Peter Broetzmann

His torrential, incendiary language, partially borrowed from Albert Ayler's harshest tones after removing the lyrical subtleties, set the pace for Broetzmann's 17-minute Machine Gun, Van Hove's ten-minute Responsible and Breuker's eleven-minute Music for Han Bennink on a seminal recording of European free-jazz, Machine Gun (may 1968), performed by an octet with three saxophonists (Broetzmann, Willem Breuker, Evan Parker), piano (Fred Van Hove), two basses (Kowald and Buschi Niebergall), two drummers (Han Bennink and Johansson). Sheer intensity replaced the concepts of order and structure.

Nipples (april 1969) contained the 15-minute timbral nightmare Tell a Green Man by a quartet with pianist Fred Van Hove, bassist Buschi Niegergall and Dutch drummer Han Bennink, and the 18-minute collective maelstrom Nipples by a sextet with tenor saxophonist Evan Parker, guitarist Derek Bailey, Van Hove, Niegergall and Bennink.

Another furious performance of the time, the 36-minute Fuck de Boere (march 1970), off Fuck de Boere (2001), featured Breuker, Parker, Van Hove, Bennink, guitarist Derek Bailey and four trombones (Malcolm Griffiths, Willem van Manen, Buschi Niebergall, Paul Rutherford).

Trimming down the line-up to a trio with only Van Hove and Bennink, Broetzmann recorded the exuberant Balls (august 1970), with the 14-minute Balls and the eleven-minute De Daag Waarop Sipke Eindelijk Zijn Nagels Knipte, En Verder Alle Ander. The trio is also documented on the live Jazz In Der Kammer Nr. 71 (november 1971, released 50 years later), containing the 22-minute Boogie Fuer Fred and the 18:30-minute Der Mammutzahn aus Balve.

Augmented with trombonist Albert Mangelsdorff, the trio indulged live in the 20-minute Florence Nightingale, the 15-minute Elements, the 21-minute Couscouss de la Mauresque, the 19-minute Wenn Mein Schaetzlein auf die Pauke Haut and the 23-minute The End, first documented on Elements, The End and Couscouss de la Mauresque (all recorded in august 1971), and later collected on Live In Berlin (august 1971).

The trio jammed with 15 children in the four-side long Free Jazz und Kinder (april 1972). Then, appropriately, recorded the childish Broetzmann/ van Hove/ Bennink (february 1973), featuring Broetzmann on alto, tenor, baritone and bass saxophones as well as on clarinet, Van Hove on piano and celesta and Bennink on all sorts of percussion including a rhythm machine. Einheitsfrontlied (march 1973) was issued as a single.

The two volumes of Outspan (april and may 1974) also featured Mangelsdorff with the trio (the 16-minute Serieuze Serie, the 18-minute Outspan No 1 and the 21-minute Ende mit Broetzophon).

After another childish endeavour, Tschus (september 1975), with Van Hove also on accordion and Bennink on all sorts of noises, the celebrated trio dissolved.

A disappointing Solo (may 1976) was followed by duets with Han Bennink: Ein Halber Hund Kann Nicht Pinkeln (april 1977), on which Broetzmann played soprano, alto, tenor saxophones, a-clarinet, b-flat clarinet, bass clarinet and piano, while Bennink played piano, drums, viola, banjo and bass clarinet, and Schwarzwaldfahrt (may 1977), recorded in the Black Forest (Bennink plays birdcall, wood, trees, sand, land, water, air...). Broetzmann and Bennink also formed a trio with pianist Misha Mengelberg for 3 Points and a Mountain (february 1979), containing Broetzmann's 3 Points and a Mountain, as well as 3 Points and a Mountain Plus (same session), containing Broetzmann's The Bar Seems to Vanish in the Distance.

Wolk In Hosen (may 1976) collects solo improvisations on alto, tenor, bass sax, clarinet and piano.

A new trio with bassist Harry Miller and drummer Louis Moholo smoothed out the edges on The Nearer the Bone the Sweeter the Meat (august 1979) and the double-LP live Opened but Hardly Touched (november 1980), with the extended improvisations of Special Request for Malibu, Opened but Hardly Touched and Double Meaning. Building on the foundations of this trio, Alarm (november 1981), containing the 37-minute Alarm, featured three saxophonists (Broetzmann, Breuker, Frank Wright), Japanese trumpeter Toshinori Kondo, pianist Alex Schlippenbach, two trombones, bass (Miller) and drums (Moholo). The music had lost much of its devastating strength, as if Broetzmann had fallen under the spell of Breuker.

Up And Down The Lion - Revised (september 1979 - Olof Bright, 2010) documents a trio with Peter Brötzmann (on saxes), Alexander Von Schlippenbach (on piano) and Sven-Åke Johansson (on drums).

Other collaborations included: Pica-Pica (september 1982) with Mangelsdorff and percussionist Guenter "Baby" Sommer; Berlin Djungle (november 1984), credited to the Clarinet Project (Broetzman on saxophones, trumpeter Toshinori Kondo, two trombones, five clarinetists including Tony Coe and John Zorn, bassist William Parker and drummer Tony Oxley); Trollymog (june 1986) with Peter Kowald; Last Exit, a metal-jazz group formed in 1986 with drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson, guitarist Sonny Sharrock and rock bassist Bill Laswell; Go-No-Go (january 1987) with fellow saxophonist Alfred Harth; Low Life (january 1987) With Bill Laswell; Whatthefuckdoyouwant (march 1987) with guitarist Sonny Sharrock; No Material (march 1987) with rock drummer Ginger Baker and Sonny Sharrock; Reserve (november 1988) with Sommer and bassist Barre Phillips; In a State of Undress (march 1989) with trumpeter Manfred Schoof; Last Home (august 1990) with Casper Brotzmann; etc.

Triangle (december 1987) documents a live performance with Japanese drummer Sabu Toyozumi.

Niels Jensen's The New York Street Percussionists (august 1990) documents a collaboration among Jamal Evans (buckets and metals), Robert Russo (keyboards), Bernie Worrel (keyboards), Nicky Skopelitis (synthesizer), Bill Laswell (bass), Niels Jensen (resonator guitar and vocals) and Peter Brotzmann (saxophones).

The solo albums were always less engaging than his small-combo recordings: 14 Love Poems (august 1984), No Nothing (december 1990), Right As Rain (august 2000).

Broetzmann's best combo of the period was the Die Like a Dog Quartet, formed with bassist Wiliam Parker, drummer Hamid Drake and trumpeter Toshinori Kondo, and documented on the live Fragments of Music, Life and Death of Albert Ayler (august 1993), the two volumes of Little Birds Have Fast Hearts (november 1997), From Valley To Valley (july 1998), with Roy Campbell replacing Kondo, and Aoyama Crows (november 1999), with Kondo back in the ranks.

The live Blue City (october 1997) documents duets with trombonist Johannes Bauer.

In 1997 Broetzmann formed the Chicago Octet that lined up percussionists Hamid Drake and Michael Zerang, bassist Kent Kessler, cellist Fred Lomberg-Holm and trombonist Jeb Bishop around three three saxophonists/clarinetists: Broetzmann, Ken Vandermark and Mars Williams. The Chicago Tentet was the octet augmented with Mats Gustafsson on baritone saxophone and fluteophone and Joe McPhee on pocket cornet, valve trombone and soprano saxophone. The triple-CD The Chicago Octet/Tentet (september 1997) documented the compositional versatility, ranging from Vandermark's conventional notation (Other Brothers) to Broetzmann's post-Cage notations (Burning Spirit, Foolish Infinity). The ensemble's tour de force was Stonewater, documented both on the live Stone/Water (may 1999), with Kondo's trumpet replacing Williams and William Parker replacing Kessler, and on Broken English (july 2000), with Williams and Kessler (and Roy Campbell replacing Kondo). Tentet-like line-ups recorded Short Visit to Nowhere (july 2000), Two Lightboxes (july 2000), Images (november 2003), Signs (november 2003), Be Music Night (november 2004).

Collaborations at the turn of the century included: Songlines (october 1991) with Fred Hopkins and Rashied Ali; Dried Rat Dog (may 1994) with Hamid Drake; Evolving Blush or Driving Original Sin (april 1996) with Japanese guitarist Keiji Haino; The Wels Concert (november 1996) With Hamid Drake and Mahmoud Gania; Eight by Three (april 1996) with pianist Borah Bergman and saxophonist Anthony Braxton; Live At Nefertiti (march 1999) with Swedish drummer Peeter Uuskyla and Danish guitarist Peter Friis Nielsen; Noise of Wings (march 1999) with Nielsen and drummer Peeter Uuskyla; Shadows (march 2000) with Haino and Japanese drummer Shoji Hano; Northung (june 2001) with Parker and percussionist Michael Wertmueller; Never Too Late But Always Too Early (april 2001) with Drake and Parker; Tales Out of Time (june 2002) with saxophonist/trumpeter Joe McPhee, bassist Kent Kessler and drummer Michael Zerang; Medicina (march 2003) with Nielsen and drummer Peeter Uuskyla; Still Quite Popular After All Those Years (february 2004) with Bennink; etc. Close Up (november 1994) documents a live performance by Die Like A Dog with Toshinori Kondo (trumpet, electronics), William Parker (double bass) and drummer Hamid Drake.

Peter Brotzmann and Mat Gustafsson fronted the Wild Mans Band, mostly a quartet, on The Wild Mans Band (november 1997), Three Rocks And A Pine (september 1999) and The Darkest River (may 2001),

Guts (august 2005) was a collaboration among Joe McPhee on trumpet and saxophones, Peter Broetzmann on saxophones, Kent Kessler on double bass and Michael Zerang on drums: the 17-minute Guts and the 41-minute Rising spirits

American Landscapes 1 & 2 (may 2006) documents two improvisations by saxophonists Ken Vandermark, Mats Gustafsson and Joe McPhee, trombonist Hannes Bauer, tuba player Per-ake Holmlander, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm, bassist Kent Kessler and drummers Michael Zerang and Paal Nilssen-Love.

At Molde 2007 (july 2007) documented a live performance by the Chicago Tentet (the 40-minute Ten by Ten, the 23-minute Step by Step).

The double-disc Born Broke (september 2006) is a collaboration with drummer Peeter Uuskyla over four lengthy pieces: Born Broke (21.45), Beautiful but Stupid (13.33), Ain't Got the Money (22.29), Dead and Useless (38.24).

BRO-C in Amherst 2006 (october 2006) documents eight duets between Peter Broetzmann and Han Bennink.

Sonore, the trio of Mats Gustafsson, Ken Vandermark and Peter Brotzmann, was documented on the live No One Ever Works Alone (october 2003) and double-disc Call Before You Dig (december 2008), that contains both a live and a studio session.

The Damage Is Done (march 2008), including the 30-minute title-track, features Joe McPhee on trumpet and alto sax, Kent Kessler on bass and Michael Zerang on drums.

Peter Brötzmann and Michael Zerang under the moniker Berg und Talfahrt released a live recording, A Night In Sana'a (december 2004 - Armored, 2009) with a quintet of traditional Yemeni musicians.

Volda (april 2008), credited to Paal/Michiyo/Broe, was a collaboration with Michiyo Yagi (on 21 and 17 string-koto) and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love, a 43-minute three-part suite.

Goosetalks (february 2008) reedist Mikolaj Trzaska and trombonist Johannes Bauer.

Sweetsweat (may 2006), containing the 34-minute Burnt Sugar, and Woodcuts (october 2008) were collaborations with percussionist Paal Nilssen-Love.

The five-disc box-set 3 Nights In Oslo (february 2009) documents live performances with the Chicago Tentet+1 (Mats Gustafsson on alto fluteophone and baritone sax, Joe McPhee on tenor sax, pocket trumpet and flugelhorn, Johannes Bauer and Jeb Bishop on trombone, Per Ake Holmlander on tuba and cimbasso, Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello and electronics, Kent Kessler on double bass, Michael Zerang and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums)

Crumbling Brain (november 2008) is another live album with Marino Pliakas on electric bass, Michael Wertmüller on drums, Peter Evans on trumpet, Mars Williams on alto & tenor sax, and guitarist Keiji Haino.

Lost & Found (july 2006) document a live solo improvisation for tenor, alto, clarinet and tarogato.

A sax-bass-drums trio recorded A Tale Of Three Cities (may 2007).

The quartet of Peter Brötzmann, Toshinori Kondo, bassist Massimo Pupillo and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love recorded the live Hairy Bones at Fresnes (october 2009) and the trio without Kondo recorded the live Roma (december 2008).

Full Blast, a trio with bassist Mario Piakas and drummer Michael Wertmueller, released the live Sketches & Ballads (october 2010), featuring Ken Vandermark (reeds), Thomas Heberer (trumpet) and Dirk Rothbrust (percussions), and disbanded after Risc (Trost, 2016).

Fred Lonberg-Holm, Peter Brotzmann and Paal Nilssen-Love formed the Ada Trio that debuted with the mini-album Ada (april 2011).

Soria Moria (february 2003) is a duo with Frode Gjerstad.

The Worse The Better Live At Cafe OTO (january 2010) debuted the trio of Peter Brotzmann on sax, Steve Noble on drums and John Edwards on bass. For Mental Shake (august 2013) Jason Adasiewicz (vibraphone) joined the trio.

The double-disc live Solo + Trio Roma (may 2011) contains both solo and the 70-minute trio improvisation Music Marries Room To Room with Paal-Nilssen-Love (drums) and Massimo Pupillo (electric bass).

Brotzmann, Peter Kowald on contrabass and Pierre Courbois on drums recorded the live EP Mayday (may 1966).

Snakelust (august 2011) was a live improvisation with Toshinori Kondo (trumpet, electronics), Massimo Pupillo (electric bass) and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums).

Brötzmann (on alto & tenor saxes, tarogato and clarinet) recorded Yatagarasu (november 2011) in a trio with Takeo Moriyama (drums) and Masahiko Satoh (piano). It includes the 26-minute Yatagarasu and the 30-minute Icy Spears.

Hairy Bones's Snakelust (august 2011) contains a 53-minute live improvised jam with Toshinori Kondo (trumpet, electronics), Massimo Pupillo (electric bass) and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums).

The double-disc Walk, Love, Sleep (april 2011) documents Brotzmann's Chicago tentet with Ken Vandermark, Mats Gustafsson, Joe McPhee, Jeb Bishop, Johannes Bauer, Per Ake Holmlander, Fred Lonberg-Holm, Kent Kessler, Michael Zerang and Paal Nilssen-Love, improvising the 45-minute To Walk In, the 32-minute To Love In and the 21-minute Sleep In.

Solo At Dobialab (august 2010) is a solo live performance.

Brotzmann also recorded with the Turkish ensemble Konstrukt Dolunay (november 2008), Eklisia Sunday (may 2011) and the live The Message (february 2014).

The ADA Trio (saxophonist Peter Brotzmann, cellist Fred Lonberg-Holm and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love) recorded ADA Steve Noble OTO (february 2012) and ADA Pat Thomas OTO (2013).

Solid & Spirit (april 2010) was an improvised duet with percussionist Hamid Drake.

I Am Here Where Are You (january 2013) was another live duet between Peter Brötzmann (on tenor and alto saxes, B-clarinet and tarogato) and drummer Steve Noble.

A Fish Stinks From The Head (april 2013 - Eremite, 2013) documents a collaboration between Peter Brotzmann (alto & tenor saxes, b-flat clarinet and tarogato) and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums).

Soulfood Available (july 2013) documents a live performance by Peter Brotzmann (tenor and alto saxes, b-flat clarinet, tarogato), John Edwards (double bass) and Steve Noble (drums), including the 44-minute Soulfood Available.

Two City Blues (november 2010 - Trost, 2015) documents sessions by Keigi Haino (guitar, shamisen and vocals), Peter Broetzmann (tenor and alto saxes, clarinet and tarogato), and Jim O'Rourke (guitar).

The trio with John Edwards (double bass) and Steve Noble (drums) recorded the live Soulfood Available (july 2013).

Mollie's In The Mood (september 2012) documents a collaboration with vibraphonist Jason Adasiewicz, notably the 19-minute Mollie's In The Mood.

1971 (june 1971) collects unreleased music by the historic trio of Peter Brotzmann (tenor sax), Fred Van Hove (piano) and Han Bennink (drums, percussion), notably the 26-minute Just For Altena.

Krakow Nights (february 2015), featuring Steve Swell (trombone) and Paal Nilssen-Love (drums), contains the 38-minute Full Spectrum Response.

Muenster Bern (Cubus, 2015) documents a 2013 solo live performance.

The 28-minute Ears Are Filled With Wonder (november 2015) documents a collaboration with Heather Leigh ( pedal steel guitar).

The live Left documents a trio with Borah Bergman (piano) and Frode Gjerstad (alto sax), and contains the 25-minute Left Out.

Beautiful Lies (february 2014) was a collaboration with the International Composers and Improvisers (ICI) Ensemble. and contains the 32-minute Beauty Doesn't Lie and the 40-minute Auge Des Betrachters.

The double-disc set Song Sentimentale (january 2015) collects three live improvisations by the trio of Peter Broetzmann (tenor sax, clarinet, tarogato), William Parker (double bass, guembri, shakuhachi, shenai) and Hamid Drake (drums, frame drum, voice): Shake-A-Tear (11:40), Stone Death (26:17) and Dwellers In A Dead Land (24:58).

Broetzmann's Defibrillator featured Sebastian Smolyn (electric trombone), Artur Smolyn (electronics) and Oliver Steidle (drums) on Conversations About Not Eating Meat (Border of Silence, 2016).

The live Sex Tape (november 2016) was another collaboration with Heather Leigh, containing just one 48-minute piece.

Live In Tel Aviv (Not Two, 2017) features Peter Broetzmann on tenor & alto saxes, tarogato & clarinet, Steve Swell on trombone and Paal Nilssen-Love on drums & percussion, and contains two lengthy improvisations, the 31-minute The Greasy Grind and the 13-minute Ticklish Pickle.

Ouroboros (november 2007) and The Brain Of The Dog In Section (january 2011), containing four lenghty cerebral pieces, were collaborations between Peter Brotzmann (reeds) and Fred Lonberg Holm (strings, electronics).

Brotzmann released three albums of live duets with Heather Leigh Murray on pedal steel guitar: Ears Are Filled With Wonder (november 2015), Sex Tape (a 2016 concert in Austria) and Crowmoon (a 2017 concert in New Zealand), followed by their first studio album, Sparrow Nights (2018).

Peter Broetzmann (tenor sax, b-flat clarinet and tarogato) reunited with Alexander Von Schlippenbach (piano) and Han Bennink (drums) for a live tribute to Machine Gun's 50th birthday, documented on Fifty Years After (2019). South Moon Under (2019) documents a live performance with guitarist Heather Leigh Murray.

The solo album I Surrender Dear contains improvisations on famous tunes by Bing Crosby, Coleman Hawkins, Thelonius Monk, Sonny Rollins, and even Bach.

Karacho! (october 2017) documents the Big Bad Broetzmann Quintet with drummer Christian Lillinger, pianist Oliver Schwerdt, double bassists John Eckhardt and John Edwards. The follow-up, Bambule! (december 2019) is mainly devoted to the 37-minute Bambule.

Memories Of A Tunicate (june 2019) documents duets between Broetzmann (tenor sax, woodwinds, clarinet) and Fred Lonberg-Holm (cello and electronics).

Tongue In A Bell (january 2015) documents a live performance with synth-man Paul Smyth.

Chickenshit Bingo (august 2015) documents a session by Broetzmann (tarogato, clarinets and bass saxophone) with Paal Nilssen-Love (drums, gongs, percussion).

The four-LP box-set The Intellect Given Birth To Here (Eternity) Is Too Young (august 2018) documents new duets with guitarist Keiji Haino.

The Catch Of A Ghost (may 2019) with Hamid Drake (percussion) and the gnawa musician Maalem Moukhtar Gania (guembri, voice), is mainly devoted to the 33-minute title-track.

Peter Brotzmann (reeds), Milford Graves (drums, vocals, dancing) and William Parker (bass, Doussn'Gouni) recorded the four side-long pieces of Historic Music Past Tense Future (march 2002).

The live album The Catch Of A Ghost (may 2019) documents a trio with Maalem Moukhtar Gania (guembri) and Hamid Drake (drums).

Brotzmann's long-time collaborator Fred Van Hove died in 2022 at 85.

An Eternal Reminder Of Not Today (may 2018) documents a live collaboration with rock band Oxbow.

The 29-minute title-track of Naked Nudes (august 2021) featured Heather Leigh Murray on pedal steel guitar and Fred Lonberg-Holm on cello and electronics.

A trio with Toshinori Kondo (trumpet and electronics) and Sabu Toyozumi (drums) recorded the live Complete Link (october 2016), which contains the 48-minute First Monorail.

Brotzmann died in June 2023 at the age of 82.