PETER BRÖTZMANN / PETER FRIIS NIELSEN / PEETER UUSKYLA – Noise Of Wings (1999)

Label: Jazzwerkstatt – jw056
Format: CD, Album, Reissue; Country: Germany - Released: 01 Aug 2009
Style: Free Jazz, Free Improvisation
Recorded at Bohus Sound Recording, Kungälv, Sweden on March 14, 1999.
The first realization: Slask Records – SLACD019; Sweden 1999
Artwork – Chris Hinze
Design – Klaus Untiet, wppt:kommunikation
Executive-Producer – Ulli Blobel
Producer [Original Album] – Peeter Uuskyla
Recorded By – Dragan Tanaskovic

Swedish cover (1999), Design – Andrew Cowie, Brötzm

"We all know what Brotzmann does; that astonishing burst of energy which seems to boil out of the bell of his saxophone, that extreme sensitivity masquerading as bully-boy macho antics. His is one of the most extraordinary voices on the instrument around, and although well- known, his real talents are regularly underreported because of a tendency to view his playing in terms of noise, punky high-volume confrontation and retro-Aylerisms.

Well, this disk isn't going to change that perception for those who are still in the dark about Brotzmann's towering achievements. Only one track, entitled "A Real Dilemma, This One", reminds us of his ability to play slowly, carefully, and with extreme sensitivity to the reed. As often happens, it's the tarogato which leads him into this more reflective frame of mind. But even that track is a slow-burning whiskey ballad which Brotzmann growls his way through as if looking for someone to start a fight with. That coiled energy is a part of what makes him so special; it's unlike anything else in the world, and the suspicious would do well to start here.

Elsewhere, then, the wonderfully barrel-chested sound of the Brotzmann tenor is allowed to roam free. Nielsen is a free jazz drummer, with Andrew Cyrille's ability to swing even when the pulse seems almost lost, but he's a much sparser player than that early generation with their attachments to ride cymbals still strong. He seems able to describe the rhythm of the music with the smallest of gestures; an extremely valuable player.

Uuskyla plays bass like a percussion instrument, hitting it hard and staying, for the most part, in the bottom register where pitch can come second to attach and articulation. He seems to really love playing with Nielsen -- this writer suspects they're a regular duo -- and Brotzmann audibly enjoys their company. In short, the three lock together tightly and cook.

Nobody works harder than Brotzmann, and he makes his playing partners sweat just as hard as he does. Fortunately, it seems that neither Uuskyla nor Nielsen is afraid of hard work, and they pitch in with the kind of muscular, driving free jazz which makes the reedsman feel at home. A twenty-minute piece which moves between furious blowing and gentle passages with a sense of inevitable destiny crowns an excellent and very generously filled-out CD. Fans will find it essential; if you haven't heard Brotzmann yet, here's where to get on the bus. Highly recommended."

_ By RICHARD COCHRANE



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PETER BRÖTZMANN / PEETER UUSKYLA – Born Broke (2CD - 2008)

Label: Atavistic – ALP185CD
Format: 2 × CD Country: US - Released: 2008
Style: Free Jazz, Free Improvisation
Recorded at Bohus Sound Recording Kungälv, Sweden on September 9, 2006.
Cover – K.Untiet, Brötzmann
Re-Design by ART&JAZZ Studio; Designer - VITKO Salvarica - 2012
Engineer – Dragan Tanaskovic
Photography By – Amanda Protidou

Saxophone-drums duos are not commonplace in free jazz or improvised music, frequently producing something a bit special. The format dates back (at least) to John Coltrane & Rashied Ali ’ s Interstellar Space, with other notable contributions coming from Dewey Redman & Ed Blackwell, Jimmy Lyons & Andrew Cyrille, Evan Parker & John Stevens, and Anthony Braxton & Max Roach. Peter Brötzmann himself is a repeat offender, his long- standing duo with Han Bennink being particularly noteworthy.

The duo format allows no hiding place for either player. Not only is there no underpinning structure to fall back on, each player is in the spotlight constantly, being continually challenged by their playing partner. (This probably explains why the list of those who attempt this format reads like the premier league of sax players and drummers.) And so it is here with Brötzmann and Peeter Uuskyla.

Review:

German multi-reedist Peter Brötzmann, the grandfather of European free jazz, and Swedish drummer Peeter Uuskyla have been playing together in various line-ups for the past ten years. Although Brötzmann's dynamic range has expanded considerably since his early days as the fire-breathing author of the seminal Machine Gun (Atavistic, 1969), he hasn't lost any of his vivaciousness. Guided by the stalwart rhythmic focus of Uuskyla, the duo finds ample territory to explore throughout this double disc set.

Brötzmann's blast furnace intensity is legendary, and there are plenty of opportunities to bear witness to his acerbic testimonials over the course of these discs. The Ayler-esque folkiness of "Beautiful But Stupid" yields stretches of unflagging turbulence; Brötzmann wails with fervent abandon on tenor while Uuskyla flails like a whirlwind, every limb in motion. Trading velocity for volume, the bluesy swagger at the core of "Ain't Got The Money" is just as severe as the circuitous assaults that bookend "Dead And Useless."

With a conversational acumen years in the making, their subtle asides and interjections are proof of their acute listening abilities. The duo's finely tuned rapport manifests most clearly during the occasional introspective passage. As the second half of the title track subsumes to a hushed cry, Uuskyla's brushes waft over his snare, accompanied by gentle pulses from his bass drum, while Brötzmann unfurls muted multiphonic cries from his clarinet, invoking an air of melancholic discontent.

Uusklya is a far more orderly drummer than the proto-typical free jazz percussionist. Repeatable rhythms and pulse-based patterns are paramount to his approach, as roiling toms and staccato snare rolls interlock with well-timed cymbal crashes, unveiling liberally abstract swing. Eschewing lower case improv-styled theatrics, he embraces spontaneous composition from a far more traditional angle.

Uuskyla's structural aesthetic allows Brötzmann a series of formal constrains to improvise within and against. Their artistic temperament forms a virtual yin and yang balance; Uuskyla reins Brötzmann in, while Brötzmann pushes Uusklya. The creative tension between their approaches makes this session one of Brötzmann's more compelling and accessible releases.

Brötzmann has played with more apocalyptic ear-splitting frenzy elsewhere, but not with as much clarity and diversity. Full of visceral beauty, passion and pathos, Born Broke is a prime example of contemporary free improvisation and a perfect introduction to one of the innovators of European free jazz.

_ By TROY COLLINS, Published: February 13, 2008 (AAJ)



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BENGT FRIPPE NORDSTRÖM – The Environmental Control Office (2CD-2003)

Label: Ayler Records – aylCD-021/022
Format: 2 × CD, Album; Country: Sweden - Released: 2003
Style: Free Jazz, Free Improvisation
Recorded in concert at Jazz Club Fasching, Stockholm, Sweden, June 4, 1988.
Cover painting and Design by Åke Bjurhamn
Executive-producer – Jan Ström; Liner Notes – Peeter Uuskyla
Mastered By – Per Ruthström, Photography By – Gudrun Edel-Rösnes
Recorded By – Thomas Mera Gertz


Review:

Swedish jazz legend Bengt Frippe Nordström died in 2000. He had taken up the clarinet after hearing Tony Scott, and tenor saxophone after hearing Sonny Rollins. Then exposure to the music of Ornette Coleman and especially Albert Ayler lured him towards less regulated spontaneity and the isolation of solo concerts and small edition, self-released records.
Occasionally, venturesome and supportive figures such as Don Cherry would join him in duets. In mid-1970s, Nordström found he was able to convene a group, the Environmental Control Office, and at last he had a sustaining context. By the time of this recording at Jazz Club Fasching, Stockholm in June 1988 the line-up featured bassist Björn Alke, who also died in 2000, drummer Peeter Uuskyla and violinist Lars Svanteson.
It was the last time the quartet met.
The first disc features a sprawling 50-minute improvisation that speaks of Ayler's influence from the opening burst of weighty vibrato. It's a curious kind of freedom that is so circumscribed by homage, and Nordström rareley matches Ayler's raw force. Still, beyond the mannered copying of earthy honks and righteous tremors, he also touches on Ayler's spirit. He has real feeling for the richness of his instrument's sound and an aptitude for piecing together fragments into open-ended solos, packed with allusions to folk music and children's songs.
Svanteson makes a lively foil to the tenor's bulk. His presence may suggest a parallel to Ayler's inclusion of violinist Michael Samson in his ensemble sound. This quartet is more inclined to dip into mainstream methods and techniques to sustain the momentum. That tendency is given its head on the second disc, which opens with a version of Tony Scott's "Swinging In Sweden". Nordström transfers his vigour to the clarinet and allows small eccentricities to creep into his orbit around the theme.
On "Fripping", he pushes the instrument further out, goaded by Svanteson's brisk and inventive obliqueness and Alke's responsive bowing. Uuskyla at this point sounds too comfortable marking time, reining in a little too effectively. For the concluding "Fasching", Nordström's return to tenor and Ayler's ghost stalks once more through the music.
Overall, a welcome opportunity to hear an overlooked musician playing with commitment and power, but a few more risks collectively taken would have intensified his impact.

This kind of music won’t necessarily shock anyone with its radicalism or newness (though it was a good deal fresher when it was recorded 15 years ago). But it sounds pretty damn good.

_ Julian Cowley ( for The Wire)



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BIGGI VINKELOE TRIO – Mbat (1993)

Label: LJ Records; Catalog#: LJCD5209
Country: Sweden; Year: 1993
Style: avant-garde, free improvisation, Contemporary Jazz, Free Jazz
Recorded live during a tour in Sweden 1993.

Mbat with Peeter Uuskyla and Barre Phillips voted best CD of the year in Finland 1997

Note:

LJ Records has the great pleasure of introducing unique music to you. Unique because it would be impossible without these special musicians, unique because it is impossible and unthinkable to repeat this performance. Biggi Vinkeloe, alto saxophone and flute, has lived in France and Germany and is now living in Sweden. She has performed with amongst others André Jaume, Jacques Veillé, Alain Rellay, Cecil Taylor and Barre Phillips before starting her own trio in 1990. The Biggi Vinkeloe Trio recorded the album "Mr Nefertiti" (Canastero Records) in Cologne, Germany 1991. Peeter Uuskyla, drums, grew up in Sweden. He went to Berlin 1988 to play with Cecil Taylor, stayed in Germany and played with different groups and since 1990 mostly with Biggi Vinkeloe Trio. Barre Phillips is an American bassplayer living in France, who has put his bass in the foreground in whatever project he is playing! He made the first-ever album of solo bass improvisation as long ago as 1968. This edition of Biggi Vinkeloe Trio is of first performances from 1992 and this album was recorded during a tour in Sweden 1993.


Biggi Vinkeloe Biography
Born: March 8, 1956
Instrument: Saxophone

Born in Germany. Studied and lived in France from 1974 to 1988. Since then lives and works in Sweden.

Working bands: Trio REV, with Lisle Ellis and Donald Robinson / Duo Robinson--Vinkeloe / Trio Chris Brown, Donald Robinson, Biggi Vinkeloe / She performs as a soloist as well.

Biggi Vinkeloe has performed in Sweden, France, Germany, England, Finland, Italy, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Czech Republic, Canada, USA , with Peeter Uuskyla, Barre Phillips, Peter Kowald, Cecil Taylor, Ken Filiano, Steve Swell, Joel Futtermann, Alex Cline, Chris Brown, Jacques Veille, Giancarlo Locatelli, Alberto Braida, Filippo Monico, Roberto Bellatalla, Paul Plimley, Jackson Krall, Joachim Zoepf, Georg Wolf, Gino Robair, Gianni Gebbia, Jerome Bryerton, Wayne Lopes, Paul Obermayer, Rex Casswell, Peter Friis Nielsen, Perry Robinson, Lotte Anker, Sylvie Degiez, Vinny Golia, Harris Eisenstadt, Damon Smith, Mark Weaver, Mischa Feigin, Marco Eneidi, Mary Oliver, Miya Masaoka, Donald Robinson, Lisle Ellis among others.

She has performed with musicians from other boards, such as heavy metal bass player Magnus Rosén and drummer Anders Johansson; organ player Karin Nelson or New Music accordion player Marie Wärme; different choirs with music ranging from Saint Birgitta to modern music.

Collaboration with dancers and choreographers, such as Inka Tiitinen (FIN), Tommy Kitty (FIN), Katie Duck (NL), Carmen Olsson (S) / with visual artists, Jake Tilson (GB), Andrew Cowie (GB), Ebbe Pettersson (S), Gilda Previn (USA).

She has initiated and produced major projects: Over the Ocean, October 2000, Sweden, with visual artists, dancers, poets and musicians from Hamburg, Gothenburg, New York, London. Echoes, ‘ events in the exhibition ’ , Sweden, music series with international musicians, since 2001, at the Art Space ‘ Röda Sten ’ in Gothenburg (rodasten.se). European Echoes / United Nations, multi/media projects with artists from different countries. Performances in Sweden, Denmark, Germany, Finland and Italy. Since 1993. M.A.D. (music, art, dance) with financial support by ESF-Radet (European Social Funding) and Roda Sten, with performers from the US and Sweden. Festivals: Du Maurier Jazz Festival, Vancouver, Canada / Taktlos Festival, Bern and Zurich, Switzerland / Kerava Jazz Festival, Finland / Umea Jazz Festival, Sweden / Göteborgs Jazzdagar, Sweden / Eldenaer Jazznights, Germany / Nancy Jazz Pulsation, France / Festival de Franche Comte, France / Cecil Taylor in Berlin, FMP, Germany / Documenta Kassel, Germany / Sounds Festival Stockholm, Sweden / Copenhagen Jazz Festival, Denmark / Jazz Festival Prague, Czech Republic

Artist in Residence at the Headlands Center for the Arts, San Francisco, spring 2001 Grants: City of Kungalv 1995, Bohus Landstinget 1997, Region of Vastra Gotaland 2005, Adalbertska Stiftelse (Foundation) 2005, Swedish Council for Cultural Affairs 1995, 1998, 2003 and 2005. Artist in Residence at the Headlands Center for the Arts in San Francisco spring 2001.

Grants for specific projects, mostly in Sweden.

Mbat with Peeter Uuskyla and Barre Phillips voted best CD of the year in Finland 1997. Imagine a Place with Magnus Rosen voted best CD of the year in Bresil 2001. Best concert of the year in Manchester 2000 with Peeter Uuskyla. – AAJ




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