, German reedman Peter Brötzmann, who was a regular visitor to Japan, successfully established potent relationships with many of the country's key figures, notably pianist Masahiko Satoh, multi-instrumentalist Keiji Haino and trumpeter Toshinori Kondo.
Continue ReadingBrötzmann / Nilssen-Love: Chicken Shit Bingo
by Mark Corroto
We lost Peter Brotzmann in the summer of 2023. The saxophonist and champion of free jazz passed at the age of 82. There may be no more live appearances from the great man, but there will be posthumous releases. Hopefully, all will be as spirited and compelling as Chicken Shit Bingo, a duo with Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. The pair had worked together in groups as large as Brötzmann's Chicago Tentet, in trio and quartet settings. However, it is the ...
Continue ReadingPeter Brotzmann Tribute Concerts at Cafe OTO
by Frank Rubolino
When the free jazz movement started in the United States in the late 1950s, it quickly spread in the 1960s to Europe where many musicians from the States found a more accepting environment for this form of music. One of the earliest benefactors from this exposure was Peter Brotzmann of Germany, a man who rose over the years to legendary status in the genre. He earned the highest respect from musicians and fans alike due to his innovative style and ...
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