Reading the wonderful back-story behind Schwarzwaldfahrt I was curiously reminded of a Howard Rumsey Lighthouse All-Stars album for Contemporary. The cover of that record pictures the band set-up in the Hermosa Beach sand presumably preparing to play to a crowd of sunbathers, off-camera. Brötzmann and Bennink’s chosen locales are a near opposite, the post-winter environs of the Black Forest under gray skies and inclement weather. The pair packed relatively lightly. The Dutchman left his drum kit at home and took along instead an assortment of reed and string instruments. The German made do with an unspecified number of clarinets and saxophones. Bennink’s car served as transport with provisions and borrowed portable recording equipment occupying remaining trunk space. They took to the wilds for a week, stopping periodically to play in natural settings amidst wooded glades and streams as the whim struck them.
Originally released on FMP as a single LP, the album culled from the travels still stands a unique and instantly endearing entry in the oeuvre of each player. The Unheard Music edition adds over an hour of unissued material by way of a second disc. Everything receives a fresh studio scrubbing, but the raw verité feel of the recordings remains intact. Edits are often blunt with one piece ending abruptly and the next opening in progress. Over the course of both discs the duo moves about freely over the terrain, their shifting proximity to the microphone(s) adding a vivid spatial dimension to the music, the environment itself becoming an instrument.
At one point early on Bennink beats a choppy rhythm on a log while Brötzmann twitters away on clarinet, the latter man gradually wandering away until he’s out of range of the mic completely only to return a minute later. The distant buzz of what sounds like a chainsaw undergirds the entire exchange, even spilling over into the next track. Several pieces later the fleeting drone of jet aircraft augments an argument of dueling penny whistles. It’s an aerial occurrence repeated late in the ninth inning of Disc Two. Ambient birdsong of several stripes is also regularly audible across much of the program along with burble and babble of various-sized waterways. The two make direct use of the aqueous topographical features, submerging their respective reed instruments, blowing freely and taping the results. Taking the tactic to an extreme, the final cut of the original album consists of almost completely of an impromptu symphony of splashing sounds generated by hands, feet and dropped objects.
Bennink’s customary playfulness comes through in the multitude of means he devises to make noise. Brötzmann adopts a matching level of open-mindedness and it’s a pleasure to hear him embrace such a sense of frivolity in the shared ad-lib approach. The two rarely seem concerned with adhering to any sort of agreed upon aural map at all. Their interplay is of the moment and lends a welcome aleatory air to the whole aural journey. The pinnacle comes on the companion disc during a 12-minute safari for tandem bass clarinets, the two giraffee-necked horns exploring the sound space beneath a peaceful arboreal canopy.
Other improvisers have recorded outdoors over the years with mixed results; the CIMP meeting of Joe McPhee and David Prentice springs immediately to mind. Still the number of albums in this vein remains surprisingly few. With this pioneering project thankfully back in print others will hopefully find it a catalyst to organize field trips of their own, digital tape decks in tow.
~ Derek Taylor
Posted by derek on November 29, 2005 7:59 AMThis is a beautiful recording. The extra stuff is great as well.
I feel like Brötzmann is really one of the most creative improvisors ever. You can see it when you really investigate projects like this and his solos. It is also a real shame that the trios with Harry Miller and Moholo have not been reissued on cd yet (aside from one track on DIW "Hells Kitchen" comp. cd).
The liner notes and extra tracks are great, UMS can be lazy about that, it does not give those of us who have tracked down this stuff on vinyl any incentive to get the cd.
Speaking of UMS the trio cd "Inside-Outside" with Lovens, Dieter Scherf and the amazing Polish Double Bassist Jacek Bednareck is really great.
Yeah, the Scherf is a motherfucker, again lazy UMS lack of liners or any contextual relevance presented... (guess that's my job now, innit? Review to come here shortly) I thought Bednarek was Czech, but could be wrong about that.
Kudos to Derek for a great review on one of the most interesting FMP sides.
Posted by: clifford at November 29, 2005 1:42 PMActually I think you are right, I think he is Czech. I have several of his other LPs, I got a few of them from a guy in LA who specializes in Polish jazz.
Posted by: Damon Smith at November 29, 2005 3:04 PMI would like to have more Bednarek in the collection - he's a sick player. Recommendations?
Posted by: clifford at November 29, 2005 4:20 PMActually, I seem to be getting info that points to both Czech and Polish for Bednarek's nationality.
Posted by: clifford at November 29, 2005 4:40 PMThere are some great lps with the pianst Micheal Smith one trio and one larger group that also includes Kent Carter. The FMP/SAJ lp "Good Old CIrcus" is also a good one. there are at least two duos with a flute player that I like, but those would really be for bass geeks only.
Posted by: Damon Smith at November 29, 2005 7:45 PMYeah, I checked up in the meantime and saw those duos. They look good to me. "Good Old Circus" looks absolutely weird, which I suppose is par for the course on late '70s SAJ records...
Thanks for the heads' up!
Posted by: clifford at November 29, 2005 8:44 PMI bought a copy Schwartzwaldfart back in the day. I'm all for recordings in the woods, but what a waste of vinyl. You'd have to be one clarinet-loving treehugger to like this shit. It's unfocused, silly, blurbling, stupid. That's not to say Brotzmann and Bennink aren't great musicians, just that this project is nothing but a toss-off.
I also used to own Ein Partie Tischtennis and Tschuss and never thought much of those, either, which contributed to my indifference to most of the FMP catalog. So there you are, Damon, that's why I never listened to each and every one of those precious Teutonic vogel-droppings, as you did, you incredible genius and autovinyldidact, you. (ps. DS, I thought you hated humor in music. If Schwartzwaldfart isn't a joke from start to finish, I don't know what is.) (pps. Flame away!)
Posted by: djll at November 30, 2005 11:06 AM"You'd have to be one clarinet-loving treehugger to like this shit. It's unfocused, silly, blurbling, stupid. That's not to say Brotzmann and Bennink aren't great musicians, just that this project is nothing but a toss-off."
Awwwwww, Tom, darling, give over you old fart!! It's a blast - pure fun, pure music! Stick with the Wagner operas if you want der serious schitt!! I agree the second bonus CD is a wank (the best stuff made it to the vinyl), but the LP is wonderful. Yo Djll go out to the WOODS with your copy of ROBERT BLY and COMMUNE WITH NATURE - you Californian or what?!!!!!!!! xxxxxxxxdan
Dan i would be curious what you think about another improv record recorded in nature released this year on Creative Sources by Cyril Epinat, Mathias Forge, Jérôme Bertholon ...
Djll = the new Walt Horn
Posted by: narew ramsh at November 30, 2005 1:03 PMThanks for the props, Cliff.
I second the hosannas heaped on Bednarek, that brother can beat the bull fiddle.
And I dunno, Dan. I found the second disc a welcome addition, definitely in the same irreverent spirit as the first. Sure, there’s a fair share of tinkering & mucking about, but it’s all part of the ploy. The long track for bass clarinets reminded me of John Gilmore’s insouciantly circuitous solo on “Adventure Equation” for some reason.
Posted by: derek at November 30, 2005 1:32 PMDjll = the new Walt Horn
Posted by: narew ramsh at November 30, 2005 01:03 PM
FWIW, I don't understand that. But as I indicated earlier today on another thread, I can be pretty obtuse sometimes.
Posted by: walto at November 30, 2005 2:50 PMthat john gilmore solo that derek mentioned is leagues beyond anything i've ever heard brotzmann do on the instrument (and i like brotzy) so that comparison strikes me as off-kilter to say the least.
as far as 'nature' recordings, is there no one who enjoys all the stuff put out by the ouie-dire label? great photos included with those too, though the music is often hard-pressed to live up to them. i like the Michel Doneda, Marc Pichelin, Lę Quan Ninh, Laurent Sassi "montagne noire" and the Xavier Charles, Michel Doneda, Jean Pallandre
"Gaycre" but havent heard all of ouie dire's other releases
From a technique-based standpoint I’d concur they’re quite different, though I think you’re selling Herr Brötz short on the bcl (I’ve heard him work visceral magic w/ the instrument in solo settings, both live and on disc). It’s more the overall vibe of each solo that struck me as similar, the same sort of wending & winding exploratory vibe undertaken at a laidback pace. Check out Schwarzwaldfahrt up close & personal & and see if you don't agree.
Posted by: derek at November 30, 2005 5:28 PM"Dan i would be curious what you think about another improv record recorded in nature released this year on Creative Sources by Cyril Epinat, Mathias Forge, Jérôme Bertholon ..."
It's definitely one of Schwarzwaldfahrt's bastard children, for sure. There are some splendid moments, but I thought it was a bit on the long side. Massimo Ricci is reviewing it for January's PT - I'm writing up the other 5 or 6. Ernesto certainly keeps me busy!
"I found the second disc a welcome addition, definitely in the same irreverent spirit as the first. Sure, there’s a fair share of tinkering & mucking about, but it’s all part of the ploy."
Yeah, sure - but all that noodling on Sentimental Journey gets a bit tedious. Like it when the plane flies over. I also agree with Andrew that PB is not on the same planet as Gilmore (Saturn!)
"is there no one who enjoys all the stuff put out by the ouie-dire label? great photos included with those too, though the music is often hard-pressed to live up to them."
Agreed. Lovely concept though, shame I didn't buy more of them at the time. I think they're all out of print now, though perhaps some of Ninh's pals are lurking here and could correct that if it's not true. Heard the one where Martine Altenberger plays her cello with a pond of frogs? A killer.
I'm a big fan of environmental improv, be it in natural (that's why the Brotz Bennink is ESSENTIAL) or urban surroundings. Remember the motorway flyover on the Kuwayama - Kijima albums on trenteoiseaux, or my own thing in the Paris Metro with JL Guionnet and Eric La Casa. And the great bit on Braxton's BYG Actuel album when they all pile out into the street and carry on playing. Cool!
It makes sense djll would not like it. Luckily his embarassing lack of historical knowledge only makes him a hack as a journalist/critic and not as trumpet player.
I do hate humor in music by certain terrible Bay Area musicians who can't play well so they joke around on stage instead, while less of that seems to be happening these days, it is certainly something I don't have much patience for around here. However, I have always liked Bennink and many others who use humor in their music although I choose not to myself.
There is a Brötzmann bass clarinet solo on "No Nothing" that is just amazing.
"It makes sense djll would not like it. Luckily his embarassing lack of historical knowledge only makes him a hack as a journalist/critic and not as trumpet player."
Ouch! After exposing the factional rifts of the London scene with my 2000+ review, it's now time to blow the Bay Area wide open! Attack! Man the barricades! Aux armes! FWIW, Tom Djll wrote a very perceptive review of one of my albums for The Wire, and I enjoyed his recent STN piece too. Touché!
And as alluded to, Djll is a *sick* trumpet (plus) player.
Posted by: jpmf at December 1, 2005 3:31 AMHey, Dan, where/how would one get that Altenburger/brac-a-brac coax disc? I've long had a fondness for frog honks.
Posted by: walto at December 1, 2005 7:38 AMhttp://www.actuellecd.com/doc.f/ouiedire.html
Bonne chance
That Globe Unity record Jahrmarket, which was released/ reissued on vinyl about 10 years ago is a great example of the urban environmental improvising mentioned, and a recording that I find quite a good time to listen to. Rooftops, streets etc.
And since Dan brought up a metro recording (which judging by the performers I would love to hear) I'd also like to recomend the Werner Ludi record of solos he did in a huge metal pipe/ tunnel. I can't remember the title, and don't own it (just remember listening to it when WNUR got it more 6 than years ago) but it's worth tracking down. The sonics I thought were really evocative (even though the range was narrowed considerably by the place)
Posted by: unwrinkled at December 1, 2005 12:50 PMDan, I was having one of my embarrassing, unprofessional bouts of St. Vitus' Dance when I forgot to mention your Metro recording! I LOVE that thing! Love the Braxton Paris-streets bit, too. Best thing on that album (not really, just having another spell, there *swoon*).
Franz Hautzinger included a track on his solo album which had some street noise on it, didn't it? I didn't get why that was even on there, it seemed arbitrary. But, of course, I hated that record, too, and I don't own it anymore so I can't check. :)
Dan, if you want material for your Bay Area exposé, go to the archives section of BA-NEWMUS: http://eartha.mills.edu:8000/guest/archives/ba-newmus/ -- There you'll find all kinds of juicy flamewars and virtual pixelov cocktails, a couple of them thrown by guys who now post here (self included -- oops, there goes my trepanning implant, again). One can only hope Bags doesn't go down that route too often in the future, although the entertainment value is undeniable. I just don't have that many rainy days to wade through the screed weeds.
Posted by: djll at December 1, 2005 1:13 PMPimp #3 for "Metro". Amazing recording.
Posted by: Michael Schaumann at December 1, 2005 1:40 PM"And as alluded to, Djll is a *sick* trumpet (plus) player."
I should really second this, since I have made it clear I have no respect for his writing, I should also make just as clear that I have tons of respect for his trumpet playing and improvising.
I have heard him do the most amazing things on trumpet. Clear, precise and worked out multi-phonics, beautiful tone and great ideas.
I have heard him do multi-phonics as clear as John Butcher.
Certainly one of the better players to come out of the Bay Area. Anyone who only knows him as cremudgenly writer would do well to track down some of his music.
He would do well to make more of it available. There is plenty of substandard creative music journalism, not enough innovative trumpet playing in the world.
Also, I have to admit that I have the Schwarzwaldfahrt LP which I always enjoyed but the music works far better on cd for me. And the extra disc might even be better than the original lp.
enough sucking each other's cocks. The Brotzmann/Moholo/Miller issue is what's important.
Posted by: al at December 1, 2005 2:21 PM"That Globe Unity record Jahrmarket, which was released/ reissued on vinyl about 10 years ago is a great example of the urban environmental improvising mentioned, and a recording that I find quite a good time to listen to. Rooftops, streets etc."
Could you describe this a bit more? Also, what label it's on, is it still available, etc. My interest is peaked from this brief mention!
thanks,
Rob
Yo Namor, talk to Corbett, peel off some bills from that fat submariner pension & make it so.
Posted by: derek at December 1, 2005 2:58 PMAcutually anything by Harry Miller is pretty badass. Berlin Bones and the duos with a maximalist malfatti are great ones. Jarhmarket is on Paul Lovens' Po Tourch label. Vinyl only.
Posted by: Damon Smith at December 1, 2005 4:20 PM"enough sucking each other's cocks. The Brotzmann/Moholo/Miller issue is what's important."
Right - "The Nearer the Bone, the Sweeter the Meat" as they say...
Who was talking shit on the Vogels? Those are some rad fucking platters if you ask me...
Posted by: clifford at December 1, 2005 7:54 PMI say old chaps, would you mind awfully moderating the language? There are children present, you know :)
Posted by: Dan Warburton at December 1, 2005 9:54 PMEh, must've used up all my eloquence writing for PT this month... ;-)
Posted by: clifford at December 5, 2005 1:25 PMI needed to post this somewhere, because it made me laugh. I use a little app (Synergy) which shows music currently playing on iTunes. It downloads cover art from Amazon when there's none in the file. For "Schwarzwaldfahrt", it somehow chose the soundtrack to the animated film "Chicken Little."
I don't know. Maybe it's just me.
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