Join us as we say farewell to Europe’s most prominent free saxophonist, Peter Brötzmann (1941–2023), with a retrospective of his career, featuring free jazz stalwarts William Parker and Hamid Drake, European improvisers Han Bennink and Fred Van Hove, outré bands like OXBOW and Last Exit, and even tabla and guembri players. We also pay our respects to double bass virtuoso Robert Black (1956–2023) with his rendition of a classic repertory piece plus a solo project that he recorded amid the natural soundscape of the Utah desert.
Plus, Jesper Nordin sculpts the air (with Ensemble Intercontemporain), Žibuoklė Martinaitytė probes the depths (without imploding), and Evgueni Galperine passes the storm (with Sergei Nakariakov). Bruno Mantovani channels Ligeti, W. David Oliphant channels The Bastard Kings of Samadhi, and Sufjan Stevens channels a hypercaffeinated Satie. Historical gems from Frank Zappa and Sun Ra round out the program.
Global chart history
Top position held by this upload
Comments
Brilliant as always !
Thank you!
Flotation Device 2023-07-02: Annotated playlist by host Michael Schell
Intro and SET 1: The bastard mothers of becoming [0:00]
1. [1:50] Sufjan Stevens: Revanche. From Reflections (Asthmatic Kitty, 2023) with Timo Andres, Conor Hanick (pianos), Ryan Streber (recording engineer)
2. [7:09] The Bastard Kings of Samadhi: Psychometry. From Clairvoyance and The Occult Vol 1 (Bandcamp, 2023) with W. David Oliphant
3. [12:36] Frank Zappa: Dog Breath, Dog Breath Variations, Uncle Meat. From The History and Collected Improvisations of Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention (bootleg, 1978) with The Mothers of Invention: Frank Zappa, Jean-Luc Ponty, George Duke, Ian Underwood, Ruth Underwood, Bruce Fowler, Tom Fowler, Ralph Humphrey, Sal Marquez. NOTE: Recorded live June 29, 1973 at Festival Hall, Melbourne
4. [18:28] Evgueni Galperine: After The Storm. From The Theory of Becoming (ECM, 2022) with Sergei Nakariakov (trumpet), Evgueni Galperine (electroncs, sampling), Aymeric Letoquart (recording engineer)⠀
⠀
SET 2: Peter Brötzmann (1941–2023) [21:03]
1. [25:27] Peter Brötzmann: No. 4. From Brötzmann/Van Hove/Bennink (FMP, 1973) with Peter Brötzmann (tenor saxophone), Fred Van Hove (piano), Han Bennink (drums, percussion, homemade clarinet, tins and junk)
2. [28:41] Last Exit: The Black Bat (for Aki Ikuta), Marked for Death. From Iron Path (Venture/Virgin, 1988, reissued 2015 by ESP-Disk) with Peter Brötzmann (bass saxophone), Sonny Sharrock (guitar), Bill Laswell (Fender 6-string bass), Ronald Shannon Jackson (drums), Martin Bisi (recording engineer)
3. [34:23] Peter Brötzmann, Majid Bekkas, Hamid Drake: Hamdouchia (excerpt). From Catching Ghosts (ACT Music, 2023) with Peter Brötzmann (tenor saxophone, clarinet), Majid Bekkas (guembri, voice), Hamid Drake (drums, percussion), Martin Seelig, Sibylle Strobel (recording engineers). NOTE: Recorded live April 11, 2022 at Jazzfest Berlin
4. [39:55] Peter Brötzmann, Alexander von Schlippenbach, Han Bennink: Frictional Sounds (excerpt). From Fifty Years After… (Trost, 2019) with Peter Brötzmann (tenor saxophone, clarinet, tarogato), Alexander von Schlippenbach (piano), Han Bennink (drums). NOTE: Recorded live May 26, 2018 at Lila Eule, Bremen
5. [43:59] Peter Brötzmann, Hamid Drake: It's an Angel on the Door. From The Dried Rat-Dog (Okka, 1995) with Peter Brötzmann (tárogató), Hamid Drake (tabla), Bradley Parker-Sparrow (recording engineer)
6. [50:40] Peter Brötzmann, Milford Graves, William Parker: Side C (excerpt). From Historic Music Past Tense Future (Black Editions, 2021) with Peter Brötzmann (reeds), Milford Graves (drums), William Parker (bass), Eremite Mobile Unit (recording engineer). NOTE: Recorded live March 29, 2002 at CB's 313 Gallery, New York
7. [56:39] Outro with Oxbow and Peter Brötzmann: Skin
8. [1:00:55] Tom Johnson: Failing. From Bang on a Can Live Volume 1 (CRI, 1992) with Robert Black (double bass). NOTE: Composed 1975. Recorded live May 1988 at Bang on a Can, R.A.P.P. Arts Center, New York⠀
⠀
SET 3: Music of the night and the dark [1:09:31]
1. [1:11:08] Robert Black: Hunter Canyon, Night - Part 1 and 4 (excerpts). From Possessed (Cantaloupe, 2017) with Robert Black (bass), Joel Gordon (audio engineer). NOTE: Recorded August 28–30, 2013 on location outside Moab, UT
2. [1:16:05] Žibuoklė Martinaitytė: Mesopelagic - Part 4. From Hadal Zone (Cantaloupe, 2023) with Synaesthesis: Artoras Kazimekas (bass clarinet), Simonas Kaupinis (tuba), Arnas Kmieliauskas (cello), Donatas Butkevicius (contrabass), Marta Finkelstein (piano), Volti (choral samples from Chant des Voyelles), Robert Geary (choral conductor), Vilius Keras, Evelina Bajoriniene (recording engineers)
3. [1:19:05] Jesper Nordin: Sculpting the Air - Gestural Exformation (excerpts). From Vicinities (Kairos, 2022) with Manuel Poletti (computer music designer), Ensemble intercontemporain: Jérôme Comte, Martin Adámek (clarinets), Jens McManama, Jean-Christophe Vervoitte (cornets), Valeria Kafelnikov (harp), Gilles Durot (percussion), Jeanne-Marie Conquer, Diégo Tosi (violins), John Stulz (viola), Éric-Maria Couturier, Pierre Strauch (cellos), Nicolas Crosse (double bass), Lin Liao (conductor, live electronics), Perrine Ganjean (recording engineer). NOTE: Composed 2015⠀
⠀
SET 4: 50 years ago in the avant-garde [1:30:07]
1. [1:33:23] Bruno Mantovani: String Quartet No. 5. From Poétiques de l'instant II: Ravel & Mantovani (Alpha, 2023) with Quatuor Voce: Cécile Roubin, Sarah Dayan (violins), Guillaume Becker (viola), Lydia Shelley (cello), Hugues Deschaux (recording engineer)
2. [1:43:41] Sun Ra: What Planet Is This? Opening Improvisation. From What Planet Is This? (Leo, 2016) with Sun Ra and His Space Arkestra: Sun Ra (piano, mini-moog, organ, declamation), John Gilmore (tenor sax, percussion, voice), Marshall Allen (alto sax, oboe, flute, percussion, cowbell, voice), Danny Davis (alto sax, flute, percussion, voice), Larry Northington (alto sax, percussion, voice), Eloe Omoe (bass clarinet, bassoon, percussion, voice), Danny Ray Thompson (baritone sax, flute, percussion, voice), Pat Laurdine Patrick (baritone sax, oboe, voice), James Jacson (bassoon, flute, percussion, voice), Akh Tal Ebah (trumpet, fluegelhorn, megaphone, percussion, voice), Kwame Hadi (trumpet, percussion, voice), Dick Griffin (trombone, percussion, voice), Charles Stephens (trombone, percussion, voice), Hakim Jami (tuba, percussion), Alzo Wright (cello, percussion), Ronnie Boykins (bass), Lex Humphries, Aye Aton (drums), Atakatune (congas, tympani), Odun (congas), Harry Richards (percussion), June Tyson (voice, declamation, percussion, dance), Judith Holton (voice, dance), Ruth Wright (voice, dance), Cheryl Banks (voice, dance). NOTE: Recorded live July 6, 1973 in New York
3. [1:49:12] Sun Ra: Creation Is Fabrication. From Space Is The Place Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Modern Harmonic, 2023) with Sun Ra & His Intergalactic Solar Arkestra: Sun Ra (vocals, piano, keyboard, Minimoog, Farfisa, Hohner Clavinet, Rocksichord, vocals), Marshall Allen (alto sax, flute, oboe, bassoon, kora, cowbell, percussion), Danny Davis (alto sax, flute, bass clarinet, percussion), Larry Northington (alto sax, congas, percussion), John Gilmore (tenor sax, drums, percussion, strings, vocals), Eloe Omoe (bass clarinet, bongos, percussion), Danny Ray Thompson (baritone sax, percussion), Kwame Hadi (trumpet, congas, vibraphone), Wayne Harris (trumpet), Lex Humphries (drums), Ken Moshesh (congas), June Tyson (vocals, bells). NOTE: Recorded early 1972 in San Francisco at the sessions for Space Is The Place but intended for the (never-released) album The Mathematics of the Altered Destiny. This is its first release
4. [1:55:23] Outro with Sun Ra: Ancient Aiethopia (stereo mix from Jazz in Silhouette Expanded Edition)
Photo credits: Evgueni Galperine by Craig McDean, Robert Black by Elliott Fredouelle, 2022 Jazzfest Berlin (Majid Bekkas, Peter Brötzmann, Hamid Drake) by Geert Vandepoele, Mothers of Invention in Australia 1973 (Bruce Fowler, Ralph Humphrey, Tom Fowler, Ian Underwood, Frank Zappa, George Duke, Ruth Underwood, Jean-Luc Ponty) via Zappa estate, Sufjan Stevens via the artist, Žibuoklė Martinaitytė by Tomas Terekas, Bruno Mantovani by Ferrante Ferranti, June Tyson and Sun Ra in Space Is the Place, W David Oliphant via the artist.