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Peter Brötzmann trio...


pryan

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Saturday night Brötzmann is bringing his trio to town. I'll admit to having none of his albums, nor have I ever heard him play, but I picked up tickets anyway because I know he's basically an avant-garde/free jazz legend. Anything I can expect from these guys? Am I in for a treat? I'm hoping he brings some discs too; maybe I can meet him after the show.

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Thanks for that, David.  I'll make sure to brace myself for the handshake. 

I should have mentioned that he'll have Marino Pliakas on electric bass and Michael Wertmüller on drums.

I'm really psyched to hear this group!

I don't know anything about Pliakas, but I've heard some nice music by Wertmüller, in a group called Steamboat Switzerland and on Brotz' album Nothung.

If you do a search for "Wertmüller", by post, you'll find some comments in the Funny Rat thread. Board member D.D. is a big fan of his.

Let us know how the show is!

Also, does anyone know of an online resource that lists all of these tourdates?

Edited by John B
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Thanks for that, David.  I'll make sure to brace myself for the handshake. 

I should have mentioned that he'll have Marino Pliakas on electric bass and Michael Wertmüller on drums.

I'm really psyched to hear this group!

I don't know anything about Pliakas, but I've heard some nice music by Wertmüller, in a group called Steamboat Switzerland and on Brotz' album Nothung.

If you do a search for "Wertmüller", by post, you'll find some comments in the Funny Rat thread. Board member D.D. is a big fan of his.

Let us know how the show is!

Also, does anyone know of an online resource that lists all of these tourdates?

I'll have a review written by Sunday afternoon, John. Thanks for the info.

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Also, does anyone know of an online resource that lists all of these tourdates?

Broetzmann-Pliakas-Wertmueller

Peter Broetzmann, Reeds

Marino Pliakas, E-Bass

Michael Wertmueller, Drums

October 13/04: USA-New York/Knitting Factory (www.knittingfactory.com)

October 14/04: USA-Berkeley, Ca/Jazzhouse ( www.thejazzhouse.com )

October 15/04: USA-Los Angeles, Ca/Villa Aurora ( www.villa-aurora.org )

October 16/04: CAN-Winnipeg/send+receive festival ( www.sendandreceive.org)

October 18/04: CAN-Victoria/Open Space ( www.openspace.ca )

October 19/04: USA-Seattle, Wa/Earshot Jazz Festival ( www.earshot.org )

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The concert was an unbelievable experience. The trio played in a old movie theater in downtown Winnipeg. There was maybe 75 people at the show, max, but everyone was really into the music.

Brötzman came out blowing extremely hard on tenor sax, with a sound that was just gigantic. The drummer, Wertmüller, took a solo on the opening piece that was like a volcanic eruption of the highest magnitude. His limbs were seemingly flailing all over the place, but the torrents of sound and the extreme colours that came from the drumset showed that he was, indeed, in control; the wildest drum solo I've ever witnessed. The bassist was really versitile as well, producing a variety of tones and effects that contributed greatly and enhanced the group sound.

The leader played three reeds: tenor sax, what looked to be a metal clarinet (although it could have been a sax as well, but not a soprano), and a bass clarinet. His range of emotion and technical prowess was a sight to behold. Multiphonics were on display on a number of occasions, which was a technique I had never really experienced "live" before.

The trio played two extended "tunes" at over twenty minutes each, followed by a short encore which clocked in at under five minutes. I bought a cd after the show entitled, NOTHUNG. It's a live date from 2001 with Wertmüller and William Parker on bass. I'm sure some of you have heard it; I haven't yet given it a spin.

If this group stops at a location near you, make sure to check them out. Trust me on this one.

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Looks like a great live music experience! I also never heard this bassist, but Wertmüller I know from Nothung, and he is indeed a phenomenal and unique musician. I can only imagine what he sounds like live.

Nothung is an average+ Brötzmann record, meaning it's good (Wertmüller's work is the highlight for me), but there are many better ones. We discussed quite a few Brötzmann records in the Funny Rat thread, so a search should show enough of recommendations to keep your neightbours happy.

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Looks like a great live music experience! I also never heard this bassist, but Wertmüller I know from Nothung, and he is indeed a phenomenal and unique musician. I can only imagine what he sounds like live.

Nothung is an average+ Brötzmann record, meaning it's good (Wertmüller's work is the highlight for me), but there are many better ones. We discussed quite a few Brötzmann records in the Funny Rat thread, so a search should show enough of recommendations to keep your neightbours happy.

Thanks for the tip re: other Brötzman albums. I'll most definitely be seeking out more of his stuff in the future. Pliakas, the bass player, was using an instrument that had the end part of the guitar "cut off" (ie. there was no place to tune the strings). Near the end of the show he actually broke a string and subsequently didn't play as much.

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Pliakas, the bass player, was using an instrument that had the end part of the guitar "cut off" (ie. there was no place to tune the strings).  Near the end of the show he actually broke a string and subsequently didn't play as much.

Perhaps the tuning knobs are at the other end of the strings?

Edited by 7/4
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I saw this trio at Villa Aurora in Los Angeles last Friday night. It was billed as the trio of teh drummer, as he was an alumni of the Villa, which is an Artist Residency program based in a big house in Pacific Palisades. Really a superb trio.

The setting was a living room in the villa, with an ornate ceiling, hors d'oevres. Brotzmann was dressed casually, not like his smart green coat in which I saw him with the tentet at Tonic a few years ago. He started on soprano sax with us, then tenor, then bass clarinet. They played one piece for about an hour, then a very brief encore. Great fiery waves of music with subdued interludes, sometimes all three, sometimes their solos.

Wertmüller and Pliakas were also great. Can't recommend Wertmüller enough. And Pliakas played electric bass, from which I normally shy away, but he produced marvellous sounds from it, repeating figures, accompaniment to the others, almost the piano role

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Pliakas, the bass player, was using an instrument that had the end part of the guitar "cut off" (ie. there was no place to tune the strings).  Near the end of the show he actually broke a string and subsequently didn't play as much.

Perhaps the tuning knobs are at the other end of the strings?

Possibly a Steinberger bass? The tuning knobs ARE at the pick-up end, and often (especially on whammy-bar models) with an automatic "calibrator" for rapid re-tuning.

xl-lineup.jpg

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I was gonna see him with Vandermark and Gustavsen in the Sonore Trio here in Pittsburgh. It's NMCOT but I wanted to try it out. The cover was 25. I wasn't about to pay that much for a show that I knew I would leave saying to myself, "Why did I just do that." If it had been cheaper, I would have gone just for the novelty of it.

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