Alliance for Improvised Music

  

BROTZMANN QUARTET PAYS JOYFUL HOMAGE TO AYLER

Peter Brotzmann's Die Like a Dog Quartet (William Parker bass; Hamid Drake drums; Roy Campbell trumpet) will be playing at the Griffith Film Theatre in Duke's Bryan Center on Wednesday, April 19. You can find a map and driving directions on the web at www.duke.edu/directions/mapsplash.html. Showtime is 8 pm, tix are $14/$8 students, and can be purchased in advance at (919) 684-4444. Sponsored by the Duke Institute of the Arts, WXDU 88.7 FM, and AIM.

Most descriptions of Peter Brotzmann's music will include the words loud, energetic, blustering, creative, colossal and uncompromising. These descriptors are certainly accurate, particularly when describing his landmark 1968 album "Machine Gun," but over the past thirty years Brotzmann has proven that his music is also sensitive, thoughtful, important and (dare I say?) accessible. Brotzmann's influence on and contribution to jazz and creative music during his lifetime has been immeasurable.

When people search for the most obvious influences and legacies of his sound, comparisons are inevitably made with John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, Pharoah Sanders, and modern musicians like Charles Gayle and David S.Ware. German-born Brotzmann was a pioneer and arrived at his methods independently of any obvious influence, apart from Coltrane and the earlier exponents of the horn, who of course influenced every generation thereafter. Together with people like Derek Bailey, Han Bennink, Peter Kowald, Evan Parker and others, Brotzmann has become known as one of the inventors and continuing proponents of the European Avant-Garde. These days he is clearly an international figure, even without a major label behind him. Recording with Ginger Baker, Don Cherry, Cecil Taylor, Ken Vandermark, William Parker and many other prominent figures, he continues to surround himself with masterful and innovative musicians to this day. Brotzmann only plays with people he feels good about.

One of his more recently formed groups, Die Like a Dog is dedicated to the memory of Albert Ayler. Featuring William Parker on bass, Hamid Drake on percussion, and Toshinori Kondo or Roy Campbell on trumpet (Campbell for the Duke show), the group has recorded 3 albums (with Kondo) for the FMP label and the most recent (with Campbell) From Valley to Valley, a document of their appearance at last year's Fire in the Valley festival, for the Eremite label. This group certainly evokes the passion and spirituality of Ayler's music, but, perhaps due to their geographic separation and mutual understanding of the music, there is a clear sense of joy and playfulness when this group hits the stage. Parker and Campbell are based in New York City and have collaborated on more projects than I can name - most notably Campbell's Pyramid Trio and Other Dimensions in Music, and Parker is a frequent collaborator with Brotzmann. Drake has worked regularly with Brotzmann over the last decade, including numerous recordings, and he's part of Peter's Chicago Octet/Tentet and records frequently with Fred Anderson and Ken Vandermark (he's the "D" in the DKV Trio).

This familiarity as individuals leads to great things as a group. Although Parker and Drake have seldom recorded together outside of Die Like a Dog (at least to my knowledge), it's as if they've been playing together all their lives. Their duets in this group and others during last year's Vision Festival in NYC were the highlight of the festival for me. The show I saw had Kondo rather than Campbell, but you can find a fine example of this formation's work on the Eremite cd.

While Brotzmann has been seen more in America the last 5 years, most of his appearances have been far from the Triangle (Chicago, New York, Atlanta, etc.). This is a chance for local music fans to see one of the pillars of free jazz in one of the premier groups of our time. Don't miss it!

- Jeff Stern

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