Globe Unity: Then and Now
It has been almost 37 years since Alexander Von Schlippenbach’s first effort to merge big band orchestration with free improvisation. That endeavor hasn’t seen much of commercial circulation since its original 1966 release on the German Saba label, and it is a wonder why. For a group so influential to the improvising small ensemble and large group of the past thirty years, why are more Globe Unity Orchestra recordings not widely available? Yes, there is a true, traceable lineage with respect to Schlippenbach’s early works, and yes, a large number of today’s free improvisors owe the group an incalculable debt with respect to techniques, interactivity, and compositional methods. But the beauty of such music is that its intent is, in large part, to never be repeated, at least in performance. There exists a sizable catalog of Globe Unity recordings, many of which have only been heard by the chosen few (or those with a nice enough disposable income). Be that as it may, enough copies of Globe Unity (Saba, 1966) were pressed originally and in sparing reissue efforts that a decent copy is bound to show up from time to time in the offbeat vinyl store or on electronic auction websites.
Globe Unity was a launching pad for Schlippenbach’s musical ideas, and the music within could be said to reflect his inability to sit still. Consisting of two long-form orchestrations, the record shows two opposing sides to the composer: “Globe Unity” is the side of choice and stands as a key predecessor to today’s “free” improvisation, while “Sun” suggests an early interest in the influences of mid-century “world” music in the Europeans’ task of making a unique, modern voice for itself outside of coexisting American forms.
Together, the album is far from cohesive but the numbers on their own make for an interesting, if not head-first entry into European improv’s semi-recent history. Personnel ranges from genre giants (Peter Brötzmann, Günter Hampel, Manfred Schoof, Peter Kowald, Willem Breuker) to the utterly obscure (Willi Lietzmann, Kris Wanders, Jaki Liebezeit, Mani Neumeier).
The distinctive characteristic of “Globe Unity” is its definable (by today’s standards) structure, a series of improvised solos and off-pairings that come and go by Schlippenbach’s direction within the framework of a large, written score. The solos are exciting enough, full of youthful energy, and the musicians’ interest in making individual statements is not only conducive to the disposition of the piece, but manifest. “Sun”, on the other hand, is a delicate piece of music driven by percussive instrumentation, and marked by a “chorus” that features piano, bass and tuba. Though not an essential piece of music, one wonders how many of yesterday’s Transatlantic groups (Ganelin, Breuker’s, et al.) were inspired by “Sun”. Certainly it has its place in associated lineages.
Considered together, Globe Unity and Globe Unity 2002 (Intakt, 2003) are joined in their own polarities. They have in common their leader, and the now-recognizable voices of a handful of the players. Otherwise, one could be said to be the end of the other. In 37 years the methods have changed, so have the inspirations, and let’s not forget the global environment in which the musicians operate.
Globe Unity 2002 is the controlled free-for-all we have come to expect from such veteran European improvisors as Brötzmann, Johannes Bauer, Paul Rutherford and Evan Parker. Apparently, Schlippenbach laid down no motifs, no scores, and no rules in the moments prior to the concert. Lending further to the concept of external-stimuli-as-guidance is an event shared among musicians and audience: the recent passing of a local music enthusiast and proponent. The music simply opens with the pianist in calm arrhythmic reflection, and the rest characteristically follow. Along the way there are collective breaks, stop-time entries from soloists, subset exchanges among the personnel, and the occasional liftoff to higher planes. The music is as exciting as it is nerve-wracking: at times the horns seem hell-bent on disagreeable pitches through which to howl and holler, others seem exercises in just-how-atonal-can-we-get?. But these episodes are hallmarks of the tradition, and no similar occasion would be complete without them. It should be added that Schlippenbach and the unlikely returnee, a reflective Manfred Schoof, maintain a sense of poise and control throughout all 74 minutes, and, somehow, steer the others from the occasional search-and-destroy operation. To pull from another Schlippenbach title, the 2002 music is, simply, living.
If one thing has remained a constant for the Globe Unity Orchestra in four decades, it is the undeniable presence of political undertones in the music, a trait decidedly apart from concurrent collectives. Michael Mantler’s group, the London Jazz Composers Orchestra, the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, the Breuker Kollektief, the Instant Composers Pool; these all owe in part to Schlippenbach’s vision. And though a large part of that vision has been shared and built upon, none of those have been able to convey their own socio-political environments as pervasively. With Globe Unity, those influences are unmistakable. The riotous atmosphere of the 2002 recording translates well the global instability in which it was operating, while the 1966 session tells of non-conformity and an effort to find permanence – even within the music’s own disorder – in a rapidly evolving musical environment. Globe Unity’s success in expression could be measured by the chances it takes, and music rarely gets as close to tangibility.
Posted by al on January 20, 2004 3:27 PM"the utterly obscure (Willi Lietzmann, Kris Wanders, Jaki Liebezeit, Mani Neumeier)."
maybe in the improv world, but Liebezeit is extremely well known as the incredible drummer for Can (and isn't unknown in the improv world, he's done occasional duo shows with Evan Parker in the last few years). Neumeier was the drummer for Guru Guru, another pretty well known Krautrock group.
Liebezeit is a bad man, too. Damn. Can't say I've ever heard him play outside the machine though.
Posted by: Rudolph Virilio at January 21, 2004 3:02 AMI've met a lot of musicians since I started Erstwhile, and only been a little intimidated when first introduced to three: Keith Rowe, Leibezeit, and Damo Suzuki, maybe Ron Asheton also. I consider Can the greatest rock band of all time, I'm still hoping to find a way to subtly pay tribute to them in my upcoming festival in Cologne. in the meantime, the similarity of the titles "Weather Sky" and "Mother Sky" is not a total coincidence. :)
Posted by: Jon Abbey at January 21, 2004 7:23 AMsounds like I need to hear some Can.
Posted by: al at January 21, 2004 9:57 AMTago Mago. as soon as possible.
Posted by: Jon Abbey at January 21, 2004 10:39 AMAlso the double live CD that came out a couple of years ago. "Coldchester Finale" in particular is devastating.
Posted by: Phil Freeman at January 22, 2004 9:42 AM"Also the double live CD that came out a couple of years ago. "Coldchester Finale" in particular is devastating."
I couldn't agree less. none of the Can live material, official releases or bootlegs, is anywhere near as compelling as their best studio recordings: Tago Mago, Soundtracks, Ege Bamyasi, Monster Movie, Delay 1968, Future Days, Soon Over Babaluma should all be purchased before you consider delving into any of the live stuff. the first long track on The Peel Sessions disc is also incredible, it sounds like an outtake from Tago Mago. without all of the editing and culling that went into the actual records, they just sound like another band, nothing too special.
"Tago Mago. as soon as possible."
Listening to it for the second time after reading Jon's endorsement. It's awesome! I'll be following up on your "Tago Mago, Soundtracks, Ege Bamyasi, Monster Movie, Delay 1968, Future Days, Soon Over Babaluma" list eventually.
Posted by: mke at January 25, 2004 6:17 AMcool, glad to hear it.
Halleluwah, baby. it doesn't get any better than that.
Posted by: Jon Abbey at January 25, 2004 9:01 AMOnce you've re-absorbed "Halleluwah," check out the first Last Exit album. Bill Laswell steals the bassline for "Catch As Catch Can."
Posted by: Phil at January 25, 2004 10:07 AM"Halleluwah, baby. it doesn't get any better than that."
Man, I'm inclined to agree with that. 4th tune, right? Been listening to TAGO MAGO on Jon's rec and now I think I want to know everything about this band. Was Can able to keep this kind of thing up, or is this record it for them? Yowza.
who's the bassist? He and Liebezeit are amaaaazing together. I didn't know the early 70's held such secrets.
Posted by: al at January 25, 2004 12:38 PMHolger Czukay is the bassist, he was a student of Stockhausen's. besides the Can recommendations above (they have some post-1975 ones also which mostly suck, people are split on Landed and Unlimited Edition, but I could live without both), definitely check out Canaxis, a side project from 1969 of Czukay's, using some of the ideas from Hymnen and Telemusik. Julian Cope's typically over the top yet entertaining report is here:
http://www.headheritage.co.uk/unsung/reviews/index.php?review_id=968
Posted by: Jon Abbey at January 25, 2004 12:57 PMDamo Suzuki's Network is playing Seoul in a couple weeks. Wonder if I should spend the shekels to see them?
Factor that I like Can, but not as much as some. I used to have 4 of those lauded 70's platters and liked Tago Mago best (surprise) but I sold it all years ago.
Posted by: Jor-El Fo$ter at January 25, 2004 9:03 PMI saw Damo with the Massachusetts band Cul De Sac a year or two ago at Tonic, and he still totally kicked ass (not so crazy about the band). he even did a quasi-version of Mother Sky at one point that made me happy, although he ignored my calls from the audience for Halleluwah, in fact I think they irritated him a little (I wasn't the only one yelling requests by any means, but it's possible I was more persistent and loud than others, which I know will shock all of you). I don't really know anything about that particular band, though.
Posted by: Jon Abbey at January 25, 2004 9:33 PMEveryone forgets who was Kris Wanders, the saxophone player. A Antwerpen Dutch youngster , he was in the Fred Van Hove - Cel Overberghe - Ivo Vanderborght - Mike Zinzen circle of free jazzmen and pioneers of free improvisation. Wanders was in Fred Van Hove first trio with drummer Jan Van 't Ven. He toured with both Kees Hazevoet ( the famous ornithologist and pianist) and bassist Arjen Gorter with a ever changing drummer (Moholo, Bennink , Lovens, Van Duynhoven, among others. Kris Wanders was the brother in law of Peter Kowald who lived in antwerpen around 67/68 (as Gunther Hampel , Jeanne Lee etc..). Both Kowald and Brötzm went to play with Fred Van Hove with Wanders and Jan Van'tVen until the drummer deceased following a drug overdose (cfr Responsible (fr Jan Vant'Ven) in Machine Gun apiece penned by Fred Van Hove). Needing a drummer to fill the empty stool of the departing drummer, Fred heard about Han Bennink from a very enthusiastic Marion Brown (cfr Porto Novo on AB Productions/ Polydor . So it was Fred who put together Peter and Han B. The irepressible flying Dutchman was so polyrythmic , that he outplayed Kowald capabilities and Peter went to play with Irene Schweizer and Pierre Favre bringing Evan Parker in the mix (cfr the Wergo lp 1969). Wanders went also out after everyone plus Breuker recorded the MPS Saba Requien for Che JFK and MLK (sic). So Fred and Peter B called Buschi Niebergall and in 1969 they toured with Parker and Bailey and recorded Nipples. Wanders who was invited in Globe Unity Orchestra 66 remained in Belgium until 1975 and disappeared in australia. Recently , I got an email and a 2006 cdr of a joint group with tenor sax Andy Sugg , a bass player, a guitarist and a drummer : quite a ecstatic free jazz - enrgy playing.
The Kris wanders trio (with bass player Jean Demey, a good friend of mine and drummer Francis Van Assche) opened for Fred Van Hove Brötzm Bennink in the 1st WIM Fest in De Muze Café in Antwerpen (1973) and in Ghent Graven's Kasteel 1974 for Alex von S quarttet with Peter K , Lovens and Parker.
Kris Wanders will tour Poland 2007 with Mark Sanders, Peter Jacquemyn and Hannes Bauer. A very energetic player who refused to record his music which made of him one of the lesser known pioneers of euro-free jazz in the books but a terror on stage. Good remembrance of very hot bar gigs.
Everyone forgets who was Kris Wanders, the saxophone player. A Antwerpen Dutch youngster , he was in the Fred Van Hove - Cel Overberghe - Ivo Vanderborght - Mike Zinzen circle of free jazzmen and pioneers of free improvisation. Wanders was in Fred Van Hove first trio with drummer Jan Van 't Ven. He toured with both Kees Hazevoet ( the famous ornithologist and pianist) and bassist Arjen Gorter with a ever changing drummer (Moholo, Bennink , Lovens, Van Duynhoven, among others. Kris Wanders was the brother in law of Peter Kowald who lived in antwerpen around 67/68 (as Gunther Hampel , Jeanne Lee etc..). Both Kowald and Brötzm went to play with Fred Van Hove with Wanders and Jan Van'tVen until the drummer deceased following a drug overdose (cfr Responsible (fr Jan Vant'Ven) in Machine Gun apiece penned by Fred Van Hove). Needing a drummer to fill the empty stool of the departing drummer, Fred heard about Han Bennink from a very enthusiastic Marion Brown (cfr Porto Novo on AB Productions/ Polydor . So it was Fred who put together Peter and Han B. The irepressible flying Dutchman was so polyrythmic , that he outplayed Kowald capabilities and Peter went to play with Irene Schweizer and Pierre Favre bringing Evan Parker in the mix (cfr the Wergo lp 1969). Wanders went also out after everyone plus Breuker recorded the MPS Saba Requien for Che JFK and MLK (sic). So Fred and Peter B called Buschi Niebergall and in 1969 they toured with Parker and Bailey and recorded Nipples. Wanders who was invited in Globe Unity Orchestra 66 remained in Belgium until 1975 and disappeared in australia. Recently , I got an email and a 2006 cdr of a joint group with tenor sax Andy Sugg , a bass player, a guitarist and a drummer : quite a ecstatic free jazz - enrgy playing.
The Kris wanders trio (with bass player Jean Demey, a good friend of mine and drummer Francis Van Assche) opened for Fred Van Hove Brötzm Bennink in the 1st WIM Fest in De Muze Café in Antwerpen (1973) and in Ghent Graven's Kasteel 1974 for Alex von S quarttet with Peter K , Lovens and Parker.
Kris Wanders will tour Poland 2007 with Mark Sanders, Peter Jacquemyn and Hannes Bauer. A very energetic player who refused to record his music which made of him one of the lesser known pioneers of euro-free jazz in the books but a terror on stage. Good remembrance of very hot bar gigs.
Thanks for the info re: Wanders. I also have him on the Kees Hazevoet "Pleasure One" LP, which is a heavy-hitter indeed...
Posted by: clifford at July 27, 2007 2:18 PMJeanMichel -
Great background info, much of which I was not aware, even though I know a few of the folks involved. Was Kowald married to Wanders' sister or was Wanders' married to Kowald's sister?
Just this weekend I started reading Mike Heffley's book on the German/Euro/FMP scene (Northern Sun, Southern Moon), so this ties in to what I was reading just this morning. So far the book's best bits appear to be the sections on the GDR musicians (Sommer, Petrovsky, Bauer bros, Gumpert)...
Anybody else out there taken a shot at this book?
Posted by: Rob Cambre at July 30, 2007 11:58 AMI've been taking a hack at it, reading through it slowly. The parts where he's talking about the actual music/musicians is pretty good, but some of his meta-meta-historical tangential musings go on for too long.
Posted by: Jacob Lindsay at July 30, 2007 12:49 PMLots of typos in there, iirc, if not outright misinformation. Hopefully a corrected 2nd edition comes out.
Posted by: clifford at July 30, 2007 2:45 PMKris Wanders' sister married Kowald around 67 and Evan remembered having slept in PK's home in Antwerpen before Baden Baden New Jazz Meeting 67 with Stevens. It was where everyone met.
I don't think that specific historic is too long, this means that US afro american free-jazzers and future free improvisors were in the same scene and befriended in the late sixties. Don Cherry and Lee Konitz supported Brötzmann when Alex, Schoof and co (the schooled musos) detracted him. A lot of people write things , now, which are completely false. I am not part of the US scene and never went in the US . So i would not write too long on US free music. Never seen Chicago or Harlem ! But I was in many festivals and concerts of euro improvised music seventies up to now , organising some of them recently, and played my stuff. I recently wrote a story of Spontaneous Music Ensemble & John Stevens (more 40 pages) with the help of MD, Evan, Trevor, Smith, Russell, Prévost, Coombes. But it is written in french and issued in Phil Renaud's Improjazz. Phil made the catalogue of British Jazz (Not Simply Cricket) in two volumes. Dan Warburton has written in the review of FOTC 2006/ Emanem (one track of our group) that you will earn something learning french in order to read these reviews. It is possible to order the two numbers of Improjazz february and march 2007 through their sale dept. The text make a lot of SME members happy.
My next paper is about Paul Hubweber and will be issued in september. Oh yes I am a vocal improvisor and I just issued a cd with John Russell and JMVS duos + Jean Demey's bass solo on Inaudible. Jean Demey was the bass player of he Kris Wanders trio early- mid seventies.
Kris Wanders has been very active on the Australian scene for at least 10 or so years by now, he lived in Melbourne for quite some time before starting to play again (after a lengthy break from music I think).
He has his own group (with Andy Sugg, Tom Fryer and others) as well as a newer group called 'EMBERS' with Sean Baxter, Dave Brown and Adam Simmons, (all members of melbourne based free jazz/punk/grind core band BUCKETRIDER, also Baxter & Brown work in a trio with Anthony Pateras). Info can be found at:
http://www.members.optusnet.com.au/~pkurth/HTML/index-e.htm
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