“Brötzmann and Nilssen-Love have a history going back 15 years, based on a predilection for musical intensity, an innate respect for technical excellence and an indifference to the pigeonholing of genres. Their age difference of over 30 years brings a refreshing bearing to their roughshod, roller-blading excursions across windblown jazz, punk, and rhythmically hewn expressionist scenery, and is also reflected in the devoted cross-generational following that they have built up, which filled the room on the first night of their two-day stint.” –Geoff Winston, London Jazz News
“Very few musicians in the history of jazz and creative music have created a voice as powerful and distinct as as legendary German saxophonist, Peter Brötzmann. Playing with unyielding conviction, he blows with relentless, brutal passion; an honest and innovative voice during a time of despair, devoid of creative respect and sensitivity”–Lloyd Peterson, Music & the Creative Spirit
“Norwegian drummer Paal Nilssen-Love’s mature style is a riveting blend of the power of a rock or drum’n’bass player, the rhythmic freedoms of a contemporary improviser and the sense of detail of an abstract percussionist.” –John Fordham, London Guardian
Peter Brötzmann is one of the most important and uncompromising figures in free jazz and has been at the forefront of developing a unique, European take on free improvisation since the 1960s.
Brötzmann first trained as a painter and was associated with Fluxus (Participating in various events and working as an assistant to Nam Jun Paik) before dissatisfaction with the art world moved his focus towards music. However he continued to paint and his instantly recognisable visual sensibility has produced some of our favourite LP sleeves as well as a number of gallery shows in recent years.
Self-taught on Clarinet and Saxophone, Brötzmann established himself as one of the most powerful and original players around, releasing a number of now highly sought after sides of musical invention including the epochal ‘Machine Gun’ session in 1968 – originally released on his own Brö private press and later recordings for FMP (Free Music Production) the label he started with Jost Gebers. Brötzmann’s sound is “one of the most distinctive, life-affirming and joyous in all music” and he has performed with almost all of the major players of free music from early associations with Don Cherry and Steve Lacy to regular groupings with Peter Kowald, Alex Von Slippenbach, Han Bennink and Fred Van Hove, the Chicago Tentet (Mats Gustafsson/Joe McPhee/Ken Vandermark and more) and various one-off and ad hoc associations with many others including Keiji Haino, Derek Bailey, Evan Parker, Anthony Braxton and Rashied Ali.
Paal Nilssen-Love is “one of the most innovative, dynamic and versatile drummers in jazz!” (Downbeat). He has lent his incredible speed and unstoppable creative dynamism to countless groups, notably The Thing and his long-running duo with Chicago saxophonist Ken Vandermark.
Website for bandleader/key players:
tour specific info will be at www.eremite.com.