Peter Brötzmann, Fred Van Hove, Han Bennink - FMP 130

PETER BRÖTZMANN, FRED VAN HOVE, HAN BENNINK - FMP 130 (FMP, 1973)

Peter Brötzmann: clarinet, alto, tenor, baritone and bass saxophones
Fred Van Hove: piano, celeste
Han Bennink: drums, khene, rhythm-box, selfmade clarinet, gachi, oe-oe, voice, tins, home-made junk, elong, dhung, kaffir piano, dhung-dkar.

1. For Donaueschingen ever (03.40)
2. Konzert für 2 klarinetten (04.07)
3. Nr. 7 (03.20), Wir haben uns folgendes überlegt (02.56)
4. Paukenhändschen im blaubeerenwald (05.56)
5. Nr. 9 (01.35)
6. Gere bij (05.25)
7. Nr. 4 (04.45),
8. Nr. 6 (05.33)
9. Donaueschingen for ever (02.27)

 Originally, this 1973 recording was released without a title; Atavistic's 30th anniversary reissue is titled FMP 130, after the original album's catalog number, which is how most fans refer to it. Unlike most albums including this trio of players (reedsman Peter Brötzmann, pianist Fred Van Hove, and percussionist Han Bennink), which usually feature two side-long group improvisations, FMP 130 consists of ten concise pieces, each one credited to a single composer. This makes the pieces more focused, while still retaining the fearless improvisational spirit that powers their other work. Brötzmann's overdubbed "Konzert Fur 2 Klarinetten" is one of his most squealing, cacophonous works ever; parts of it sound like the amplified screech of nails on a blackboard. Other tracks, such as Van Hove's "Wir Haben Uns Folgerdes Uberlegt" (which features an otherworldly sound akin to Tuvan throat singing, apparently coming from Brötzmann, though it's nearly impossible to tell if this is a vocal or instrumental sound) are more sedate. "Number 6," for example, consists of largely unaccompanied solo lines from each of the three players, that fade in and out in a drifting, eddying sound that includes passages of near-silence, resulting in a genuinely contemplative mood. Because of this varied dynamic and the brief, accessible song lengths, FMP 130 is an excellent introduction to this circle of composer/performers for the cautious neophyte.(from AMG)

HERE

Han Bennink, Misha Mengelberg, John Tchicai - ICP 002

 HAN BENNINK, MISHA MENGELBERG, JOHN TCHICAI (ICP, 1968)

Han Bennink: percussion
Misha Mengelberg: piano
John Tchicai: alto saxophone

1. Amagabowl part 1, no. A B C D E
2. Amagabowl part 2, no. F G H I J
3. Sweet smells
4. Vietcong

HERE

Han Bennink & Willem Breuker - New Acoustic Swing Duo (ICP 001)

HAN BENNINK + WILLEM BREUKER - New Acoustic Swing Duo (ICP, 1967)

Willem Breuker: soprano, alto & tenor saxophones, Eb & bass clarinets
Han Bennink: percussion, drums, voice

1. Music For John Tchicai
2. Felix Meritis and B.V.
3. I.C.P. 1 For Marteen Derksen
4. Singing The Impalpable Blues
5. Mr. M.A. de R. in A.

HERE

If you like the ICP recordings, you can check a lot of them on the LUCKY PSYCHIC HUT

Manfred Schoof - European Echoes

Enrico Rava: trumpet
Manfred Schoof: trumpet
Hugh Steinmetz: trumpet
Peter Brötzmann: tenor saxophone
Gerd Dudek: tenor saxophone
Evan Parker: soprano & tenor saxophones
Paul Rutherford: trombone
Derek Bailey: guitar
Fred Van Hove: piano
Alexander von Schlippenbach: piano
Irène Schweizer: piano
Arjen Gorter: double bass
Peter Kowald: double bass
Buschi Niebergall: double bass
Han Bennink: drums
Pierre Favre: drums

The lineup says it all. Derek Bailey, Peter Brotzmann, Fred Van Hove, Alexander von Schlippenbach, just to name a few, are all here. I’ve always put this album in context by thinking of it as the non-idiomatic improvisational cousin of Ornette Coleman’s Free Jazz. There is the all-star lineup, the big group moving and swaying and surging, just as there is in Free Jazz. Each player would go on to do even greater things individually or in new configurations. Yet this album, at least from an American perspective, is much less celebrated, which I’ve found curious.

Part of that can be geographic, obviously. Another reason for the supremacy of Free Jazz on these shores is Coleman’s ties to traditional US folk music, where his abstractions would be broken up, or kept in context, by fleeting phrasings (or rephrasings) of memorable tunes. Here there is much less recognizable in terms of melodies under the fray. In this way, it is a more European version of Coltrane’s Ascension. Of course, that is fine praise. And, it is my guess, if you’re a fan of Free Jazz, but enjoy a harsher edge, like Ascension, but want less clutter, then European Echoes is right up your alley.

Unlike some other giant group affairs, this plays slightly more like Bitches Brew in that this record breaks up its storms with a lot of individual showcasing. There is just less going on at one time for a decent number of stretches. In this way, you can hear this as a fresher approach, one that resembles the smaller group free improv of today. The other great thing about this record is that many players are still active, or were at least active recently. This allows you to see how they play in the context of new groups comprised of players that grew up with this sort of thing as respected music rather than a radical statement.

All in all, this is one of the better records posted to KiC, and hopefully a new rip, improved cover art, etc. will help it continue to gain in esteem.(from KILLEDinCARS)

1969 EUROPEAN ECHOES

Derek Bailey & Han Bennink - ICP 004

Derek Bailey: guitar
Han Bennink: drums, oeoe, gachi, conch-trumpet

1969 ICP 004

Misha Mengelberg, John Tchicai, Han Bennink, Derek Bailey - Fragments

ICP ORCHESTRA:
Misha Mengelberg: piano
John Tchicai: saxophone
Derek Bailey: guitar
Han Bennink: drums, percussion

1970 ICP 005